Doggie Day Trip: Apple Picking

When I first got Holly I made a deal with her that, since I work during the week, our evening and weekend rule would be if I could bring her along with me, I would. One of my most commonly asked questions when someone invites me somewhere is "can Holly come?" This has ruined surprisingly few friendships, partly because if someone is not much a dog person we probably won't have a lot to talk about, but largely because New York City is incredibly dog friendly, so there are very few places Holly CAN'T go.

Up until recently, we had mostly gone out to dinner (tips on dining with pups at restaurants will come in a later post), drinks, and shopping. Twice she came with me to get my eyebrows waxed, and I would like to take a moment to give a shout out to the incredibly patient and talented woman who managed to wax my eyebrows with a puppy in my lap who had just spotted another puppy she REALLY wanted to be friends with. Seriously, those ladies at the Benefit Brow Bar are the best. But I digress.

Since Holly had successfully ridden MetroNorth to visit my friend's home in Yonkers before, we decided to take it a step farther and try taking her on a quintessential East Coast day trip: apple picking.

After researching "dog friendly apple picking" in the area, we settled on Masker Orchards. My friend and I had been before and really loved it, and a quick call to the manager confirmed they were still dog friendly as long as dogs remained leashed in the orchards.

I highly recommend calling a place in advance to confirm they are dog friendly, especially if you are travelling out of your way or planning on bringing a larger dog. Also confirm in advance that every form of transportation you plan on using is pet friendly, and clarify their pet policies (MetroNorth lets me have Holly out of her bag in my lap, but I still use the Sleepypod to be extra safe). The last thing you want to do is be the person who insists your dog come along only to schlep all the way there and find out you can't bring your dog.

My friend and her husband retrieved us at the train station, and we drove out to Warwick, New York. It was unseasonably warm that day, which really stepped on Holly's fall fashion statement (Burgundy Hoodie from Yarn Dog with "Pigeon Patrol" on the back and a festive plaid lined hood), but made for some lovely weather for pre apple picking snacks.

After a feast of Apple Pie A La Mode (I let Holly sample a bit of pie crust) and Apple Cider Doughnuts (Holly sampled this of her own volition!), we were out in the orchards. There were quite a few dogs around that day, and even more fallen apples to sniff and munch on. Holly loved it!

We ended up staying for a few hours, and only picking 1 bag of apples. That was plenty, though--I had enough to make slow cooker apple butter, apple crisp, and still have some leftover for snacks!

Tons of apples, ready to make fall festive treats!

Slow Cooker Apple Butter (recipe here) 

Apple crisp (recipe here)

I'm looking forward to sharing more of my favorite day trips with Holly as the weather gets cooler and outdoor dining becomes less frequent. Who knows, maybe one of these weekends we will plot a pup-friendly long getaway!! :)

Until Next Time, Darlings!