When mapping out our travel plans for the month of September, Michael & I realized that we were going to be boarding Orvis for three weekends in a row, which seemed terribly depressing to us. After giving it some thought, we decided that while Michael was in San Diego for work, Orvis would instead join me at the dog-friendly Stowe Mountain Lodge, where I would be shooting a wedding. Once we made the decision, we felt so much better about leaving Orvis the other two weekends, and naturally, I became super excited about my little Vermont adventure with Orvis!

After a visit to the Ben & Jerry’s factory, where Orvis made friends with no less than a dozen people while he ate his cup of vanilla ice cream, we arrived at the lodge, located just a few miles outside of downtown Stowe. We were immediately greeted by the valet staff with a solid five minutes of rubbing and loving on Orvis – this was just a small taste of the undivided attention Orvis would receive over the next three days!

Once we were settled into our room, which turned out to be surprisingly large and included a fantastic porch that Orvis loved, we set out to explore the property. An evening walk on the winding nearby Spruce Peak trail was the perfect introduction to the sprawling resort, and we were happy to return to the trail two more times during our stay. (Another trail in Stowe that I simply must mention, especially for dog-owners or runners, is the Stowe Recreation Path, a 5.5 mile greenway that runs right through town. Orvis & I walked a good bit of the trail on Saturday before my wedding, and had the best time. It’s a Stowe must-do, in my opinion!)

In addition to offering dog-friendly amenities like a canine room service menu, the lodge will also arrange in-room dog sitting services, when you need to be away from your pet, as pets are not allowed in guest rooms without their humans. The lodge’s dog-sitting service was definitely a key factor in our decision to not board Orvis that weekend, and I’m so thankful we took advantage of this! It gave me such peace of mind to know that Orvis was able to go on walks and have a little company while I was away shooting for eight hours. The trip also wouldn’t have been nearly as memorable for me had I not been able to bring him along. Orvis was smitten with his dog-sitter, Sophia, the daughter of the lodge’s concierge. A highlight of the experience was running into Orvis walking around the property with Sophia while I was taking photos with the bride & groom!

When the time came for us to check out on Sunday morning, Orvis enjoyed yet another round of belly rubs and ear scratches from the staff at the front of the lodge. He was referred to as ‘enchanting’ and then greeted by another guest as ‘the famous Orvis!’ We’ve stayed at several wonderful dog-friendly inns & hotels, but Orvis has never received so much attention from so many staff members before. It seemed as though everyone we passed in the halls of the lodge were genuine dog-lovers. I’ll always remember how particularly friendly the staff was to Orvis here, and because of that I will forever encourage friends & family members with dogs to stay at Stowe Mountain Lodge when they’re planning trips to the area.