Hey pups, it’s Ella, back from the dead to recount my recent escapades. Mom and Dad always claim they’re traveling “for work” (hmmm…), so I insisted they take a few days off and take me somewhere for a change. And where is more friendly to my kind—dogs, the superior race, I of course mean—than our southern neighbor of Florida?

Mom’s been going to the Gulf Coast for much of her life, but to date, she’d only taken me one other time before. To which I say: HOW RUDE! I was born for this life.

Some ridiculously sweet humans let us crash in their house for the week, and it was just what the vet ordered: relaxing, chill, no itinerary—the polar opposite of how Mom usually vacations!

Florida is totally my speed, btw: Plenty of space to run, no rules, no squirrels to taunt to me, no mailmen to guard the house against—just me and the sand (and OK, a few thousand birds to terrorize).

We were there in mid-November, which could be chilly on some days. On the mornings it was too cold and windy to spend outdoors, we lazed around the house doing my favorite activity: napping.

Life’s a beach, but sometimes a girl just needs a nap.

And sometimes a girl needs a beer. We found one sweet brewery that allows my kind inside: Grayton Brewing Co. The humans who run it are pretty swell and, bonus: The beer is really doggone good, too!

How do I know? Well. While Mom said I was too young to sample the libations—whatever, I’m 52.5 in dog years!—Dad gave me a sip of his gose (which is why he’s obviously my favorite parent). We liked it so much, we even came back a second day to fill up our growlers for the road!

We decided to drive to Florida so we could take my paddleboards (I only let Mom and Dad borrow them) down with us and spend the afternoons skimming the top of that placid water. I think the water there might even be calmer than my lake domain back in Tennessee.

Did you know there are devils in Florida (and to think, I always thought they lived down in Georgia…)? If you take a peek at the video I worked my tail off filming for you all, you may even spot them!

Man! Life’s good.

The people of Florida were even so thoughtful as to vacate the state for the week to ensure we had it all to ourselves. Floridians, you sure are an obliging bunch (for humans, that is).

Mom promised to log off of social media for the week—BIG FAIL; speaking of which (shameless plug!), are you following MY new Instagram, @BustedPuppy?!—and Dad planned to read a lot of books. Neither of those things happened, but I made sure they focused on the important matter at hand, and that was that I logged plenty of beach time.

In fact, the beaches of Florida are my natural camouflage—who knew? (Well, I would have had I been brought to this magical Gulf Coast place earlier! Harumph.)

Our trip was all too quick; before I knew it, we were packing up the Jeep and headed down to Orlando for the holidays at Universal.

We’ll be seeing you again real soon, Florida, if I have anything to say about it (and let’s be honest, I wear the pants in this family!)

Pup out,

Ella

Looking for other trip ideas to Florida? I’ve got a few:

• Swimming with Manatees in Crystal Springs
• 4 Ways to Explore Jacksonville
• Planning the Ultimate Vacation in the Florida Keys
• Getting Your Water Park on at Volcano Bay
• Exploring the Elegance of St. Augustine
• Planning a Gulf Coast Bachelorette
• Experiencing the Magic at Wizarding World of Harry Potter
• Playing with Dolphins in Panama City Beach
• Going Wreck Diving in the Gulf of Mexico

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