Best Dog Friendly Towns Where Pets are Welcome

Long Beach, San Diego, Seattle, Portland, Boston, NYC, Frisco & More

Sep 25, 2009

Here are the best dog friendly cities where pets are welcomed. See California beach towns, Portland, Seattle, Colorado, Albuquerque, Chicago, NYC, Boston, DC, & more.

According to recent studies, the best dog friendly towns, where pets are welcome include: Carmel, Long Beach, San Diego, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Colorado Springs, Albuquerque, Austin, Houston, Tucson, Chicago, Ann Arbor, New York City, Boston, Orlando, Washington DC, and Charleston.

Dog Friendly

What are the best cities for dogs? Several surveys have come up with similar, but not identical, lists over the last two years. Most dog friendly towns are in the West, but not all.

Carmel by the Sea

Carmel California's Cypress Inn is believed to have pioneered the pet-friendly hotel experience. Carmel City Beach and Carmel River State Beach are both dog friendly. Lots of local shops allow pets, some restaurants have special doggie menus, and Carmel put up the first official dog drinking fountain, called, “The Fountain of Woof”. Read more about Dogs in Carmel.

Long Beach California

Long Beach has an Interfaith Blessing of the Animals, where pets can be blessed by Catholic Deacons, reverends, and other clergy, including high priestesses. They have celebrations with dog beauty pageants, costume contests, parades, and other funsville activities. Long Beach has a 3-acre beach access area. See Hautedogs.org for info.

San Diego Dogs

San Diego has lots of local off-leash parks. The best ones are: Dog Beach (Ocean Beach), Fiesta Island (with sand dunes), Nate’s Point in Balboa Park, and Dog Beach (Coronado). Many restaurants, like Kemo Sabe, let pooches stay at the outdoor tables.

San Francisco Dog

San Francisco - Frisco - has Fort Funston, a dog park with amazing views. There are tons of restaurants with outdoor pup-friendly areas.

Portland Oregon

Portland is a laid back, hippie-style city with lots of doggy dos, doggie playgrounds, and dog-friendly restaurants and brewpubs. See PortlandPooch.com.

Seattle Dogs

Seattle WA has more dogs than kids. They have hound friendly restaurants and great Seattle dog parks, including Magnuson Park and Marymoor Park. See SeattleDogMagazine.com or read about a few of Seattle’s cool dog places.

Colorado Springs Colorado

Colorado Springs, Colorado has lots of sunny days and open spaces for dog hikes. Check out Red Rock Canyon and Bear Creek Dog Park. See SpringsGov.com or PetProject.org.

Albuquerque, NM: Dogs are welcomed at many outdoor eateries. See AbqDog.com for restaurants and dog parks.

Austin Puppies

Check out Austin's dog parties, outdoor dining areas at places like Zax, and dog parks at RomanReign.com for more info. (Just click around. Everything is hidden, but it’s there.)

Houston Texas

Wow. What a surprise: they have a “Dog Day” to see the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park, in a section called the BarkZone! Read more at HoustonDogPark.org.

Tucson Dogs

Tucson pups are allowed at the outdoor section of the Pima Air and Space Museum, Canada del Oro Riverfront Park, while on leash. Find dog parks at ci.tucson.az.us and learn about Bentley at BentleyTheDog.com.

Dogs in Chicago

Chicago has lots of dog parks and outdoor eating spots where dogs are very welcome. See ChicagoDogPads.com for lists and click on “Dog Saving Network” to find a video about saving shelter dogs and pound puppies.

Ann Arbor Michigan

Check out the local parks, like Swift Run Dog Park (permit required), and the local dog community of Ann Arbor at AnnArborDog.com.

New York Dogs

Find loads of information on New York City pet events, like benefits for Broadway Barks, and other resources to help dog owners (financial, too), at fabulous AnimalAllianceNYC.org.

Boston Puppy

Try some community organizing at BostonDog.org, “Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Leash,” where dog owners can join the forum to ask questions about good Boston dog spots in the area, including a place with vegan dog ice cream. Wow. Bow wow.

Orlando Dog

Orlando Florida has Barnett Dog Park and other parks in the area. See OrlandoDogParks.com for their informative blog or try meetup.com for the Orlando Small Dogs and Puppy Meetup Group.

Washington DC Pet Friendly

Find where the Washington DC/Alexandria dog-friendly happy hours are at MetroPets.org. There are cool places with doggie menus. Woof.

Charleston South Carolina

Find dog parks, dog events, like Yappy Hour, and dog-friendly restaurants like Bubba Gump, in and around Charleston South Carolina at BringFido.com

These are great places to take the pup on vacation and all of the cities, especially in the west, are truly exceptional places for puppies to live and run free.

The copyright of the article Best Dog Friendly Towns Where Pets are Welcome in Dogs is owned by Christina Gregoire. Permission to republish Best Dog Friendly Towns Where Pets are Welcome in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.