This Week's Scottie Finds

Custom laser engraved crystal gift found at South Park Mall in Charlotte, North Carolina. Prices vary. Crystal shown above is $250. For more information on how to order a 3-D crystal of your Scottie, email sp@3d-innovation.com.

Scottie dog throw, $12.99 at HomeGoods.

Scottie dog bookends, $90 at antiques store in Staunton, Virginia.

Scottie dog stool, $14 at antiques store in Staunton, Virginia.

Scottie dog, $65 at antiques store in Staunton, Virginia.

Scottie dog gift wrap, $5 at Target.

Holiday calendar featuring gingerbread Scottie dog found at CVS.

Scottie dog gift bag found at HomeGoods.

Wrapping paper with holiday Scottie dog, $3.99 at TJ Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods.

Scottie dog tin found, $9.99 at Marshalls.

Scottie dog gift bag, $1.79 at Marshalls.

Scottie dog gift bag found at TJ Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods.

Scottie dog gift tags at World Market.

Assortment of Scottie dog gift bags, stickers, gift tags and tissue paper at World Market.

Set of 15 holiday Scottie dog greeting cards, $12.99 at World Market.

Red and green Scottie dog gift boxes. Smaller box priced at $5, larger box just under $10 at TJ Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods.

Set of 10 Scottie dog thank you notes and envelopes, $9.95 at Papyrus.

The Season of Scotties continues! Here are all the Scottie finds I stumbled across in stores just this week. Something tells me there's a lot more to be seen this year...including some Scottie Mom original items in our very own online store! Know of something you think should be added to every Scottie Mom's holiday wish list or want us to create a custom product for you? Send a note to thescottiemom(at)gmail(dot).com. Happy shopping, fellow Scottie Moms!

A Scottie Stay: Hilton Stamford Hotel

Heather and Mr. K taking in the view of the third and final hotel of our latest road trip.

The hotel was complete with a water feature in front of it...Mr. K just had to explore.

About two seconds after this photo was taken, Mr. K dunked his head into the pool of water and nearly climbed in for a dip!

Heather enjoyed the scenery from one of the many park benches located just outside the entrance.

Perhaps Mr. K's favorite part of this hotel was watching the passersby go through the mysterious revolving doors.

The view from the top wasn't too shabby, either, Mr. K said.

Heather was ready to write about her experience at the Hilton straight away.

Mr. K was just happy to be out of the car for a while so he could have some much-desired zoomie time.

Overall, Heather and Mr. K were pleased with the amenities.

Although there weren't two human beds this time, Mr. K made sure to score some snuggle time the next morning after Scottie Dad had vacated the bed.

 The third and final hotel of our road trip, Hilton Stamford Hotel in Stamford, Connecticut, was arguably the better of the three places we stayed all weekend if for no other reason than the ample green space available to Heather and Mr. K for their walks. It seems simple enough but any traveling dog mom can appreciate things like walkable, scenic outdoor space and a conveniently located doggie waste bin (complete with poop bags!) nearby. Truth be told, many of the dog-friendly hotels we've stayed at don't even have these simple features. 

Not only were we able to take dozens of great photos thanks to the beautifully-landscaped outdoors, the room itself had plenty of space for the four of us - even with Mr. K bounding back and forth from the door to the couch in a fit of zoomies later that night. And while we only had one human bed in the room, Heather and Mr. K didn't seem to mind making themselves at home on the couch located just two or three steps away from us. The only thing we took issue with was the hotel's pet fee. On the Hilton Stamford Hotel's website, it states there is a $50 non-refundable pet fee per stay. However, we were charged $100 for a one-night stay with Heather and Mr. K.

Overall, our experience was pretty good at all three of the hotels we stayed at on our road trip: Hampton Inn Pine Grove, Providence Marriott Downtown and Hilton Stamford Hotel. Now, it is time for Heather and Mr. K to enjoy the comforts of home for a while before we hit the road again just after Christmas for the Scottie Mom wedding in New York City!

A Scottie Stay: Providence Marriott Downtown

Photo courtesy of marriottprovidence.com.

By now, you must be wondering: what made us trek 15+ hours from Atlanta, Georgia to the city of Providence, Rhode Island? Well, a Scottie Mom cousin happened to get married that weekend (congratulations, guys!) and we just knew Heather and Mr. K would love to be part of the adventure so they could report back their findings to our friends.

We had high hopes for Providence Marriott Downtown as our last few stays at Marriott properties were exceptional. The reservations were made easily online, there was only a one-time, $50 non-refundable pet fee, the location was three minutes from the wedding reception venue and the photos of the hotel from the website looked gorgeous. What could possibly be wrong with this picture?

Check-in was a bit confusing. Though pets are allowed to stay at Providence Marriott Downtown, they are not allowed to stay in the room unattended, according to the hotel policy, and they require guests to sign off on a form promising not to leave pets in the hotel room alone and acknowledging the fact the hotel has the right to remove pets from the room for any reason. Needless to say, I didn't find this policy to be particularly pet-friendly. While I would love to take Heather and Mr. K with me everywhere I go, with a wedding on the weekend agenda, it just was not possible this time. Luckily, we worked out an arrangement but the added stress at the initial check-in was a bit of an unpleasant surprise.

All in all, our stay was just fine. The room had two human beds (each of which Heather and Mr. K made a point to claim separately leaving the humans - if they had their way - to sleep on the floor), an armchair by the window so Mr. K could keep watch over the grounds, and more. They also had a salon onsite that fit me into the schedule so I could have my hair done just before the wedding...which made me think: how pawesome would it be if hotels had a doggie salon so they could be all fresh and clean for the ride home?! Has anyone ever found a hotel that offers this and other super pet-friendly services?

Let's hear it for New York!

Heather and Mr. K hanging outside with their Scottie Grandmadre while Scottie Mom and Dad got their marriage license.

It was a chilly, drizzly and somewhat dreary day but that didn't stop Heather from looking her best for the camera!

Everywhere they went, Scottie Mom stopped them to snap a quick photo.

That is, until they rebelled and made silly faces at the camera as a means to prompt Scottie Mom and Dad to stop taking pictures and enjoy the limited time in New York!

Heather and Mr. K once again got to feel what it was like to be Scotties in the big city - if only for a short while. Because we were on such a tight schedule, Heather and Mr. K only had about two hours of sightseeing to enjoy with their Scottie Grandmadre while Scottie Mom and Dad were in the Office of the City Clerk obtaining their marriage license. Together, they strolled around the blocks and chased after every squirrel and bird that dared to pass by. Mr. K kept his nose to the ground and did his best to mark every spot he could find needing to be claimed as his own. Indeed, Heather and Mr. K gave their Scottie Grandmadre a workout in the cold weather before finally piling back into the car, grabbing some lunch and continuing on their way to Rhode Island that afternoon.

A Scottie Stay: Hampton Inn Pine Grove

After a long day of driving, Heather and Mr. K let Scottie Mom know it was time to call it a night.

Heather Beather climbed right onto the human bed as soon as we stopped at a nearby hotel.

So did Mr. K...but he was more interested in playing ball, not falling asleep.

The next morning, Heather requested breakfast in bed while she watched the morning news.

Mr. K, on the other hand, had serious business to attend to and opted to sit at the desk and keep friends posted on his adventures via Facebook.

Since the road trip got off to a late start, Heather and Mr. K only made it as far as Pennsylvania the first night. We stopped at Hampton Inn Pine Grove around 2 a.m. and called it a night. Heather and Mr. K were delighted by the fact they had a human bed all to themselves. Heather Beather curled up next to the white, fluffy pillows right away and prepared to get her beauty rest. Meanwhile, Mr. K was working off all that extra energy he hadn't been able to use being cooped up in a car all day. Back and forth he would run, chasing after his beloved squeaky tennis ball before he finally settled down. Though the four of us were only at Hampton Inn Pine Grove for a few hours before we continued our journey, we were very grateful for a place to rest our heads that offered a free continental breakfast (for the humans, of course) and a room conveniently located on the first floor near an exit so we didn't have to go far any time Heather and Mr. K had to go potty!

This Week's Scottie Finds

Scottie dog bowls (featured alongside other breeds) found at C. Wonder. Priced from $18-24.

Scottie dog ornaments found at World Market. Priced at $10 each. See more Scottie items at World Market here.

Scottie dog purse found at Macy's. Priced at $39.

Scottie dog pin found at Macy's.

Scottie dog bowls found at HomeGoods. Priced at $4.

Holiday Scottie greeting cards found at HomeGoods. Priced from $4-7 per box.

Scottie dog candles found at HomeGoods. Priced at $7.

Scottie dog doorstop found at HomeGoods and TJ Maxx. Available in red plaid as well.

Found at HomeGoods and TJ Maxx. Priced at $10.

Colorful Scottie mug found at Marshalls. Priced at $4.

Assortment of Scottie dishes found at HomeGoods. Prices range from $3-8 per piece.

Scottie dog sweater on sale at LOFT outlet for $25.

The season of Scotties is upon us! All through the year, we've waited and it looks like the 2014 season of Scotties will not disappoint. Here are all the Scottie finds I stumbled across in stores just this week. Know of something you think should be added to every Scottie Mom's holiday wish list? Send your Scottie finds to thescottiemom(at)gmail(dot).com. Happy shopping, fellow Scottie Moms!

A Tale of Traveling Scots

All packed and ready to go!

Are there any snacks for the road in this thing?

Forget the Scottie Mobile! Scottie Dad was nice enough to let us ride in his car.

And we're back! After five days and a total of 30 hours on the road, Heather and Mr. K are enjoying the familiar comforts of the Scottie House once more. It was an eventful weekend. Heather and Mr. K got a taste of three states and were treated to stays at three different hotels. (Details to follow in the coming days.) Perhaps the most surprising element of the trip, however, happened before we even left the driveway when Scottie Dad announced we were taking his car - which is normally off-limits to Heather and Mr. K! While I can't say for sure that they preferred this car over the Scottie Mobile (both Heather and Mr. K tend to enjoy road trips no matter what we're driving), it is safe to say that these two arrived at our destination in style and proceeded to win everyone over with their Scottie charm!