Dog Friendly Places from admin's blog

So you’ve met at a dog park and you’ve made a connection. You’ve walked around in circles chatting as your dog’s play. Where do you go from here? Literally.

Well, in many towns and cities there are now lots of dog friendly choices to explore, everything from restaurants and bars to huge retail stores. I’m not sure I’d want to take my Samoyed clothes shopping (she can shed a lot of fluffy fur and she has too little patience) but she does behave very well at outdoor restaurants and pubs. Like most dogs, she loves the treats and the attention.

Many restaurants, pubs and coffee shops in North America have outdoor patios where dogs are welcome, some even allow dogs indoors. Many large chains with nation-wide locations such as Applebee’s, Olive Garden, Johnny Rockets and Shake Shack have locations that are dog-friendly, and many smaller local businesses have enlightened dog-friendly policies too. Check your local directories for suitable venues in your town.

Here are a few examples of the many restaurants and pubs that are dog-friendly:

1. Barnaby’s Cafe, Houston
2. Katy Trail Ice House, Dallas
3. The Regal Beagle, San Diego, CA
4. Visit W3Schools.com!
5. The Cove, San Antonio, Tex.
6. Barking Dog Luncheonette, New York, NY
7. OHSO Eatery + Nano Brewery, Phoenix, AZ
8. Sail Pavilion on the Riverwalk, Tampa, FL
9. Denver Beer Company, Denver, Colorado

1. Applebee’s (some with patios)
2. Olive Garden (some with patios)
3. Shake Shack
4. Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar
5. Sonic Drive-In
6. Johnny Rockets (some)

Shopping can be a low pressure environment for getting to know your new-found human friend, too. A surprising number of large and small retail stores allow you to shop with your well-behaved canine companions. You can shop for home improvement products like doggy doors at Lowe’s, buy your dog a birthday card at Hallmark or even purchase books on dog training at Barnes and Noble.

A very wide variety of stores allow you to take your canine companion shopping. Pet supply stores are a natural choice and usually come complete with dog treats. If your pup is anything like mine, just avoid the groomer’s corner. Sophie tolerates being groomed for awhile but it is definitely not her favourite activity!

Here is a very incomplete list of nation-wide retail stores that can be dog-friendly environments. As you can see, the are many shopping options. It is a good idea to check with your local store before arriving with your dog, just to be sure.

1. Hallmark
2. Half-Price Books
3. Barnes and Noble
4. Lush Cosmetics
5. Gander Mountain
6. Bass Pro Shops
7. Academy
8. Abercrombie & Fitch
9. Michael’s
10. Macy’s
11. Pottery Barn
12. Gap
13. Bloomingdale’s
14. Anthropologie
15. Footlocker
16. Nordstrom
17. The Apple Store
18. Old Navy