Take a pooch to the beach

This was not a typical girls' trip.

My sister-in-law Lisa and I were going on vacation, not with our daughters but with Daisy and Misty -- our dogs.

Daisy is Lisa's 10-year-old miniature poodle; Misty is my 5-year-old Lhaso Apso-poodle mix. Both have gone on long car rides, camping trips and visits to Lisa's vacation home. But this was to be the first trip designed specifically with them in mind.

Lisa and I picked Carmel-by-the-Sea, a charming artists' enclave about 120 miles south of San Francisco that embraces its eccentricity. And it loves its dogs -- even those visiting with tourists -- which prompted DogFriendly.com to select it as the country's most dog-friendly resort region (South Dakota's Black Hills made the top ten list, too).

Accommodating pets is big business in the tourism industry these days. A 2008 TripAdvisor survey found that 61 percent of 1,600 pet-owning travelers polled have brought their pets on at least one trip. About 29.1 million Americans regularly take their pets on trips of 50 miles or more, says the Travel Industry Association of America.

Carmel doesn't just pay lip service to its claim of being dog friendly. It has 25 hotels, inns and bed-and-breakfasts that welcome pets of all sizes, and 44 restaurants, bars and coffee houses that offer seating where dogs are permitted.

Carmel also has one of California's few remaining leash-free beaches, which is usually crowded with dogs of all sizes and breeds. "It's like walking at the Westminister Dog Show," explained local Gale Wrausmann. It's also a popular site for dog parties, even an annual corgi convention.

Size and breed are not issues at Cypress Inn. The hotel began opening its doors to pets when actress Doris Day came on board as a co-owner in 1986.

Today, general manager Nancy Slade estimates that one-third of the hotel's guests bring their pets -- not that you can tell by the rooms. The 44 well-appointed rooms and spacious suites look practically brand new and bear not a single hair from or scent of the previous canine guests.

The trick: dry cleaning, one staffer confided. Plus, each pet gets its own blanket.

We arrived during the hotel's signature afternoon tea (1-4 p.m. daily), where, a sign boasted, "Husbands and pets welcome." Much to our chagrin, Daisy and Misty barked to make their presence known to the five dogs in attendance.

Two regular guests from the area-- Mollie, a West Highland white terrier and Tasha, a Pomeranian -- gave our pooches no more than a passing glance. They were too busy helping their owners nibble on tea sandwiches and homemade scones.

Seeing the sights

For our first night, we opted to dine at Terry's Lounge, the hotel's restaurant, where a special indoor seating area off the lobby allowed us to keep the dogs with us while we ate.

Misty and Daisy especially enjoyed sniffing the low tins of biscuits and rawhides at Diggidy Dog, a dog-and-cat boutique designed especially for spoiled pets, with everything from homemade treats and toys to pet strollers, shades and backpacks.

Lisa and I had our curiosity filled, too, thanks to the Carmel Walks tour provided by Wrausmann, who for 15 years has taken visitors into some of Carmel's 60 hidden courtyards and secret passageways, detailing the history and little-known facts about the town on her two-hour walking tours, which took us inside the dog-friendly Church of the Wayfarer to see the stained glass windows.

"You can sit the dogs in a pew and take their picture," she told us.

"Everyone loves dogs in Carmel," she added later. "Dogs feel loved and accepted here."

Everywhere we went, that became abundantly clear.

Lapping it up

At Galante Vineyards, Misty and Daisy were free to explore the tasting room. That gave me time to work my way through a tasting menu of eight wines, including the first-rate Blackjack Pasture cabernet sauvignon, and learn more about the family-owned winery and working cattle ranch.

At Cima Collina, the lineup of rich pinot noirs also left room for Howlin' Good Red. The winery's rat terrier, Sweetie, inspired the wine's label.

Tender vittles

Later that night, as rain fell, we dined at Porta Bella restaurant. A peek inside revealed an elegant and intimate Mediterranean restaurant. No way were they letting our damp dogs in here, I thought.

Wrong. General manager Luiz Ferreira ushered us through the restaurant to the Garden Room, an enclosed and heated patio where two other dogs were waiting as their owners dined.

The service was exceptional and the food divine. The dogs had their own bowl of water, served on a plate draped in white linen, but it was Ferreira who blew us away as he crouched down to pet each of his canine guests, heedless of the eager paws brushing against his nice suit.