A beautiful ray of sunshine finding it’s way thru the early morning forest at DogWoods Retreat.

What a beautiful place! Quiet and relaxing. We arrived late in the night after driving for 14 hours, with our brand new 7 week old husky puppy and 3 year old Goldendoodle in tow (not to mention 2 teenage kids). The lights to the home were on and welcoming, and we relaxed the minute we stepped out of the car. A fence surrounds the entire rental home, so once we closed the gate, our dogs were free to roam inside and out. The home was new and well appointed, with hardwood floors (think new puppy and potty training!) marble counters, and leather furniture along with several dog beds and throw blankets for humans and animals to get comfortable.

The teenagers (1 boy and 1 girl) took an immediate liking to the Wi-Fi and the Dish Tv, but they too were able to break away and drink in the quiet of the woods. By mid-day on our second day I was carefully stepping over sleeping animals and kids, all stretched out on the floors and couches, as we relaxed to the slowed pace. We kept the windows open to enjoy the sound of nature, both during the sun-dappled afternoons, and the rain-misted evenings. We were sure to try out the hot tub on the deck on a star-lit evening (glass of wine within reach), along with a warm fire in the fireplace during a rainstorm. 

Having the entire place enclosed in a fence was ideal for the dogs, since we could choose to leave the doors open and they could come and go as they pleased. (Coming from Minnesota, it was nice to not have to worry about mosquitos!) This helped our new puppy start house breaking early by following the older ‘Doodle. They were able to wander in and out and explore on their own, and come back in to snooze at our feet.

The local town (Brevard) had plenty of shops and stores to keep us entertained, and to my wife’s surprise, a very large and well-stocked health-food store. We enjoyed the family meals together, relaxing on the deck or around the dinner table, with our dogs eagerly waiting to grab any missed morsels that fell their way.

Overall–an extremely relaxing place to ‘get away as from it all’ so you can tune out from distractions and tune in to your spouse, kids, and animals.

DogWoods Retreat recommends our friends at Pura Vida Adventures for all your activities while visiting us in Brevard, North Carolina.  

Summer is in full swing in the Land of Waterfalls!   Brevard Music center is in full swing with wonderful music entertainment.  Join in the fun at Sliding Rock in the Pisgah National Forest and tubing down the Davidson River.  Monthly tours of the Hunger Games film site in DuPont State Forest plus tours of the new Oskar Blues Brewery are many of the great things to experience right in our town of Brevard. Mountain laurels, rhododendrons and wild azaleas are in full bloom, don’t miss out on the fun. Book your stay with DogWoods Retreat today!

Another great White Squirrel Festival!  Top Bands like Jupiter Coyote and our own very talented song writer and singer Shannon Whitworth.  What a great town Brevard is! Join us for a stay at DogWoods Retreat and enjoy our small town hospitality and the beauty of all the wonder of the Western North Carolina Mountains!

Socialization is an important skill for dogs to learn.  It is about helping them become comfortable with their world. This includes, people, other dogs, objects, situations etc.  Helping them build confidence around things they are unfamiliar with by moving slowly and making good choices on their behalf.  Never forcing dogs, working under threshold and setting them up for success are key.  Puppies are especially important to socialize as much as possible during the first six months of life.  Group classes are very helpful to set foundation work which can help with this.  Contact a good positive reinforcement based trainer for help with this.