Today is National dog day but for us everyday is dog day!
Love on your pups extra hard today and if you are in the market for a new four legged friend, today would be a great day to head down to your local shelter and adopt! You can find shelter information in your area at aspca.org
Travel well, nap well, live well!
-Abbey & Basil
Hello Travel Tuesday friends! As many of you know we spent last weekend up on San Juan island visiting my grandmother and showing around some friends. It was an amazing time and we are so glad that we were all able to go and enjoy ourselves.
Todays Basil Presents DFD check out where we like to hang out when we are on this incredible island. If you get a chance to explore San Juan island or any of the other San Juan islands, like Shaw or Orcas, let us know. I would love to hear of all your favorite places!
Where should we travel next? We have a few trips in the works but would love to hear your ideas!
Travel well, nap well, live well!
-Abbey & Basil
“I hear they have to pick up the food they drop on the floor!”
Happy Throwback Thursday internet friends! These amazingly adorable photos are from a June 2014 event where Club Fetch “took over” The Unknown Brewing Co.
If you are in the Charlotte, North Carolina area and are in need an upscale doggie day club or over night boarding make sure to check out Club Fetch. Blaire, Julia, Jackson, and the whole staff are truly amazing and we are so happy to able to call them our friends.
Check our Basil’s review of Club Fetch here,to see just how much we love them! You can also find all their information by clicking the Club Fetch banner our right side bar, at http://www.clubfetch.com, or by giving them a call at 980-237-7778, tell them Basil’s Travels sent you! (This is NOT a sponsored post! They are just a small business that became our friends and we really truly believe in them!)
The weekend giveaway is still going. No one has guessed where we are headed this weekend. If you want to leave a guess in the comments below and you guess correctly by 4pm Friday (Pacific time), you will win a special prize for you and your dog!
Here are the clues so far…
1) We have to take a ferry to get there.
2) Its in the USA but you can see another country from its shores.
Hurry leave us those clues!
Travel well, nap well, live well!
-Abbey & Basil
Basil loves a good dog park! Check out our list of Basil’s favorite off leash dog parks in and around the Seattle area. What are some of your favorites?
Marymoor Park – 40 acres of off leash dog park fun. Small dog area and swimming holes. I’ve heard it call “Disneyland for Dogs!” 6046 W Lake Sammamish Pkwy NE Redmond, WA
Warren G. Magnuson Park – 9 acres of off leash area with small dog zone and beach access. Bring a ball or stick and hit the beach! NW 74th Street Seattle, WA
Golden Gardens off leash dog park – Large trees provide shade on those sunny days or coverage from a light rain. Peak-a-boo view of the Sound and parking.
8498 Seaview Pl NW Seattle, WA
Bonney Lake Dog Park – Clean hidden gem of a dog park! Walk the wooden trails and let your dog explore the forest. 82nd Street Bonney Lake, WA
Westcrest Park – Large open play area and trails to walk with your dog in the wood. Well maintained community dog park. 9000 8th Ave SW Seattle, WA
Happy tongue-out Tuesday! This weekend we are headed somewhere really fun! I’ll be posting pictures on Instagram; when I have internet access.
Can you guess where we are going? Here is a hint, we have to take a ferry to get there. Leave your guesses in the comments. If anyone guesses correctly by Make sure to be following us on Instagram at @Basilstravels to keep up with all our adventures!
Travel well, nap well, live well!
-Abbey & Basil
Happy Travel Tuesday! Have you ever wanted to travel to Bavaria but don’t want to leave the US? Head to Leavenworth, WA. A little bavarian village in the mountains outside Seattle, Washington. Dog friendly, family friendly, and a serious good time!
Travel well, nap well, live well!
-Abbey & Basil
Its been a super hot summer so far. Even in Seattle we have been seeing temps of 90 to 100 at least once a week. For this Make it Monday! I thought I would make something that would help cool down the pups on these hot days. I call it, thanks to my sister-in-law, fruit chicken soup!
What you need
First I filled the Tupperware half with tap water and half with chicken broth. Then I added chopped strawberries, and carrots as well as a cup and a half of fresh blueberries.
The next step was to freeze over night. It may take longer or shorter depending on the size of container you choose.
This morning when we wake up the sun was shining and the mercury was already rising. I pulled the fruit chicken soup from the freezer and with a little help from the hot water tap I was able to pop out the ice block. I took it outside and Basil, and our housemates dogs, Luna, and Hank went to town.
This was a serious success! I am very happy with the result and the dogs really enjoyed it.
I highly recommend doing this for your dog this summer. Feel free to add dog food, dog treats, and toys or whatever your dog prefers.
Let me know how it goes!
How was you weekend? Until next time! Xoxo
Travel well, nap well, live well!
-Abbey & Basil
Happy Travel Tuesday! So the Leavenworth, WA post is not ready. Some unforeseen stuff happened today and the the infographic didn’t get finished. So instead please enjoy Basil presents dog friendly destinations- Seattle,WA! 
This is only part 1 and part 2 will be coming in a couple of weeks. Where are some of your favorite places to take your dog in Seattle? Where should be travel next? Let me know!
Hope your day is going well! Until next time! Xoxo
Travel well, nap well, live well!
-Abbey & Basil
Art is what you can get away with. -Andy Warhol
Happy Monday everyone! It’s so good to be back and even though we are still super busy it feels so great to be posting and sharing our adventures with all of you!
Today on Make it Monday! we got a little creative, Basil and I did some custom paw print art work. It was super easy and we had a lot of fun. I seriously love the 2 pieces we made and can’t wait to hang them in our new home!
What you need
I found all these things at Target at a great price. I was surprised to find the canvas but I guess Target is getting pretty artsy. That worked in my favor! I decided to use the shower curtain liner as the floor covering and I couldn’t be happier. I purchased the cheapest one they had, $2.49, and it worked like a charm. The magnets those things have weighted down the sheet so when I throw it out on the lawn it stayed put, even with a bit of a summers breeze. 
Next all I did was set out the canvas onto the shower liner, poured out a small amount of my desired color onto the shower liner next to the canvas, and let Basil walk through it. Then I had Basil walk directly onto the blank canvas. He wasn’t super into that part but he put up with it! You can also apply paint to 1 paw and press that paw onto the canvas. We did both.
After its all said and done the clean up was a breeze. I used the wet wipes to clean the paint off Basils paws and to clean the paint off the shower liner. I thought about just throwing the liner away but we really didn’t make that much of a mess. If you have a larger dog with bigger paws I would recommend a large wet wash cloth and maybe just saying good bye to the liner.
Once back in the house (We did this all in the front yard. I’m sure my neighbors and the UPS guy were all very curious as to what was happen!) Basil got a short little puppy bath with our favorite Burt’s Bees Apple & Oatmeal dog shampoo and is now happily napping.
Here is what our final creations look like. Once they’re dry I’ll add Basil’s name to the corner. He did do the majority of the work after all!
What do you think of our art? Do you love it? I think it’s so post modern.
Let me know if you try this project and how it came out. I would love to see it!
A big thanks goes to Treats a la Bark for the original idea. I saw their take on this fun little art piece on Pinterest and had to give it a try.
Tomorrow is Travel Tuesday and I’ll be posting about Leavenworth, Washington. Make sure to check back then to learn about our favorite dog friendly spots in this little Bavarian village. Xoxo
Travel well, nap well, live well!
-Abbey & Basil
Hello friends! In a couple short weeks we are off back to the West Coast so today we spent visiting with friends and hitting up some of our favorite spots!
First stop, Sycamore Brewing Company. We hung out with friends, fellow pups, and some good beer. Today was the day Basil had his first taste of beer! (Dogs should not have alcohol. It can cause liver damage or death! Please do not give you dog alcohol. It was only a taste and it was given to him by a friendly stranger who only had good intentions in mind.) It was a great time!
Next we hit up Vin Master Wine Shop. For good wine, more friends, and air conditioning! Basil got to weigh himself on a vintage scale, he weighs 24 lbs, and got a ton of treats!
We are currently enjoying some wine and relaxing. Basil, Nate, the cats, and myself will cherish the remainder of our time here in Charlotte, North Carolina.
C’est la vie!
Travel well, nap well, live well!
-Abbey & Basil
So being Monday and all I thought, “lets be creative!” Today is the first of my Make it Monday series. Here is a re-share of my first dog DIY project, the T-shirt dog toy. I know a lot of people enjoyed this one and I know a lot of people missed it so I thought I would repost. I hope you like it and going forward on Mondays I’ll be posting new dog friendly recipes I’ve tried, other DIY toys, crafts for the home, and a ton more!
DIY T-Shirt Dog Toy
Hello all! In our house Basil loves new toys and my husband loves new t-shirts so I came up with a way that I can make both of those things happen much faster. By using an old, stretched out, too large t-shirt of my husbands and a pair of scissors I can make a rope toy, and I can show you how.
What you will need:
1 clean, old T-shirt
Pair of good scissors
Step one: Cut off both sleeves of the T-shirt.
Step two: Cut the seams off both the sleeves
Step three: Cut down the seams on both sides of the body of the T-shirt.
Step four: Cut long, wide strips “hot dog” wise. (One T-shirt can make two or more toys)
Step five: Over lap the ends of 3 to 5 of the strips. (I used only 4 this time but do whatever you are comfortable with braiding!)
Step six: Use one of the seams that you cut of the sleeves to tie and knot the overlapped strips.
Step seven: Braid! Make it as tight as you can for the best toy.
Step eight: Use the 2nd seam from the sleeves to tie off the other end of your braid.
Step nine: To finish the toy off, I hand knotted the middle to add more interest for my boy. I also added a few stitches to the knots on each end to insure that they stayed put!
All that was left was to leave the new toy in the toy bin and wait! It wasn’t long before he found it and brought it to me. We played tug-a-war for a while and I tried to get a good picture of him enjoying my handmade toy but that was much harder than expected!
Let me know if you want me to Make it and I’ll give it a try!
Have a happy, creative Monday and we’ll see you tomorrow for Travel Tuesday!
Travel well, nap well, live well!
-Abbey & Basil