Calliesmom
Moderator
well, the big city that I currently live closest to is Mobile, AL. I'd have to say that the South in general is not necessarily pet-friendly. lots of disposable pet mentality- just get another one- I never saw so many dogs and cats along the side of the road until I moved to AL.
But, Mobile has several shelters that are part of Maddie's Fund and trying to make our area no-kill. They have a large adoption event every year that people can take their pets to- and possibly adopt another friend while there.
and there are plenty of smaller rescues too.
There is also a Pets in the Park event every fall. There are a few places that you can take your dog with you to eat. Panera bread store/sandwich place lets you have your dog out on the patio area. we've done that a few times. and a few local places that are also dog-friendly. we have a Petsmart
(newest pet store), Pet Supplies Plus and a local pet store (B and B). Petsmart has a ways to go to catch up with the other two in terms of decent foods and treats but there are choices here.
We have a dog club- for training- both obedience and agility though we have more agility people currently. we hold two AKC trials/year- agility in March, obedience/rally in Sep. there is also an AKC conformation club that holds a trial also. some people belong to both. there are some akc sheltie breeders in Mobile and nearby- haven't really met most of them but one of our club members has an oversize sheltie from Eden shelties. (I know that I'm not really into conformation showing but I do prefer that my pups meet the standard as much as possible) and plenty of shelties at the trials
there are also other clubs nearby- FL panhandle, MS and LA. so there are things to do and places to go. there are some dog-ok beach areas too. some people are trying to get a dog park established in Mobile but hasn't happened yet. there is one about 30 min away in Daphne- we've talked about going but haven't made it yet.
weatherwise- hot and humid from May- Sep (sometimes Apr/Oct). and plenty of non-tropical rain and the occasional tropical system. Callie doesn't like those- even if it's not raining- she doesn't like the wind. Cranpup hasn't had one yet but I doubt that he'll care- water dog that he is.
But, Mobile has several shelters that are part of Maddie's Fund and trying to make our area no-kill. They have a large adoption event every year that people can take their pets to- and possibly adopt another friend while there.
and there are plenty of smaller rescues too.There is also a Pets in the Park event every fall. There are a few places that you can take your dog with you to eat. Panera bread store/sandwich place lets you have your dog out on the patio area. we've done that a few times. and a few local places that are also dog-friendly. we have a Petsmart
(newest pet store), Pet Supplies Plus and a local pet store (B and B). Petsmart has a ways to go to catch up with the other two in terms of decent foods and treats but there are choices here.
We have a dog club- for training- both obedience and agility though we have more agility people currently. we hold two AKC trials/year- agility in March, obedience/rally in Sep. there is also an AKC conformation club that holds a trial also. some people belong to both. there are some akc sheltie breeders in Mobile and nearby- haven't really met most of them but one of our club members has an oversize sheltie from Eden shelties. (I know that I'm not really into conformation showing but I do prefer that my pups meet the standard as much as possible) and plenty of shelties at the trials
there are also other clubs nearby- FL panhandle, MS and LA. so there are things to do and places to go. there are some dog-ok beach areas too. some people are trying to get a dog park established in Mobile but hasn't happened yet. there is one about 30 min away in Daphne- we've talked about going but haven't made it yet.
weatherwise- hot and humid from May- Sep (sometimes Apr/Oct). and plenty of non-tropical rain and the occasional tropical system. Callie doesn't like those- even if it's not raining- she doesn't like the wind. Cranpup hasn't had one yet but I doubt that he'll care- water dog that he is.
My sister lives in San Diego and says it's great out there. I hear most of the West coast is great.
