Seven Reasons It’s Good to Be a Dog in Vail, Colorado

About the Author: Helen Fazio and her dog, Raja, blog on pet travel and related topics at www.traveldogbooks.com. In their first book, The Journey of the Shih Tzu, Raja tells the wolf-to-woof story of the development of this amazing breed. They are working on forthcoming titles.

At least every other ski season Raja loves to make his way to Vail, Colorado. The powder in the Rocky Mountains is amazing and Vail scenery with red cliffs and sage and gold pines is always glorious.

Vail was named for Charles Vail, an engineer who routed a highway through the valley in 1944; the ski mountain was developed by Pete Seibert, an Army Mountain Division Soldier, and his buddies, who trained in the area during WWII. Local ranchers contributed capital toward the fast-growing ski destination. Today, not only is Vail a prime family holiday destination, but the mountain terrain offers all the challenges mountain sports can handle.

Here’s why Vail is such a pup-friendly town.

1. As soon as you fly into Vail, an airport monitor lets you know that your dog will be made to feel right at home. This ad from a real estate company basically puts the dog before the house big time!

2. The Colorado Ski Museum on Frontage Road in Vail Village celebrates the age-old connection between mountain dogs and skiing mountaineers in a mural on the outside. Look at those treacherous wooden slide-in skis! Who wouldn’t want a dog to help with all the mishaps and accidents!

3. Vail Village Arts Gallery considers dogs to be great art. The gallery represents the brilliant dog portraits of employee Suzanne Shirra. Contact her through the gallery if you want your pet to be luminously captured on an enormous canvas. In our picture, a Yellow Lab, a Black Lab, and a phosphorescent Maltese glow on the gallery walls.

4. All the best shops have dog greeters to make you feel really welcome. Meet Charlie of the De Corato Boutique on East Meadow Drive in Vail Village. One day Charlie, a Basenji-Pitbull mix. was walking lonely and cold down a mountain road … and the next he was rescued into the lap of retail luxury by shop owner Laura Lilley. Lucky dog!

5. Who wouldn’t want to be like Daisy, living the good life as the quintessential skier companion and all around very cool mountain dog? Daisy accompanies Brian mountainside, sometimes running up the slopes on her own to gallop down with Brian in the big drifts. Daisy resembles the dog on the Ski Museum mural, doesn’t she?

6. If your dogs look even the least bit chilly, some restaurants invite you to bring them inside. Raja was hanging out off the slopes and the Rimini Gelato Shop on Lionshead Place insisted he come inside and have a warm drink.

7. Kate and Carhart recently moved to Vail and are searching for dog-friendly housing. Something tells us that they won’t have a hard time finding a really nice place and making friends.

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Caught on Video: Dramatic Rescue of Dog Who Fell Through Ice in Colorado

Very unfortunate update below

A dog who bolted from his owner while on a walk near the Smith Reservoir in Lakewood, Colo., would probably be dead today if not for the heroic and dramatic rescue by local fire crew. A firefighter suited up in cold-water rescue gear crawled out and then semi-swam to the dog while hacking away at the ice so he could reach the dog. The dog, a Dogo Argentino named Max, was very glad to see his hero, and made a beeline for him.

“We’re blessed to have him here tonight,” Max’s owner, Michael Robinson, told 7NEWS. Max warmed up in the ambulance and is apparently back to his bouncy, energetic self.

His dramatic rescue was captured by a news helicopter.

Can you say “hero”?

(I was sorry to learn that Max ended up in the water because he was chasing a coyote. The coyote also fell into the reservoir, but very sadly, did not last against the elements. I wish that weren’t part of this story, but it is. Still the real story is that of the lengths these rescuers went to to save Max. RIP, coyote …)

Update 2:30 pm 2-8-12: I am really dismayed to have to bring you more bad news about this story. It started out as such a feel-good story, then I learned about the coyote drowning, and now it turns out that this morning Max bit the face of Denver TV anchor Kyle Dyer as she “tried to kiss/snuggle with the dog,” stated the animal control report, according to the Denver Post. Dyer is in fair condition at a local hospital.

The 85-pound dog is in custody of Denver Animal Care and Control, where he’s being detained pending investigation of the incident, and quarantined for 10 days to observe for signs of rabies and other illnesses. The dog reportedly was not up to date on rabies inoculations.

The firefighter who went into the frigid water to rescue Max was in the 9News studio with Max and his owner when the attack occurred. He once again went into rescue mode, this time helping Dyer. “It was definitely shocking, it was not how I envisioned my morning going,” Tyler Sugaski told the Denver Post. “It’s one thing getting called to a scene, but to be there right as it is happening, it’s different.”

I’ll provide another update when I get more news. Thank you to Chesney, who left a comment below so we had a heads up about this situation.

Here is a supershort clip of the bite. The main interview and clip are no longer available.

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