From Triple-A...

Four Texas cities -- Houston, San Antonio, Austin, and Dallas -- top the list of North America's most accommodating cities for travelers with pets, based on the number of pet-friendly lodgings included in the latest edition of Traveling with your Pet: The AAA PetBook. The AAA PetBook, with more than 13,000 listings of hotels and other accommodations that allow pets, is a comprehensive travel guide for pet owners.

"Houston is ranked number one as the 'most-accommodating city' for pets, not only in the U.S., but in North America," said Rose Rougeau, spokesperson for AAA Texas, who is based in Houston.

According to the Travel Industry Association , 29 million travelers have taken a pet with them on a trip in the past three years, and 29% stayed in hotels and motels with their pets. Dogs are the most common type of pet to take along (78%), with cats a distant second (15%), according to the TIA. In addition, of the people who said that a hotel's pet policy made an impact on their decision of where to stay, 35% said it was the most important factor in their decision.

This ranking of cities is based on the number of AAA Approved and Diamond rated pet-friendly hotels. The list also notes pet-friendly AAA Approved attractions, the number of local dog parks listed on official city Web sites and other outside sources, and the number of American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) accredited animal clinics.

1. Houston, TX --This Texas city made it to the top of our list with 108 pet-friendly accommodations available, including three AAA-RATED Five Diamond hotels. The city of Houston reports maintaining two off-leash dog parks, and 20 AAHA accredited emergency veterinary hospitals.

2. San Antonio, TX -- You won't have any problems finding a place to stay with Fido while visiting the Alamo. San Antonio boasts 98 AAA-RATED lodgings that accept pets, maintains one dog park and nine accredited emergency vet hospitals in the city.

3. Austin, TX -- The live-music capital of the world is a great place to vacation with your pet, with 72 AAA-RATED hotels and motels that accept pets. There are 15 accredited animal hospitals, and the city of Austin reports maintaining 12 off-leash dog parks!

4. Albuquerque, NM -- This southwestern city has 300 years of history to share with you and Rover. While you're there, choose from Albuquerque's 66 AAA-RATED lodgings and visit one of the city's eight dog parks. The city has 10 accredited animal hospitals.

5. Phoenix, AZ -- Known for its native artwork and laid-back atmosphere, Phoenix also welcomes four-legged friends in 64 AAA-RATED accommodations, and encourages them to take a vacation of their own at one of the city's five leash-free dog parks. There are 12 accredited animal hospitals, just in case.

1 Comments

Sheila said:

www.dogfriendly.com is an awesome website for anyone that has pets. There aredog friendly hotels, beach etiquette and restuarants that allow dogs.

September 26, 2006 2:26 PM

Leave a comment

Name:

Email:

URL:  

Remember personal info?

Captcha:

Type the characters you see in the picture above.