DisLove Podcast with Vanessa and Kris

DisLove E157: Abbey from PolkaDot Paws by Abbey and How to Give Your Dog Disney Magic Too: Everything You Need to Know About Pet-Friendly Options

• Vanessa Ferguson and Kris Johns along with guest Abbey • Season 6 • Episode 157

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We discuss the various options for bringing pets to Walt Disney World and interview Abby, owner of Polka Dot Paws, about her Disney-themed pet products and how she creates magic for our furry friends.

Use the promo code DISLOVE25 to receive free shipping from Abbey's Etsy shop.

• Four pet-friendly resorts at Disney World: Port Orleans Riverside, Art of Animation, Yacht Club, and Fort Wilderness cabins
• Each pet gets Pluto's Welcome Kit with bowls, ID tag, and maps to pet relief areas
• Additional pet fee ranges from $50-$75 per night depending on resort and season
• Dogs cannot be left alone for more than seven hours and must be crated when alone
• Best Friends Pet Care near Disney Springs offers day care and overnight boarding with VIP options
• Disney Tales Collection at Disney Springs Co-op area specializes in Disney pet merchandise
• Abby from Polka Dot Paws creates custom pet bandanas, mouse ears for service dogs, and Disney-inspired home items
• She can create custom items matching cast member costumes for service dogs
• Find Polka Dot Paws on Etsy and Instagram with ready-to-ship and custom options

Hear Abbey's first episode with us from 2018 through this link.

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For all the latest news about our episodes follow us on Instagram @dislovewithvanessaandkris or on YouTube.

Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Diz Love Podcast with Vanessa and Chris. I'm Vanessa Ferguson.

Speaker 2:

And I'm Chris Johns.

Speaker 1:

We would like to welcome you to show number 157. And for any listeners joining us for the first time, our show features things we love at Disney and in each episode we have a guest who creates Disney magic for our listeners at home or on their Disney vacations. From vacation planners to product producers, our guests can bring Disney magic into your life. We'd like to remind our guests to make sure to take a time to review us on Apple Podcasts or any other platform where you listen. We always like to give listeners a shout out and of course, that helps the show grow. And before we get started, we have a message from some of our friends.

Speaker 2:

Yes, our good friends Kevin and Amanda want you to get the full experience every time you go to your next park, whether that be Disney World, disneyland or a host of other amusement parks across the country. They've created an awesome thing. It's called we're in the Park Scavenger Hunt Game Packs, and what's awesome about this is that it rewards people who have a lot of experience in the park, but also those with a keen eye. So, even if you're new, it gives you something to look for, because, as you know, when you're in Disney World, there's always something new that you might have never noticed. But with that detail, you can find out. And so use the code dislove10 d-i-s-l-o-v-e-1-0 dislove10 to save 10% off your next order. That code's in the show notes and you can also find the link.

Speaker 2:

And what I really appreciate and I think Vanessa will know and we can attest, while I have been to Disney I am a member owner. I've been there many times. I don't pay that closely attention to a lot of things. I can't wait're going to end up meeting Kevin and Amanda here soon and we're going to try it out, and what's going to be awesome is I'm going to discover some new things and we're going to be in California, which I've only had one visit to. That said, this is awesome, so make your next. He's been there twice, oh see.

Speaker 1:

Wow.

Speaker 2:

So make next Really.

Speaker 1:

Two times. I do not remember that. So make your next trip to Disney a scavenger hunt. She was on show for episode five and she was our first like regular product vendor. We had had a one of the travel planners on, but she was our first like vendor, so we're super excited to have her back on the show and in light of what Polka Dot Paws is all about, which is a lot of great products for your favorite pup. She also has a few other new things which she's going to talk about, but I decided to talk about bringing your pets to Walt Disney World.

Speaker 1:

I will say our dog that we have right now she is not a traveler. Our previous dog was not a traveler, but we have lots of friends that have dogs that are great travelers. So we're going to dive into all of the different things that go into bringing a dog to Disney or other animals. We're going to talk about some of the pet friendly resorts Best Friends Pet Care Center, which we have our good friends, ann and Ed, rave about Best Friends, and then, of course, for those of you that are like us, who you can't really bring your fur babies with you, some great places that you can shop for them. And of course it's important when you are planning to know the ins and outs, because obviously we're not just bringing our dog to any resort, we have to be very particular in it. So there are four resorts on property where you can bring dogs and we have stayed at all but one of these. Chris, could you guess one resort where you could bring a dog? It's one of our favorite resorts.

Speaker 2:

Grand Floridian.

Speaker 1:

No one of our favorites from forever, where we've always gone a long time.

Speaker 2:

Port Orleans.

Speaker 1:

Yes, yes. So Port Orleans Riverside, you can also bring a dog to Art of Animation, which we've stayed there as well, yacht Club Resort we've only stayed at. Actually, we've not stayed at Beach Club or Yacht Club, we've been at Boardwalk and then cabins at Fort Wilderness. So Art of Animation, port Orleans Riverside, yacht Club and Fort Wilderness, the cabins, and so the nice thing is that if you are somebody who maybe you have an allergy or something you can't be around pets, don't be alarmed. There are certain pet friendly buildings, so that means that you're not going to see a dog everywhere, there's just certain spots. And one of the things that is important to know, too, is that of course, there's an extra fee, just like with anything, and I think we would all understand that. But listen to this, chris, this is kind of fun.

Speaker 1:

All of the pets get Pluto's Welcome Kit.

Speaker 1:

Wow, yeah, so it comes with a mat, bowls, a pet ID tag, disposable bags, puppy pads and a map of the pet relief areas around the resort, and depending on where you stay and what time of year and all of that, it's $50 to $75 extra per night. So that's important to know, and there's going to be designated areas at the resort. So, as I just said, like those pet relief areas. So if I'm staying at Port Orleans Riverside and I don't have my dog, I'm not just going to randomly, let's just we're going to say it, we're not going to randomly step in dog poop somewhere. There are specific areas for dogs to be leashed on and there's a couple of other rules, like if you are going to the parks which most of us, when we go on most of our trips we are going to the parks you cannot leave your dog in the room for more than seven hours, which I think that's usually typical about how long you'd leave a dog at home or something, and if you leave them they have to be in a crate.

Speaker 1:

So if your pup is not crate trained, then you would want to investigate some of the other options that we're going to talk about with best friends. So one of the things is that there of course are if your dog is barking excessively or something, disney will contact you and let you know you need to come back to the resort. But that's one of the like our dog we have now. She is a barker when we're at home, so we could not take her.

Speaker 2:

No.

Speaker 1:

Sadie would not do well.

Speaker 1:

But another thing that is important to note too is that when you are there for an extended period of time where you would get housekeeping, they will like kind of schedule it with you to make sure that you have a time where you'll have the dog out of the room to be able to come and service the room.

Speaker 1:

Now let's say you do bring your dog, maybe you're staying off property or you're at one of those pet friendly resorts, but your dog just couldn't stay home there's, couldn't stay in the room by itself. You also have best friends pet care, and we've not personally had experience, but our friends Ann and Ed they use it a lot and they've always had such great experiences there. They rave about the cast members. They always are showing us cute photos and things about their dog. It's a full-service pet resort and it's actually near Disney Springs and kind of that Port Orleans Saratoga Springs area, so it's not too far and actually we used to pass it all the time when we'd stay at Port Orleans. Now the nice thing is, essentially they have everything from like overnight stays.

Speaker 1:

So let's say you're not staying at a I was just petting her yeah, so one of the great things is that this is a full service resort, so you can do where you check them in for the whole day, or you can have where they stay overnight, and they have all kinds of. It's so cute to see the different suites they have. They have bedtime stories that you can have added on tuck-in service All kinds of great things. They even allow kitties and rabbits as well, so it's a great way for you to be able to have your pets cared for while you're at the park. Obviously, like, standard boarding is a lot different than the VIP suites. Vip suites come with TV time and bedtime cuddles, so all kinds of like little extras for your pet. And one of the things is, though, that you should book early. A lot of people I know that have used it said that it's just like anything else at Disney you got to be on, you got to book it when that timeframe comes, because obviously other people care about their pets and want their pets there too, so it's really important to make sure that you plan ahead. If you're going to use Best Friends Now, let's say you are not bringing your actual pet with you and you're like us, or maybe your pet is with you and you just want to spoil them a little bit.

Speaker 1:

There is lots of great shopping for pet lovers at Disney and there's a couple of specific shops. Obviously you're going to find things in the Emporium and some of the bigger shops all across property, but there are a couple that are just for pets things. So over at Disney Springs in the co-op area there is the Disney Tales Collection. They have lots of fun things. We've gotten bandanas and bowls and if you have a smaller pup, little outfits and stuff and then of course you can always get an amazing bandana from Abby beforehand. But that's a great place that's like just pet stuff. And then obviously you can check out all the other shops across property. You'll find a lot of different things. So it's really nice that Disney realizes that we all love our pets dearly.

Speaker 1:

And for those of you who maybe pets aren't your thing, just know that Disney has it set up where it's not going to interfere with your experiences. I know I've even read in some Disney groups people have allergies or different things. If you're checking into a resort you can request to not be near one of those buildings and you can ask for an allergy cleaning of your room, and Disney is always great at accommodating when people have any challenges or things that they might need to address. So just know that you're going to be in good hands, no matter what if you're bringing your pup or you're trying to avoid them, but lots of different things for you to be able to enjoy bringing your pet with you.

Speaker 1:

And I'm going to have to ask our friend Ann for a picture. She has a picture of her, one of her girls and when they were at Best Friends. So again, don't hesitate to take your dog or your cat with you. They will be well taken care of at Disney and, of course, you can share those memories with them and still enjoy your park time as well. So, before we get our call up with Abby Chris, we have a message from our friends Eric and Alexa.

Speaker 2:

Exactly If you're traveling with little ones. Give our friends Eric and Alexa Exactly. If you're traveling with little ones, give our friends at BabyQuip a call or, in this case, a link when planning your next Disney vacation with little ones. What's great about BabyQuip is that they're going to bring to you and your room new pieces of equipment, whether that be a stroller, a pack and play what's a pack and play Vanessa it's like those fold-up beds that you open up. Wow.

Speaker 1:

I never knew that it folds up into a rectangle kind of boxy thing.

Speaker 2:

So for many folks like us, we're traveling on a plane. A lot of this stuff is too cumbersome and too bulky to bring on a plane, and so, with that, take advantage of all the great things Baby Quip does. Eric and Alexa will take care of you, and their workers are wonderful. We've used them many times. What's nice is that we have been able to get Karis on the plane. She's good through the airport, but in terms of Disney a long day at Disney she cannot still really walk right now by herself. So what we've done is we've rented a stroller. Every time we've got something. It's been brand new, works wonderfully. You can navigate the park like a champ and with that, check our show notes to learn more about BabyQuip. And again, not only are we giving them a pitch, but we're users. We use their stuff. It's brand new and please make your life easier, and I can tell you right now, vanessa and I, we're packing for a big trip. It's stressful. Imagine, after all your bags, having to bring a stroller.

Speaker 1:

One more thing and we're using Baby Quip even at Disneyland.

Speaker 2:

Awesome.

Speaker 1:

So give us just a minute and we're going to get our show, our call up with Abby. We would like to welcome Abby back to the show. Her shop, polka Dot Paws by Abby, has been one of our. Really she was our first vendor guest way back in 2018. So I'm going to put a link in the show notes. She was a guest in November 2018 for episode five, so we are so happy to welcome Polka dot paws by abby back.

Speaker 1:

A little bit about her again. Some things have changed since we all last met. Um, she is a mom to a human child now, as she she puts it along to her fur child, obi and her shop. She is doing a lot of ready to ship items, but she does still do some custom items and, as you would guess from the name, she does a lot of really cute, awesome things for for dogs and we've actually gotten stuff for two different dogs from her over the years. So she's a full-time working mom and, of course, she loves to keep her love for Disney alive with with her shop. So we'd like to welcome Abby back to the show.

Speaker 3:

Hello guys Hi.

Speaker 1:

Well, we always like to start off with asking what is a favorite thing at a Disney park. So recently we've been asking people what is your favorite show at any of the Disney parks?

Speaker 3:

Okay, I think I'm gonna say World of color. Um, I remember watching world of color at dca um, I think the year that it opened, which I think was 2010 um, and I remember just being like blown away, like that was like nothing else I've ever watched. So that's always been like one of my favorites and like it. Just, it just still gives me the goosebumps every time, and then I just I have to have honorable mention. Is I really wish we had like a festival of the Lion King over here on the West Coast, cause that's probably my favorite from from Florida.

Speaker 1:

Oh, for sure, and we're actually going to Disneyland this weekend, so we're excited to show our daughter World of Color. She's not saw it yet, so we're excited so great. For sure Now, of course, we've heard about your business years ago, but we have a lot of new listeners, so we'd love to have you tell them about your business and what are the products you offer connected to Disney.

Speaker 3:

Okay, so I started this back in, I think, 2016. And I was just like making something. I think I was just at the fabric store and I saw like a cute Star Wars fabric and my dog is named Obi after Obi-Wan Kenobi and we're big Star Wars fans. So I bought it and I was like trying to think of what to do with it and I decided to make him a bandana. And I didn't really like having to like tie it around his neck, so I wanted to make a kind that you could like hang off of his collar.

Speaker 3:

So I sort of came up with my own pattern and, um worked on it for a while until it I felt like it was, um, you know, repeatable and consistent. And then I worked on, um, different sizes, um, and then that kind of just evolved over the years. But yeah, my, my main, my main item that I sell is is pet bandanas. It's a lot of dogs, but people also like them for their cats. In the smaller sizes it can work for a cat, any animal that wears a collar. Really, I have made some for bunnies in the past.

Speaker 1:

Um, yeah.

Speaker 3:

And then, um, I've expanded kind of over the years. I started making mouse ears for dogs. Um, those are really popular with, like, folks who have service dogs that take them to the parks, um, so I've got those. I've got a couple of other items now that are more like home focused. A couple of other items now that are more like home focused. Um, there's um like some decals that I made that look like the Disney park mailbox. Um, those are pretty popular, and a couple other things here and there, um, uh, like hair clips and um, uh, I I've I've made over the years some like, uh, dog bowl mats that you can put down under your, your pet's bowls, um, so, yeah, but but the the, um, the bandanas are kind of my main item and there is a pretty big variety, but it is, you know, for my own interest, mostly Disney-themed.

Speaker 2:

That's awesome, and I have two quick questions. The first one is how many times did it take you to perfect the pattern for your first bandana for your pup?

Speaker 3:

bandana for your pup. Um, I, you know I I don't know if I give you an exact number, but um, you know I I made this original one for him and it actually kind of had like pointed ends, so it was like a full triangle, and then I decided to sort of make like the ends be at a right angle, um, just feel a little cleaner. So I kind of like changed that. And then, um, my mom, my mom and my grandma actually are um, also, uh, seamstresses, so.

Speaker 3:

So I don't know what word we like to use, but um, so I learned a lot from them and my mom gave me some feedback on, like the early ones that I should, you know, turn the turn the seams twice so that, uh, there's um, you know, it doesn't start to unravel on the edges, and um, and then I kind of used her dog and some other larger dogs to test out like the larger sizes and come up with, like what are the know, what's a, what's a good, like um, variety of sizes, um, so I go extra small, small, medium, large, um, and then, you know, I also do offer sometimes to people um, like, if you have an extra large or a really really tiny dog I. I can customize the size. So I actually have a friend who well, an Instagram buddy who you know, we became friends through my business. She has a teeny, tiny, like two pound Yorkie. Oh wow Shout out to Simba if he's listening but yeah, he has a custom size and then I've also made really huge ones for, like people's big dogs.

Speaker 2:

So yeah, Now you mentioned all the awesome things you make. What is the one product that, when somebody orders, it really brings you joy to create?

Speaker 3:

Oh, that's a good question. I really like it's kind of a, it's kind of a two edged, double edged sword, because I really like it when someone asks me to you know kind of flex my creative muscle and make something really unique or really like detailed, sure, but then I also end up being like oh man, why did I make this so detailed? This is now taking me so much effort. Or or then someone else sees it and is like oh, can you make me one?

Speaker 1:

And it's like oh, that took me so many hours, but yeah, I'll make it again. Now that ties into our other question that we always like to know how your products offer that disney magic. So do you have some examples of some of those different things that you might have made?

Speaker 3:

um, so some uh, what comes to mind, and those ones that can be like really rewarding but also sometimes frustrating, is had folks request for me to make like a bandana that matches either like is is inspired by, like character costume at the parks or, like I made one that was based on, like the Mickey uh Mickey outfit that he wears on one of the cruise lines. And I've made bandanas that are modeled after a cast member costume that the person is either just like a fan of or folks who have a service dog that they take to work with them. I've made a number of those over the years for people who want their service dog to match their cast member costume. Oh nice, so those are always really fun. But yeah, it can be a challenge to try to source something that looks similar to the material of the costume or, you know, make something that matches that level of detail.

Speaker 2:

You know you mentioned all the awesome things you make. Where can people go online to find your product?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, so I sell on Etsy, um, under polka dot pause by Abby. I am also on Instagram, um, at polka dot pause by Abby. Um, you can, uh, and there's links there to to my Etsy shop, um, but, yeah, that's uh, that's the kind of the best places to find me online. Um, and and uh, uh, you guys kind of mentioned um at the top of the intro that, uh, I had a human child, um, so I'm I'm a little less involved in my shop than I was a few years ago, but, um, you know, I definitely try to keep that Um, I'm still open.

Speaker 3:

I switched to kind of selling a lot of ready to ship items. That way, you know, I can, I can turn that around as soon as you order it. Um, but if you go to my Instagram, you can also see, like, old things that I used to make and, uh, I'm happy to, you know, take a custom request from someone who, even if you might not see that in my shop anymore, if you just send me a message and say, hey, you know, can you make me this? You know XYZ character? Um, I'm happy to still still do that as time allows, um, and hopefully one day I'll be able to um, put more effort back into creating new items and stuff, but yeah, um, so definitely check out Instagram if you want to see things that you might not be able to see in the shop anymore now, what is your?

Speaker 1:

so let's say, our dog's birthday is coming up and we wanted to get her something. What's the typical turnaround time if I need to order something from your shop?

Speaker 3:

um, most stuff that is on my Etsy shop is ready to ship, so I get that into the mail. I think. I think it is within a week, but it's usually quicker than that because it's all ready to go. I just need to drop it off. So essentially like two weeks maximum, because you know, probably takes three to five days in the mail, um, but and then if you, if you want to request something more, uh, custom, probably two to three weeks um to make it and then shipping time.

Speaker 1:

So so about about three weeks now, if you had to pick your favorite item in your shop right now, what is that?

Speaker 3:

oh, that's a good question. Um, I don't know, I really um, I have um just a variety of of of random stuff in there. I'm trying to think what. What would be my favorite right now?

Speaker 1:

um that's okay, I don't know.

Speaker 3:

I don't know, maybe the um. Well, I really do like the um. I I've made this. Uh, this is actually not a pet item, but it's something that's been really popular lately is the mailbox decal. It's like a stick-on thing that you can put on like a box or you know whatever you want to stick it on with. It says Disneyland or Disney World mailbox and it looks like those green mailboxes that you see on Main Street. And there was an item that I put mine on that was from Ikea, which Ikea stopped making, but um, you can sometimes find them or something similar online and um kind of just brings that like little, that little main street touch to your, to your home. You feel like you're walking down main street and you know I I keep like my mail in it, my like incoming mail, my bills and stuff.

Speaker 1:

So, yeah, well, we will make sure to put the links, of course, to all of your socials and to your shop in the show notes and also a throwback to our first episode together. But thank you so much for joining us again, abby.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, thanks for having me. I hope you guys have fun at Disneyland this weekend. I'm very jealous.

Speaker 1:

Thank you so much. We are excited it's been a few years since we've been there, so thanks so much for being with us.

Speaker 2:

Thank you again to Abby for joining us today.

Speaker 1:

And now we are on to our two-minute trivia and our wisdom. From Walt quote and Chris, you're up with trivia. Mickey and Minnie have a pet. What's the name of that pet, pluto.

Speaker 2:

Trivia Mickey and Minnie have a pet. What's the name of that pet? Pluto. Donald Duck has a pet. What is the name of his pet?

Speaker 1:

Can you tell me what kind of pet it is?

Speaker 2:

It's a St.

Speaker 1:

Bernard, I have absolutely.

Speaker 2:

It's probably something weird like Rufus or something.

Speaker 1:

It's actually named after a Spanish liberator.

Speaker 2:

That doesn't help me at all. Bolivar the Saint Bernard.

Speaker 1:

Oh wow, I'm going to have to look up and see a picture of him.

Speaker 2:

He first appeared in 1936, and I don't know how many times. You probably kind of one finger the number of times Bolivar has shown up outside of that.

Speaker 1:

Well, that goes to show we heard trivia a while ago that Donald Duck has the most number of shows made after him more than Mickey. So that makes sense that he would have a dog too. All right, so let's round out. We're talking about pets, we're talking about animals, so I thought this was a great quote from Walt. Animals have personalities like people, and must be studied, isn't that true? We never know what they're thinking.

Speaker 2:

We, sure don't.

Speaker 1:

So thank you so much for joining us on this episode of the Diz Love podcast. Don't forget to check out our other episodes on Buzzsprout and to follow us on social media. Again, I'm Vanessa.

Speaker 2:

And I'm Vanessa and I'm Chris. This podcast is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company or its holdings, and it is intended for entertainment purposes only.