For those who cannot dream of going on a vacation if it involves leaving man’s best friend or his frenemy behind, now they can simply pick up their pet carrier and explore Wisconsin, where hospitality extends to pets also.

A survey carried out by TripAdvisor website in 2010 found 61% of those who owned pets, travelled with them.

The trend has been embraced by tourism businesses throughout Wisconsin, from providing upscale lodging for bother dogs and their owners, including hosting festivals for man’s best friend to opening pet boutiques.

After deciding on the destination, only a pet friendly hotel remains to be found and no better place to find it than on the state’s tourism website www.travelwisconsin.com.

A simple click on the ‘Accommodations’ link and one is able to select the type of lodgings one prefers i.e. hotels, motels or resorts.  In the directory listing you can use the ‘Pets Welcome’ search filter for finding a pet friendly place.

The ‘Cabins and Cottages’ category for visitors heading to woodlands, earns the highest marks for being pet-friendly, with 152 properties coming up in the search.

Lake resorts, including Baker’s Sunset Bay Resort on Lake Delton in Wisconsin Dells and the historic Gibson’s West Harbour Resort built on Washington Island around 1870 are often pet-friendly too.

Upscale boutique hotels like downtown Milwaukee’s Iron Horse Hotel are also pet-friendly.

The same TripAdvisor survey asked travellers with pets what they find most desirable when on vacation.  Nearly half or 44% cited designated green space for walking their pets as the most important component of pet-friendly lodging.