When you think of Vegas, you never think to bring your dog with you. As we wanted to bond with our newest addition Azumi, and keep her potty rituals regular including her eating – we thought, why not take her with us to Vegas. Check out our quick video of the trip – and we chose the Lego song, as we watched it that weekend in the hotel room!
She is under 25lbs (under the weight limit to board with you in cabin) and can fit under the seat on her Sleepypod Air.
Here are some tidbits we found helpful when taking Azumi with us to Vegas – a great alternative if you are in town for a conference or, just wanted Rover to be with you!
Note that Vegas is not going to be your dogs most favorite place – it is a concrete jungle after all.
Terminal 3 Dog Relief – McCarran Airport Las Vegas
The city, including the airport – do try to be as accommodating as possible if you do bring Rover. The McCarran Airport has a dog relief area in each Terminal. Being from Calgary and travelling via Westjet – we were in Terminal 3.
The Dog Relief area is on the far left on the middle median where the Taxi’s are. It is super small – but it does the trick.
We originally booked to stay at the Vdara Hotel, off the Las Vegas Strip – and to find out they were pet friendly, made it even better.
Azumi is a Vdog!
Other nearby hotels that accommodate pets is the Cosmopolitan beside them, Ceasars Palace and the Westin Hotel Casino & Spa which is further away from the strip (with a much larger dog park). There are other more economical choices as well.
Note that to fly with your dog and book at a dog friendly hotel – you must book in advance due to limited space allowed both on the plane and in the specified hotels. Both items do require an extra fee for your pet.
- Also insure that your pet is potty trained and kennel trained for the ease of them and yourself. To Vegas, Rover can spend up to 5 hours in the kennel – as most airports and especially airplanes do not allow you to take out your dog due to allergies of nearby occupants.
- Place a towel or blanket in the kennel – so if there was an accident – it soaks up most of the liquid, so you merely need to remove the towel for discarding.
Azumi & her SleepyPod
- Bring a chew to keep them company.
- Take them for a long walk to tire them out before the flight;
- Try not to feed a large meal or give them too much water up to 4 hours before your flight – I give these same rules for myself – as I hate using the washroom in the plane – plus it is more comfortable not having a full stomach and bladder!
- Bring a little dish that fits in the underseat kennel so if Rover does get parched, you are able to get water from the flight attendants for a quick refresher;
- Do not over pack your carry on, especially if travelling alone, as remember, you will need to remove your laptop, your liquids AND your pet through security;
as remember, you will need to remove your laptop, your liquids AND your pet through security
Also – on your customs form – YES, you need to mark that you are bringing an animal.
Many websites recommend Dog Gravol – but if you need to drug your dog – it might be better to not take them. I do understand not everyone has a choice.
As Azumi was in her Sleepypod, finding a taxi to take us straight to the hotel was easy with no issues. If you have a larger dog, make sure you have arrangements for a pet friendly car rental, taxi service or shuttle.
The Vdara Hotel is a gorgeous condo inspired boutique hotel. It is non smoking and has no casino – but yet is steps away from the posh Crystal Mall and famous Marquee Nightclub. Without boring you with details – my review on the property is linked.
Our schedule with Azumi was consistent with home to encourage her puppy training habits – so having a 24/7 Dog Park at Vdara was a bonus:
Walking the Strip!
- 3-4am – she whines to go for a mid morning pee
- 7am – she is ready for her first potty break of the day and breakfast. Every 20 mins for an hour after that – we let her out to do her business. Being on dehydrated raw, means she drinks 1/2 cup of water each meal. She is currently on Primal Beef Dehydrated – 3 cubes plus 1/4 cup of puppy kibble (we are trying Horizon Legacy Puppy made in Saskatchewan, CA). She eats this 3 times a day.
- 8-9am – we head out for a walk! At home we take the dogs out to a park and go out for 30 minutes – as she cannot go too long. In Vegas, we walked the strip – and with being stopped every 10 mins – it was great socialization for her as well. The noise was a great addition and helped us work on her leash training under loud circumstances.
- 11am – another potty break at the Dog Park.
Outside the Dog Park!
- Noon – Lunch time! Repeat Potty every 20 mins for an hour.
- 2pm to 4 or 5pm – she naps! This is when we went to the pool or went to eat.
- When we return – we take her for her potty break and a nice walk for some fresh air. We try not to go too long – mid May – temperatures rise upwards of 34 degrees Celsius. Dogs are allowed to walk leashed in the lobby of both the Vdara and Cosmpolitan.
- 6-7pm – Dinner! Repeat Potty ritual – every 20 mins for an hour
- Last minute walk and fetch and tug of war – snuggles and then bedtime by 11pm! REPEAT!
Bed time!
We had a great trip with Azumi – and we will miss the fact that this probably is the only time we would be able to travel with our dogs to Vegas – as all of them are over 25lbs – and I am not a fan of putting them in the lower compartment of the plane. In the USA – there are certifications you can get, for your dog to actually ride alongside a seat with you on certain airlines!
Hope you found this helpful if you plan a trip with your dog to Las Vegas!
Sleep Rover Doggie Hotel & Daycare 
From where did you find that hotel that is pet friendly? Usually hotels in Las Vegas don’t tolerate dogs at the hotel room. I usually search for pet friendly hotels for me and my pooch in http://www.reservationcounter.com/hotel/las-vegas/pet-friendly/ but this is only for Vegas hotels. I am searching for a site where I can find such hotels all over the country.
Hi there Melinda – you can just google ‘las vegas pet friendly’ and a few will pop up. I know the main strip – Ceasars Palace and Vdara both allow dogs as well as The Cosmopolitan. Off the strip, more affordable is the Westin Resort! GOOD LUCK!
Your dog is so cute and the trip looked great. One thing I would like to point out. Those “certifications” that you referred to in the US that “allow” your dog to travel with you are for “service animals”. These include “emeotional support” service dogs. To legally use an “emotional support” service dog, you have to be diagnosed by a mental health professional who is treating you for a mental disorder that makes the dog necessary during travel. Many unscrupulous individuals have obtained these certifcations for their “pets” by lying about a mental disorder to avoid fees and restrictions they would otherwise have to adhere to both in the airlines as well as hotels. This is not only “thieft of services” it is morally abhorrent. I would LOVE to just skip the insanely high air fees for my dog as well as the pet fees at hotels, but this is just wrong and is on the increase. Dog lovers shouldn’t “check” their integrity with their bags to let fido roam freely FOR FREE. What goes around, comes around.
Totally agree! It is unfortunate when individuals abuse the system, as it impacts on others that really need it.