Travelling With Your Dog to Niagara Falls Canada
By:Melanie Braga (Momma Braga)
Travelling With Your Dog to Niagara Falls Canada
Planning a vacation can be a daunting task especially if you want to include your furry family members. In this day in age, there are many places that accommodate pets; however, your options may be limited.
We quickly realized why many people like to plan alternative choices for the furry family members and we respect that decision. For us, it was very important to include our French Bulldog, Tyson, in our family vacation especially in his first year of life with us.
Our vacation plans are always local as we like to keep things simple especially after our daughter arrived eight years ago. The thought of a plane had me cringing. This is why the natural getaway for us was Niagara Falls. We have been there many times before and we just love everything it had to offer.
The question was…Is Niagara Falls, specifically Clifton Hill area, pet friendly? The answer to this is actually a complex one as we found it to be half and half. Let us explain this by breaking it down through our experience.
Niagara Falls Pet Friendly Accommodations
There are a few pet friendly accommodations such as Falls Manor Resort & Restaurant,
Radisson Hotel & Suites Fallsview, Comfort Hotel and there are some campgrounds that can also accommodate.
After reading reviews and seeing what was around the area, we decided to book with Comfort Hotel. We were excited as this was our first family vacation away from home in the last 3 years. We made our checklist of everything that we needed to make sure Tyson was as comfortable as possible. Honestly felt like I was packing for two children instead of one now.
When we arrived, they greeted us with warm smiles and Tyson got a treat which he truly enjoyed. They offered him a second treat but we didn’t want to spoil his dinner and politely declined. We were given the pet policy that we had to sign and we were charged an additional $40 a night for Tyson which we understood there would be.
Our room was a decent size and we had a special spot perfect for Tyson to relax in. We did bring his bed as the hotel does not provide one. We loved having a fridge in our room, to keep Tyson’s food cool as he eats Ryan’s Raw and it needs to be refrigerated.
The hotel staff were friendly and respectful of our complete family which was much appreciated.
Things To Do in Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls Tourism Canada states that dogs are allowed on the grounds as long as they are on leashes and are behaved. Owners are responsible for picking up after their dog which of course is expected everywhere.
Naturally, the attractions at Clifton Hills does not accommodate dogs unless of course they are service dogs. Many of the retailers in the area seem to be very friendly and allowed us to come in to check out merchandise with Tyson. Keep in mind there are many retailers that do have signs that do not allow pets to enter. It is important to be mindful of these places and we would ask in advance before going in.
We did a lot of neighborhood walks which we found delightful as we explored areas that we have not been before. In our adventure, a Portuguese restaurant called Casa Das Natas was found where they make amazing fresh natas (custard tarts – a must try!) and other great Portuguese food.
There are a couple of dog parks in the area; however, we did not visit them. A playground park we did find in our walks and we did not stay long as there was a sign warning about ticks.
Unfortunately, ticks can be found in many areas in the Niagara Region and we do recommend to be careful. We did do daily checks after every walk or outdoor adventure we took to make sure Tyson was safe.
Outdoor activities are endless as long as the weather is appropriate for your breed of dog. The evenings worked best for Tyson as it was much cooler weather and that is when we could really enjoy Clifton Hill. We always made sure that we had plenty of water and of course his cooling vest that kept his body cool during the day.
Pet Friendly Places to Eat
We knew that finding places to eat with Tyson was going to be a difficult one as my research prior to our visit only provided me with one possible option. After calling different places in the Niagara Falls, I was rejected more times than I can count. I thought I would just be grabbing fast food and eat in our hotel room which was not ideal as we wanted to enjoy our trip.
Luckily, we did find a few places who did accommodate dogs and even if it was on the patio, it was really lovely. We got to enjoy a delicious dinner at Sandstone Grillhouse and the server even brought out a doggy bowl of water. Tyson loved it so much that he posed for me with a smile. Unfortunately, other guests in the area did not enjoy Tyson’s presence and asked to be moved. But overall, the experience we had was wonderful and we recommend to give them a try when in the area.
Another place that accommodated Tyson was Hooters…yes you read that right! They do have awesome wings! Our service was fantastic and everyone was very kind. Food was very good too! We sat in the outside patio which Tyson loved as we had onlookers come by to say hello to him.
We need to mention another restaurant that is very pet friendly, Casablanca Restaurant & Patio. Unfortunately, we did not eat here but the servers loved Tyson and said we were welcomed anytime as they are pet friendly. We loved that and appreciated the love.
The restaurants who were not pet friendly; we were perfectly okay with it as we understand that many have policies in place. For those restaurants who rudely declined us, we will not be visiting them even without our dog as we believe everyone should be treated with kindness.
Overall Trip
In all honesty, we had a nice trip. We made the best of what was available to us. Our daughter loves exploring and when she wanted to do something at Clifton Hills, we took turns going with her and someone stayed back with Tyson. While we waited, Tyson was always in a shaded area that I would create with our covered wagon and he had plenty to eat/drink.
We do wish there was more to do that can incorporate dogs as I think it would do extremely well in that area. It would bring more tourists and furry tourists to enjoy all that Niagara Falls has to offer.
Tyson loved this trip as he loved the attention, he got from dog lovers and he posed for many photos. People did stop us to pet and take photos of him which made us feel like we were with a celebrity. Maybe he is and we don’t even know it?!
Proud to say that Tyson was well behaved during the whole trip and for a ten-month old French Bulldog, it is impressive! We made sure he was well taken care of the whole trip.
Niagara Falls has a lot more work to do to be a pet friendly destination; however, in all honesty I don’t think it will ever happen. In our walks, we noticed many people who were extremely afraid of dogs and would run across the street in order to not even cross paths with Tyson. Of course, we had that one couple at the restaurant who hated to be around dogs and asked to be moved.
Maybe this is why Niagara Falls feels that more needs to be done to accommodate pets as the backlash would be too much to bear. That is something that I can not answer. All I can say is that we enjoyed our trip but felt limited to the options that were available to us.
To everyone that showed us love, respect and kindness on our trip, thank you! We even love the people who did not love Tyson as we understand that dogs are not everyone’s cup of tea.
If you have visited Niagara Falls with your pet and found other places to check out, let us know in the comment section below.
Melanie Braga of mommaBraga
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Melanie Braga is the owner and writer of Momma Braga. She graduated from Humber College with a Social Service Worker diploma. She has over 15 years in the non-profit sector, helping the most vulnerable in Toronto communities. She then stepped into the fundraising world for seven years where she built strong relationships with her donors and her event coordinating ability became an asset. Melanie is also a mother of one and started a blog called, Momma Braga. This platform was established to document her journey in life and in parenthood. She hopes that through her blog, she can inspire and help others. This is why she prides herself on sharing the journey of other parents as she feels we can all learn from one another and support each other. It is about creating a positive community with no judgement.
