animals Archives | The Dash and Dine

Take a day trip to the Elephant Nature Park in Chang Mai

Years ago, Mike went to visit the Elephant Nature Park during his trip through Thailand. Here’s why you should go there too…

There are about twenty different elephant experiences within an hour or so of Chiang Mai. They run the spectrum from very-elephant-friendly to downright cruel. The worst feature circus shows and pile clumps of tourists on the over-worked elephants (even the Frommer’s guide has a photo of people riding elephants) — and the nicest of concierges have no idea why visitors would even have an issue about this.

I’m no PETA activist, but I couldn’t have enjoyed myself if I thought I was helping mistreat elephants. So after some research, I settled on the Elephant Nature Park in Chang Mai, and I’m really glad I did… Continue reading “Take a day trip to the Elephant Nature Park in Chang Mai”

Poolside pups & pastelitos: Our extremely pet-friendly trip to Miami Beach

We just got back from a weekend away in Miami. It was MY first trip to Florida, and Mike’s millionth… approximately. (He used to work on a show called Burn Notice that filmed in Miami.)

But the difference for Mike this time was that he had his dog in tow!

Actually it wasn’t just OUR pooch, our friend and The Gifted castmate Skyler Samuels brought her dog Matey along too!

If you’re looking for a pet-friendly trip to Miami, you’re going to have to stay at The Standard Miami Beach.

This place just set the tone for the perfect getaway with your pooch… Continue reading “Poolside pups & pastelitos: Our extremely pet-friendly trip to Miami Beach”

You absolutely need to take a trip to Nara: The magical city of tame deer in Japan

While we were in Kyoto, we decided to take a day trip to Nara. This experience is why you absolutely need to schedule a trip to Nara during your time in Japan!

Mike: On our last full day in Japan, we took the train to Nara… or as we call it: “The Place with the Tame Deer.” I wasn’t sure if we wanted to take a day trip an hour out of town when we still had so much to see in Kyoto, but I’m glad we stuck to the plan, because Nara is awesome.

Megan: Nara was BY FAR my favorite part about the trip. I’d been itching to go since a friend of mine showed me a selfie she took with a deer. But I had no idea how completely incredible it would be for reals.

About five minutes after exiting the subway, you’re met with the cutest little deer! They’re just standing there on the sidewalk, like it ain’t no thing, near a man selling “deer crackers.” We bought a bunch and I started feeding them.

magical day trip to Nara, Japan - @thedashanddine — Deer crackers.

We were warned by friends and tons of posted signs, that the deer could be a bit aggressive: Continue reading “You absolutely need to take a trip to Nara: The magical city of tame deer in Japan”

My ode to the best travel pet carrier ever

I agonized for weeks over what pet carrier to get for Pita. She’s a small dog (8-10lbs) but not a TINY TINY dog. And the space under airline seats (much like overhead bins) are so unpredictable. I also didn’t want to have to carry her on my shoulder the entire time (bad back). So I needed something big enough for her to move around comfortably in, but not so big that it didn’t fit under any seat, and something that I could wheel and/or wear like a backpack.

After opening about approximately 36 Amazon pages of travel pet carriers, I started whittling away at them… This one’s not squishy enough, this one looks too small, this one doesn’t have wheels, this one gets shit reviews, this one is just a super-ugly color. (Yeah, I started to get really petty at the end.) And then there was The Snoozer… It had wheels, backpack straps, could sit upright, or flat on the ground, got great reviews, and had this adorable chihuahua photo as an example:

It seemed like a sign. So I Amazon Primed that bitch for my bitch. And guess what — half a dozen flights and many many car rides later — I’m in love with this wheeled pet carrier. Here’s why…

Continue reading “My ode to the best travel pet carrier ever”

Our favorite dog-friendly restaurants in LA

We got a dog! That means we’re now constantly on the lookout for dog-friendly restaurants in Los Angeles. Fortunately we just happen to live in a hotbed of wonderful restaurants that allow dogs.

Here are our favorite places to dine with our pup that aren’t just a squished collection of chairs and tiny tables, in direct sunlight, outside of the actual restaurant… Continue reading “Our favorite dog-friendly restaurants in LA”

Leaving a cat alone isn’t scary because of my team of robots

We’re taking a weekend trip to Sebastopol. And I’m not worried at all about leaving our cat, Diego (aka. The Woogs), alone without a sitter. That’s because I have a team full of robots to take care of him.

Here are the products I use to keep my cat alive while I’m away… Continue reading “Leaving a cat alone isn’t scary because of my team of robots”