Savoring Fall Festivals with your Adventure Dog

Dogs are so awesome because they can accompany us humans on SO many awesome adventures! Today is a massive celebration of fall y’all, and this weekend is a perfect one for pumpkins and apple orchards. Chloe and I have experience living on an organic farm and we loved every second of it! She also has been to a fall Grape Stomping festival in South Carolina (she didn’t get to stomp any grapes and was widely disappointed about it) and pet friendly wineries. We love walking the fields of pumpkins and apple orchards together, and those fabulous fall photos are so much richer with the company of a dog!

How do you find pet friendly fall events? What should you expect to be doing with your dog? What should you bring and what should you wear? These important questions are answered for you today!

How to Find Pet Friendly Orchards

Google, Facebook Events and Bring Fido are my Go-To dog friendly resources. I have found SO many awesome events through Facebook! Antique shows, Flea Markets, Farmers Markets and the best of all: Fall Festivals! One of my favorites is a drop-in pumpkin patch located in Oregon; with adorable photo ops (with the holes you can stick your dog’s face through and giggle), pumpkin patch walk throughs, a quiet (not scary for my dog, of course) corn maze and the best is picking fresh apples with the crisp fall air trying its hardest to cut its way through any adorable fall flannel outfit.

What to Bring

SO call me a crazy dog mom, but is it not the MOST fun to match your dog when you know you will be taking photos together? I like to wear a flannel bandana, and have Chloe match closely with her favorite fall bandana. Chloe thinks I’m funny; but it definitely makes our fall adventures more eventful! Talk about a great conversation starter!

I LOVE solo adventures; however for fall festivals having some company is VERY nice, mostly to help carry apples, pumpkins and for family fun of course! Though if you are flying solo to fall festivals, having a basket for any picked goods is certainly helpful.

I usually bring the ten dog esstenTAILS (listed here) to every adventure, just to be safe! Normally there will not be serious injury on a pumpkin walk where an emergency harness or muzzle might be needed; however most of these are important to have on hand! For dog friendly events, I always have:

Collar with name tag/phone number
Leash and extra leash (usually a long leash and a short leash)
Beacon light (especially if it will get dark)
Dog Water (DogMuggs are GREAT)
Halter

Activities at the Orchard

Every dog in the world has its own unique set of quirks. Some dogs win the “loudest talker” award at events (shout out to the Great Dane Denali) and some dogs are terrified in large groups or on things that move. Be mindful of what your dog can tolerate, if they are too hyper excited by people in groups, if they are too overwhelmed by scary things; or if they are very chill until they see a dog and then they scream in excitement. Of course we all train and socialize our dogs especially those high level adventure dogs; but when it comes to choosing activities make sure it’s something they will actually enjoy too.

My favorite Orchard Activities include:

Pumpkin Photo Opportunities!
Collecting apples and pumpkins
Enjoying food trucks or apple cider stands
Sitting around a fire visiting with folks
Non scary corn mazes
Outdoor Live Music

The Orchard Activities I would never bring Chloe on, include:

Hay Rides
Scary ANYTHING, houses, corn mazes, museums; Chloe would hate to see me that scared
Indoor live music, as it is likely too loud for her to have fun
Leave if she is getting too overwhelmed with crowds, or if I can’t carry anymore pumpkins
Petting Zoos (because my dog will become VERY excited about all the animals, some dogs wouldn’t care)

Where are you going this fall?

Do you have any amazing plans to chase down fall colors, or fall festivals you are attending with your adventure dog this year? Where is your favorite place to go to a fall festival near you? I am so lucky to be accompanied by my good girl this fall, and every season of the year! We are planning our solo trip either on Timberline or the McKenzie River area to fill our eyes with colorful leaves! We loved the east coast though, and reminisce about 2018 when Chloe and I were FLOORED by the insane colors along those Appalachian ranges. Where ever your adventure dog guides you this season, I hope you all savor every moment! Many happy trails and happy tails to you all.

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