Haylo Hoomans and Puggies,
Spending time with each other any day of the week is Pugtastic in our opinion, but, we love long weekends because we get to go out in our Sunday best on a Monday (if we really want to), and have a wonderful adventure at a location that actually wants you both to be there having a pawsome time. No sitting on the sidewalk for our Puggies whilst the Hooman is inside having a coffee!
There are a number of different ways to find something to do on a long weekend; Pug-friends at your local play group, Facebook and Instagram groups that you follow, or through this great site called ‘Take your Pet’ which lists places to go and adventures to have with your Puggie all in one convenient website (https://www.takeyourpet.com.au/). It’s a great place to start planning your weekend, be it a relaxing breakfast or a mini adventure together. You can also Google ‘Pet friendly locations’, ‘Pet friendly cafes’ or ‘Pet friendly activities’ to find a long list of opportunities that are just a click away.
However, we wanted to share with you a couple of places that a number of our Pug Super-models and Parents have gone to enjoy walks, picnics, good food, Pug-friendly drinks and four Puggie-paw rated service.
The Mentone Dog Friendly Beach is located in the municipality of Kingston, on Beach Rd (the carpark can be found just off Mundy St) in Melbourne, it is a large beach with a cement walking path that runs the length of the beach for Puggies who don’t like to walk on sand or get it in their outfits but love the smell of the sea. It has grassed areas for a non-sandy rest, as well as enough sandy beach to walk, frolic and picnic on. It has a public toilet located next to the parking lot and a surf life-saving unit if you prefer to use patrolled beaches in the hotter months.
Not only have our Pug-parents used this beach for daily walks, but Pug Parties has used it for a photo shoot. There is definitely enough room on the beach if you don’t like crowds, as well as regular passing traffic if either of you are social butterflies or love to meet new friends.
Two things to note, the parking lot is small and is pay by card or parking APP called ‘EasyPark’. And there is not a lot of shade/wind break available along the length of the beach, so you’ll need to bring your own beach tent or umbrella for the family.
Although Australia is marching into Winter currently, a refreshing walk in brisk sea air can be wonderfully invigorating and a great way to start a day’s adventures, not to mention that it’ll drum up a healthy appetite.
More information about dog-friendly beaches can be found on your municipality websites; more and more dog-friendly beaches and parks are being added so it pays to check regularly as there may be a new location just around the corner from you.
The Dog Café in Boronia (Victoria) is located behind the ‘A Touch of Class’ Dog Grooming Salon and is designed to cater to every Puggies preferred past-time. Puggies (and other dogs) come first at the café; they’re treated with a huge friendly smile by the Team, a pat, scratch or both, and a Puppy-cino on arrival. Hooman’s get smiles too but we all know who’s the real star when it comes to visitors at the café.
The cafe has a cozy inside area complete with couches that Puggies are allowed to use to just kick back on or, possibly, do a little bit of TV watching. There is a leash-free area with tables and chairs, and lots of space for Puggies to roam free as well as a sand pit for digging around in. Plus, there is a leashed area with a paddling pool, ball-pen and bean bags to name a few comforts for the Puggies playing pleasure. The entire area is shady with trees and gazebo’s, and there are plenty of bowels of water for Puggies to rehydrate at when needed.
The Café offers the Puppy-cino’s in three sizes depending on how much your Puggie loves their “cino”, and it is served in a cup and saucer. There are also home-made pup-cakes and donuts and are served on individual plates and served with aplomb; we can vouch for the Carrot Pup-cake having seen it being woofed down pretty quickly. All Pup-treats were made with dog-friendly ingredients and the team will happily explain what goes into the treats to ensure allergies are accommodated.
The Boronia Dog Café are on Facebook and Instagram, and they post regularly; plus, they also have a website (https://www.thedoggiecafe.com.au/) if you want more information or wish to book a Pup-party!!
The Coldstream Brewery is located in Coldstream, known as the gateway to the Yarra Valley, and not only sports their own beer, but also produces cider and a tasty pub menu that is supported by friendly and observant staff who happily provide constant fresh water for Puggies with a side of regular pats as well.
The Brewery has a front bar and bottle shop, dining room, beer garden and back bar; Puggies are allowed in the beer garden and there is an entrance via the back carpark. Reservations are a must if you want to guarantee a table for you both and ‘accidental’ dropping of Puggie-friendly treats from you plate doesn’t raise an eye either.
There is loads of parking at the front and side of the brewery and is not hard to miss with the “Shivering Man” logo prominently displayed as you drive into Coldstream. If you want to have a look at the menu or discover more about their beer/cider then jump onto their website (http://coldstreambrewery.com.au/); you’ll also discover the story behind the “Shivering Man” logo.
Whatever you decide to do together over the long weekend we hope that you have loads of fun and happily fall asleep on the couch at the end of the day snuggled up and snoring.
We’d love to hear about your plans or what you ended up getting up to, so please share your adventures with us and we love seeing pictures so share away as well!
Until next week Puggies,
Snuffles from the Pug Parties Super-models and Parents
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