Friday, May 3, 2013

• BlogPaws: National Mall De-TAILS

Leashed dogs are allowed on Mall (any time of the year).
Do you plan to visit the National Mall when you come to BlogPaws 2013? The cherry blossoms will be gone, but the weather should be ideal.

De-TAILS
So you don't unduly tire yourself or your dog, make sure you have a sense a scale when you look at a map of the National Mall: the distance between one end (the Capitol) and the other (the Lincoln Memorial) is 2 miles.

The National Mall and Memorial Parks Dog and Pet Policy states that ". . . pets are prohibited inside the Jefferson, Lincoln and World War II Memorials . . . except for guide dogs for visually or hearing-impaired persons. Pets on a leash are allowed in the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial." The leash can be no more than 6 feet in length. Dogfriendly.com says dogs aren't allowed on the walkways of the Vietnam or Korean War Memorials, but I don't have confirmation of that. Only service dogs are allowed inside Smithsonian museums.

If you want to see the White House, cross Constitution Avenue at either 15th or 17th St. near the Washington Monument; you'll be in President's Park. Walk through the Ellipse (a park) to the south lawn of the White House, where Bo runs free. Who knows—if your dog barks, maybe Bo will answer!

Dogs can visit Fala at the FDR Memorial. Photographer unknown
Your dog is allowed on the FDR Memorial. More than once I've heard that dogs were indifferent to anything on the Mall until they got excited by the statue of Fala, Roosevelt's Scottie. The FDR Memorial is between the Tidal Basin and the Lincoln Memorial. Here's a fun, clickable map of the Mall, Tidal Basin, and beyond, including Metro stops.

Bring bottled water; vendors are expensive. (And do not eat vendor hot food.) You might find out how your dog feels when he or she has to "go" and you say "just one more email, honey." Bathrooms on the Mall can be few and far between.

Maybe you can find all this information on the National Mall App. (I don't have a smartphone so couldn't check it out.)

Getting to the Mall
Parking on or near the National Mall isn't easy, but driving is your only option if you have a large dog.

On Sunday the Sheraton has a complimentary shuttle to the Dunn Loring Metro, which you can take to the Smithsonian Metro. Service dogs can ride unconfined on the Metro; a pet can be transported if it is carried in a secure container from which it cannot escape. You can drive to Dunn Loring and park; just know that parking spaces aren't always available.

Do you have any more questions? Tell me—I'd love to help if I can. —Emmy

5 comments:

  1. Love these and sharing. See you at BlogPaws!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for sharing, Carol. I don't know how many people will want to go to the Mall, but it pays to be prepared.

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  2. Great post! I'm planning on only doing the Lincoln Memorial to Washington Monument end of the mall with Daisy.

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  3. That's a great plan. The Reflecting Pool is beautiful. I look forward to seeing pictures of Daisy! What's your Twitter name?

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