“Is he friendly?”
That is the question, even if the gender is she instead of he. We’re talking dogs, out for a stroll in a new place. Along comes another dog. Naturally both are leashed. Before contact is made one dog owner will ask THE QUESTION:
“Is he friendly?”
It is also code for a question unasked: “Is he up to date on his rabies shots?”
Fortunately, the answer is almost always “Yes”.
And so the two dogs can meet and greet, sniff noses, sniff butts, it is a dog thing.
Overnight in Cedar Key with my canine
In search of new adventures, Obi, my Welsh corgi adopted from Sunshine Corgi Rescue, and I traveled to Cedar Key for an overnight stay – it is a tough job, researching places to travel with your dog, but we were up for the task.
We had just gotten out of the car at City Park when along comes a miniature poodle and her two owners. Naturally the question was asked. Her owners rolled their eyes and nodded. The poodle, sporting a pink bow, was quivering with excitement – oh, boy, a new dog! Obi was polite but unimpressed. He was more interested in sniffing and marking the nearest palm tree.
City Park beach in Cedar Key, Florida
For those of you who, like me, are single travelers with their dogs, parks are a blessing. Obi can use a tree but humans need a restroom, especially after traveling an hour and a half. I marched Obi into the women’s rest room and got a laugh from a lady who was exiting. Hey, you do what you have to do.
Cedar Key sits at the end of SR 24. Think about this. Gainesville, the nearest city, is 60 miles away. Everything has to be brought here. So it makes sense that many accommodations have kitchens. Bring your own food. We did. That turned out to be a very good move at mealtime as only one restaurant lets dogs sit outside. We opted for our own meals.
Cedar Key loves its canines and many restaurants would like to be pet friendly. The city passed an pet friendly ordinance but state health law, that must be followed too has many hurdles to jump, including economic, and thus it isn’t easy for small family restaurants to comply.
Faraway Inn (very pet friendly) where we stayed has a number of lovely seating areas on the grounds. The full kitchen in our cottage included a four-burner stove, refrigerator, microwave, toaster and coffee maker. Our little cottage was so cozy we felt at home right away.
We sat outside near our room and along came Turtle, a tortoiseshell cat that is the Faraway Inn office cat. She wanted to be petted and was perfectly fine with Obi. Walking around Cedar Key you will see that felines are very much part of the scenery along with canines.
Cedar Key has pet-friendly lodgings
Obi in the doorway of our cottage at Faraway Inn, Cedar Key
For a listing of lodging and other places that are pet friendly, see the Cedar Key Chamber of Commerce Web site – pet-friendly places have a paw next to the entry. Call to make sure the information is up to date.
Faraway Inn office, Cedar Key
Cedar Key is known for being a laid-back, throwback to a kinder, gentler, less harried time – the relaxed atmosphere, and small area means everyone strolls, especially in the evening as sunset draws near. Sidewalks are few but no matter, walking along the street is accepted. Cars move slowly.
Both locals and visitors walk their dogs. You, as a responsible pet owner, know the drill. Carry poop bags for those events. Cedar Key has stations around with bags.
They are also big into recycling. Every trashcan has a wire enclosure next to it for recyclables like plastic bottles.
At the end of the day, sunsets are spectacular. The Gulf of Mexico is right there at land’s end. Cars line up along the gulf. Walkers stop to wait for “the moment” when sun touches the horizon. At the Faraway Inn where we stayed a whole section of outside seating faces west. Every seat was full as the sun set.
Obi and I walked the beach waiting for the event. A flat rock is the seating choice on the beach but just along the roadway above the beach; look for benches with signs nearby. All the benches face west and are dedicated to locals who liked to come to that spot. This is public seating. We found one bench between two old houses. Perfect.
Here’s a side effect of being in a small, old Florida town – no bright lights. There are few streetlights. When a business closes in the evening, they turn out the lights. No bright neon. No lit up billboards.
Sunset over the Gulf of Mexico, Cedar Key
Hello, bring on the astronomers. Stargazers love to come here because it is so dark. Star events happen regularly. In fact from February 20-24, 2012 is Cedar Key Star Party will be held here because it is one of the few places in the US that is dark enough to host astronomers. You don’t have to have a telescope to participate.
I thought Obi and I might do a late night walk to see the stars but we folded after sunset and missed the heavenly show. Next time.
An early Sunday morning walk was delightful – the Gulf was still, the surface a mirror, all around us was the hush of Sunday morning quiet mixed with the tangy smell of Gulf salt air. We passed restored old homes and ancient trees and then turned around to head back to the cottage for breakfast.
A local stopped us and asked “Is he friendly?”
The answer was yes.
He reached down to pet Obi and said: “Of course you are, how could you be anything but friendly.”
It was the nicest compliment Obi had all weekend.
We’ll be back.
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