How to Be a Tourist with Your Dog Series: Molly in Anchorage, Alaska

We are so excited to start our Tourist with Your Dog Series with the incredibly adorable Molly and her family. Molly, who also happens to be Miss M's doppleganger, lives with a very sweet, young couple in Anchorage, Alaska. We've always been so curious about Alaska, so we love seeing this sneak peek into their lives and seeing everything there is to do with pooches in Alaska.

 Take a Hike:

One of Alaska's most attractive qualities is the rugged terrain and breathtaking scenery. One of the best ways to experience Alaska's great outdoors, and get a workout for yourself and pooch, is to take a hike.  A place we enjoy going is Flattop, it provides many options to accommodate a range of fitness levels.  If you just feel like hanging out and enjoying the scenery you can take a short walk to a platform the looks over all of Anchorage, if you prefer a more strenuous activity you can summit the relatively small mountain in about 45 minutes.

Explore Local Events and Outdoor Markets:

A fun way to check out local Alaska businesses and talent is to attend a first Friday art-walk.  Like the name implies this event happens every first Friday of the month, and it involves a bunch of local shops and businesses in the downtown area displaying new local talent or art and providing snacks, music and occasionally samples of products.  Pooches are welcome though we were the only couple with a dog when we went, we didn't care though because Molly got tons of attention and some people even shared their snacks with her. 

The Saturday Farmer's Market is another great event to check out with your pooch.  It boasts over 300 vendors and since all the shops are set up under tents it is easy to bring your pooch in with you or ask for a sit stay and then browse while still having your leash in hand.

 Take a Roadtrip:

We highly recommend packing up the car and taking a road trip.  This past weekend we headed to Homer for Molly's first camping trip.  From Anchorage the trip is about 230 miles one way, you just get on the Seward highway for about 80 miles then take the Homer exit onto the Sterling highway for the rest of the trip.  The four hour car ride is nothing short of breathtaking, there are continuous views of the mountains as well as gushing rivers.  We recommend traveling during the day, we didn't get into Homer til about midnight and the last hour of our drive we saw 29 moose and had a close call with one crossing the road right in front of us.

 We kept track of all the wildlife we saw and by the end of the trip our totals were: 29 moose, 7 dead bunnies, 2 live bunnies, 1 fox, 2 dead porcupine and about 15 eagles.  For a two day trip I would call that A LOT of wildlife.

 We camped right along the spit, it was a short walk to the "beach" and bathrooms.  We advise to camp a bit further away where you can set your tent up on grass or fine gravel, the sand was not the optimal conditions for camping- it got EVERYWHERE.

As far as traveling with our pooch we were pleasantly surprised with how smoothly it went.  We packed our Outward Hound 2-in-1 traveling bowls which was super handy because they zip together to form a mini-cooler that was able to fit 8 cups of Mollys food in one part and her toys, treats and rawhides in the other compartment, plus they are collapsible and waterproof.  Molly snuggled in the tent with us at night and provided us with loads of entertainment during the day.

Local Dog Parks:

 Anchorage boasts several ample sized dog parks for pooches.  Our favorite is the off-leash University Lake park because it is so big and open which makes it easy to avoid any negative experiences and never gets crowded, plus there is a long loop around the lake that is the perfect "walk" distance.  We also get lots of positive attention and feedback from people about our sweet, rescue bully.

We also enjoy venturing to the downtown park that is dog friendly as long as they are leashed.  There is a long strip of fields where you might find kids playing ulitmate frisbee, people flying kites or just having a picnic, we would reccommend bringing along a blanket and basket and go the picnic route, it makes for a great way to people watch and hang out with your pooch.

 You can read more about Molly and her Alaskan adventures on her blog here, and let them know what you think in the comments section, and/or on our Facebook page.

 We think it's so interesting to see the attractions in everyone's hometown, get travel ideas, learn the local insider tips, and see what to do with pooches. Plus, we will be donating $100 to the rescue of choice for the "winner" and $50 to the second winner. We would love to see your towns and hear your tips, and you can read more about the "contest" here.