by Penny Roethle

"He's what makes this place special. Just wait until you meet him." The PR rep for Steinhatchee Landing smiled at me on the one-and-a-half hour drive from the Tallahassee airport to the tiny fishing village of Steinhatchee (steen-hatch-ee) southeast of Tallahassee.

She was talking about the brains behind the 35-acre resort, the man with the soft Southern drawl, clear blue eyes and shock of white hair.

Dean Fowler's love for the Landing and his dream of a perfect getaway destination is apparent in the way he proudly surveys and talks about his creation, a vacation spot reminiscent of a 1920's community. It's complete with a chapel, garden, a gazebo, a small petting zoo with a few ducks and tiny, stumpy goats, and 40 Victorian and Florida cracker-style cottages.

Fowler said he was inspired by the 1980s movie Cross Creek, set in the wild, serene beauty of Florida's bayous. His wife Loretta thought he was crazy. "He told me, there's no place for women and families to come and I said, who says they'd want to?" Loretta smiled and shook her head. It's now a haven for families, couples, former president Jimmy Carter and his wife (who have visited twice) and your family pets.

The Landing, which is proud to call itself pet-friendly, has several cabins where visitors are allowed to have their good-natured dogs and cats with vacation with them. Pets under 28 pounds are welcome, and the 9 cottages open to pets have less-breakable décor and furniture that's nice but that you aren't afraid to let Fluffy loose around. There is a , however, $100 refundable housekeeping deposit upon check-in. If Fido obeys orders and doesn't chew the porch railing, your money is returned.

Visiting pets owe great thanks to the Fowler's Maltese Justin, who prompted Dean to welcome animals to enjoy the Steinhatchee with their families and could be the brain behind the doggy gift baskets I saw for sale at the front office.

The Landing's big draw is the river and the activities that it affords. There's canoeing (Justin the Maltese came along for a ride), pontoon boating, fishing and scalloping for the more adventurous, and also a beautiful view of the river from the swimming pool for those more inclined to do less. Pets are welcome to swim in the river and but the Steinhatchee asks you to remember that pools are bad for dogs and dogs are bad for pools.

Steinhatchee may sound like an outdoor paradise heaven for pets but it also caters the needs of their human companions. (CONTINUE...)