L'Auberge de Sedona: Sedona, Arizona

Hotel Reviews: L'Auberge de Sedona is a luxury resort located along the banks of Oak Creek in Sedona, Arizona. The hotel features 87 guest rooms and cottages nestled around 11 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds. The hotel has a variety of unique cottages which make for a private and luxurious stay. The hotel is dog friendly and charges a $35 per night fee for dog under 50 lbs and a $50 per night fee for dogs over 50 lbs.

For this stay, we stayed in a  private, freestanding one-bedroom cottage called the Vista Suite. The Vista Suite cottages are located higher up on the hillside and have truly spectacular views of Sedona's red rocks. The units feature a living room with a gas fireplace, separate bedroom with a king sized bed, and bathroom with an outdoor shower cedar shower. The expansive redwood deck on the cottage was fully enclosed (no steps going to the ground) and appointed with comfy patio furniture for taking in the mountain views.  Our unit was cottage #98 and it was the end cottage which gave us plenty of privacy. As the hotel is spread out, at times, you may need to call for a golf cart to pick you up. I highly recommend this for when you need a lift. 

There is much to do around the hotel, including walking along the banks of Oak Creek or taking a short drive to do some magnificent hiking in Sedona. During this stay, I hiked up to Devil's Bridge. The hike up to the top of Devil's Bridge includes very steep, step-like, rock climbing and isn't recommended for most dogs. However, for very agile dogs like me, the hike to the top is truly amazing. Be sure to wear a very solid harness if you opt to do this hike. Click link for more information on Devil's Bridge Trail.  Wow. Much Wow.

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Chillin on the East Coast

Throughout the year, I like to travel to visit friends and family. And since my friends and family are all over the United States, that means I sometimes need to fly to get in all the fun. When I was a little puppy (not quite 6 months old and not quite 8 lbs), my people started flying with me. Now that I'm five years old, I've logged 25 airplane flights and a gazillion miles in the sky. I always fly in cabin at my people's feet and mostly just sleep during the flights. My people keep a constant watch on me, making sure I am okay and get sips of water along the way. I travel in a custom made Celltei bag: Celltei link. 

For this trip, my people tried out a new Adaptil D.A.P. (dog appeasing pheremone) collar on me to see if it would keep me chill during all the loud noises and general commotion of travel. The disposable collars are supposed to last 4 weeks. Overall we didn't notice any difference - good or bad - but it seems like a potential option to try if you are worried about how your dog will handle a plane flight. You can check out additional details here: Adaptil link.

Even though the west coast is my super happy home, I have a great time on the east coast too. They have great trees and grass and tons of bugs to chase. During the summer months, I usually help with the yard work which is especially fun, because I don't have my own yard back in San Diego.

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Shiba Prom 2014

Image credit: Serena Russell

Have you heard about the annual Shiba Prom? Shiba Prom is a volunteer nonprofit organization of Shiba Inu owners and enthusiasts united together for charitable purposes. Started in 2012, a group of passionate people teamed up to develop the first Shiba Prom which took place as a virtual fund raiser in June 2012. Their mission is focused on ending the unnecessary suffering of Shiba Inus (and mixes) that have been abandoned, neglected, or denied adequate medical care due to lack of funding. The pilot year was an amazing success with nearly 200 animals (and their people) participating online to raise over $4,000 for five animal rescues. 

In 2013, the second virtual Shiba Prom was held. It was even bigger and more amazing than 2012. The 2013 Shiba Prom raised over $22,000 for 11 rescues. Seriously, wow! No prom is complete without a dance party, and each year we hit the virtual dance floor to bust our moves to the tunes provided by pawsome DJs. In 2013, the Shiba Prom Committee even gave me an honorable mention for being the Shiba Strut Queen on the dance floor. (My Shiba Prom 2013 highlights)

Fast forward to June 28, 2014, and the third Shiba Prom had over 285 attendees (meowies can attend too). The event was an 8 hour online party that featured dancing, fun contests, gift baskets, cool prom swag, and voting for the Prom King and Queen. A team of 3 different DJs played the rockin tunes on the dance floor throughout the day/night- David Bowie the dog, DJ Zeus Ruper, and the Evil Firefox Flygirls. Building off of the momentum and success of the first two years, the 2014 Shiba Prom hit truly unprecedented success with over $42,000 raised in net proceeds. Total BOW WOW WOW!

While you don't need a "date" to attend the prom, each year I've attended with my bestie Prince Zuko. If you aren't following him yet, be sure to check him out. Not only is he a cool California shiba (like me) but he serves as the official barktender at the prom. Don't know what I mean? Well, you better stay tuned for the 2015 Prom to find out what it's all about. Oh, and about that dancing I'm known for? Yep, the pawsome Prom Committee recognized my fancy foot work and dance moves again in 2014 with the "Booty Pop" award. *Paws in the air* I hope you join next year because it sure feels good to help so many shibas!  

Check out some great rescues that are always in need of your support:

Animal Guardian Network  (www.animalguardiannetwork.org)
Colorado Shiba Inu Rescue (www.coloradoshibainurescue.org)
DC Shiba Inu Rescue (www.dcsir.org)
Midwest Shiba Inu Rescue  (www.shibarescue.org)
NW Shibas4Life Rescue  (www.shibas4life.us)
NYC Shiba Rescue  (www.nycshibarescue.org)
Safe Harbor Animal Rescue  (www.safeharboranimalrescue.org)
Saving Shibas (www.savingshibasinc.org)
Shiba Inu Rescue Association (www.savingshibas.com) 
Shiba Inu Rescue of Florida (www.shibainurescueflorida.org) 
Shiba Inu Rescue of Texas  (www.sirtx.org)
Shiba Rescue of New Jersey (www.shibarescuenj.org) 
SoCal Shiba Inu Rescue  (www.shibainurescue.org)
TriState Shiba Inu Rescue  (www.tristateshiba.org)

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Tokyo Turns Five

Hello world! Today, June 2, 2014 is my 5th birthday. Looking back, I've had 5 great years with my people in San Diego. I hoped you've enjoyed following my blog, watching me grow up, and reading about all of my travel adventures across the United States. Here's a quick look back from my previous birthdays. 

My First Birthday - June 2, 2010
Tokyo Turns Two - June 2, 2011
Tokyo Turns Three - June 2, 2012
Tokyo Turns Four - June 2, 2013 

Don't forget there are always more pictures of me at Tokyo: My Shiba Inu Tumblr 
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Viceroy Palm Springs, California

Hotel Reviews: Throughout the year we visit the lovely Viceroy Hotel and Resort, Palm Springs, California for a relaxing weekend in one of their villas (the resort's free standing one or two bedroom private cottages). I've done quite a few reviews about the Viceroy (see links at bottom). The Viceroy Palm Springs is located at 415 South Belardo Drive which is just one block off of the happening South Palm Canyon Drive. The villas are located around the property on either the Regency Courtyard or the Fountain Courtyard side. For this visit, we stayed in the Dorrington Villa #507 which is a one bedroom villa located on the Fountain Courtyard side. Each villa features a living room (with fireplace), dining room, fully equipped kitchen, one or two bedrooms, one or two bathrooms, and private patio.  

The layouts vary by unit and so do their private outdoor areas. For instance, #507 had a small narrow tile patio; whereas, #504 and #506 have a tiled patio area plus a grassy yard- perfect for dogs! The Viceroy charges a $100 nonrefundable pet fee and allows pets under 40 lbs and definitely makes pets feel very welcome during their stay. Pets are even welcome to dine on the patio at Citron restaurant and relax poolside.   

Dorrington Villa #507

Private patio, Dorrington Villa #507

Estrella Spa

Estrella spa

As far as best villas for dogs, #506 (two bedroom) and #504 (one bedroom) both have fully enclosed private, grassy yards which make them really nice for pet friendly travel. For more pictures and reviews from my previous stays at the Viceroy Palm Springs, be sure to check out these links:

Sovereign Villa #506 (November 2013)

Dorrington Villa #103 (December 2012)

Dorrington Villa #504 (June 2012)

Dorrington Villa #103 (December 2011) 

Don't forget there are always more pictures of me at Tokyo: My Shiba Inu Tumblr 
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Happy New Year 2014!

Don't forget there are always more pictures of me at Tokyo: My Shiba Inu Tumblr 
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