Animal Planet

THE PASTORAL SETTING AND SENSE OF COMMUNITY THAT MAKE WALDO COUNTY SUCH A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE OFFERS HIGH QUALITY OF LIFE FOR FOUR LEGGED FRIENDS TOO.

Four Leaf Farm

April Lawrence

PAWS on Parade

PAWS Animal Adoption Center

Belfast Dog Park

Sara Shute

Like a lot of people, Garry and Barbara Schwall moved to Waldo County because they loved the pristine coastline, the vast expanses of open space, and the fact that they could live in a community that bustles all year long, an easy drive from vacation getaways like Mount Desert Island. But there were two other important considerations that factored into their choice: Callie and Lexie, their Shih Tzus.

"We’re pet people,” Barbara says. “We love that there are so many places here that will embrace their pets when they’re out and about.”

The Schwalls are part of a growing group of people who are finding Waldo County to be a pet-friendly destination. With large tracts of preserved land, two off-leash dog parks, an animal-adoption center, two community pet food pantries, and two annual festivals devoted to furry friends, plus boarding and pet sitting, as well as more than a dozen pet-friendly places to stay, the region is a beautiful retreat for those who have four-legged family members.

"This is just such a central spot with so many trails and so much land,” says April Lawrence, owner of Four Leaf Farm, a boutique dog-boarding business in Belfast, which also offers off-leash hikes and playgroups for area dogs.

Each May, Camden’s PAWS Animal Adoption Center holds its major fundraiser, PAWS on Parade Walk-a-Thon in Belfast City Park. Each September, hundreds of dachshunds descend on the Belfast waterfront for Maine Wienerfest, a celebration of the short-statured breed that includes a grand parade, a canine costume contest, and a Doxie Derby.

In 2008, an off-leash dog park was created by Friends of Belfast Parks, with the help of private donations and funding from the city. In 2012, PAWS opened another off-leash dog park down the road in Rockport.

When Heidi Neal wanted to expand Loyal Biscuit from her flagship location in Rockland in 2011, Belfast was her first choice. She recently expanded, doubling the size of her space.

“It’s just a great dog-loving community here,” Neal says.

Sandy Patrick operates Country Roads Pet and Farm Care in Palermo, which offers pet sitting, dog walking, and pet transport, as well as farm animal care, which allows pets to maintain their regular routines while their owners are away, and get lots of individualized attention.

Pet owners visiting the area find that they have lots of lodging options when they have Fido in tow. That includes Pine Grove Cottages in Lincolnville, which the Schwalls opened in 2014.

“We remember the dogs that come to stay with us just as fondly as we remember their owners,” Schwall says. “It’s nice to be in a place where they’re so welcome.”

CENTRAL BARK

Belfast Dog Park 122 Lincolnville Ave., Rte. 52, near the intersection with Rte. 1. 207 338 1704 Open dawn to dusk @belfastdogpark on Facebook

Jean H. Kislak Memorial Community Dog Park 146 Camden St. Rockport, ME 04856 @pawsdogpark on Facebook

Coastal Mountains Land Trust The land trust has 31 preserves where leashed dogs are permitted. Voice controlled dogs are allowed off leash at Hatchet Mountain, Mount Percival, and Long Cove Preserves between sunrise and noon. coastalmountains.org