Jasper welcomes your pets!

It was a very busy weekend ... woke up bright and early Saturday morning to go to recycling sales. OK, some people call them yard sales, garage sales and even junk sales but to me, it's a way to recycle other people's treasures. Wedgewood Heights held their annual community garage sale event and advertised over 100 homes having sales. I was in heaven! Got some great deals on stuff I don't really need but .... I get caught up at these things. How can you not? Traffic was a nightmare in Wedgewood so thanks to the community for doing this every year - it turns the quiet streets into a parking lot. By the time we got home it was time to head over to my Sister-in-Laws to see her new motorhome - a palace on wheels! WOW - impressive.

Sunday I went to a wedding shower - you know your getting old when your friends kids are getting married - Little Kim gets hitched in a month. It was a wonderful gathering - lots of great nibbles, Sangria's and fun. In fact, we had a riot with an Iron Chef type competition. We broke up into groups of four and had to create something using cream cheese. Kim had to taste and judge each item .. my team didn't win although I thought our dip was pretty good. I must admit, the winning stuffed mushroom caps were pretty tasty as well. Seeing all the fantastic gifts makes me want to get married again!

As I wrap up my Salute to Jasper today, and being such a animal lover, I love the fact that many of the accommodations in Jasper are pet friendly including the Jasper Park Lodge. When you tell them you're bringing your four-legged friend, they have a nice little poochy gift waiting in the room - a dog dish, treats, poop-bags and a sign to put on the door that says Fido is in the room.

Now this is great - The Fairmont Hotel chain have resident hotel dogs known as Canine Ambassadors. If you don't bring your dog with you and you miss your furry friend or you're looking for a companion while taking a walk, you can take the resident Fairmont dog with you. The JPL doesn't have their very own probably because there are so many dogs running around the resort including Jasper, a Golden Retriever, who makes an appearance a few times a month. He's a pampered pooch that belongs to Lori, the Marketing Director at the JPL and the Banff Springs.

Courtesy of Fairmont's website, I found all the details on the puppies working at this First Class hotel chain. Sonny, a Yellow Labrador Retriever, is the newest member of Fairmont's Canine Ambassador team and works at The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise as director of Pet Relations. Also new to Fairmont is Golden Labrador Gracie, who joins the staff at the Fairmont Tremblant. She will meet and greet guests, be available for scheduled walks and runs, and be a community liaison. The Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind trained both Sonny and Gracie and although they didn't end up becoming guide dogs, they are committed to the new goal of making every guest smile.

Sonny and Gracie join their other four-legged colleagues as official members of the hotels' Guest Services Teams. Catie, a Black Labrador originally trained as a guide dog with the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind in New York changed careers to become the famed Canine Ambassador for The Fairmont Copley Plaza Boston. Endearingly called Catie Copley, she's a community liaison participating in story hour at the South End branch of the Boston Public Library and has spent time with guests who are ill. Such a delight with children, Catie has even been the star of two children's books, the second of which includes her colleague Santol, the Canine Ambassador at Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac. The new book, Catie Copley's Great Escape, is a follow up to 2007's top-seller Catie Copley, and follows the adventures of Catie as she takes her first trip to Canada to visit Santol.

In Vancouver you can meet Holly, a Yellow Labrador and Golden Retriever mix at The Fairmont Waterfront and Mavis - Holly's half-sister and also a Lab/Retreiver mix - and Beau, a Yellow Labrador, at The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. All three are former BC Guide Dog trainees that were better suited to the social life of a hotel ambassador. The Fairmont Waterfront was the first hotel in the company to introduce a K9 Ambassador -- welcoming Morgan, a Black Labrador, in 2002. He is now enjoying his dog days of retirement.

Two Golden Retriever Concierges have also taken up greeting and walking duties at The Fairmont Acapulco Princess in Mexico. After spending months in a specialized training program, Chunki and Kimi are on hand to play, greet and guide guests around the hotel and even relish the opportunity to be accompanied by other guest's pets.

So next time you plan a vacation and don't want to leave your four-legged friend at home, take them with you .. or if you must leave them at home but need your animal fix, drop into a Fairmonth property for a few licks from one of their Canine Ambassadors like Jillian Harris of the Bachelorette did! So cute .. I mean, the dogs!

Have a great Monday,

~Seanna~