Dog-Friendliest City

I live in Pittsburgh. Here it all kind of depends on your neighborhood. The neighborhoods that surround our main park are very dog-friendly. On my block the houses that have dogs outnumber those that don't. Dogs are allowed on the patios of restaurants and there are a few non-food stores that welcome dogs. Seeing dogs tied out waiting for their owners to get a cup of coffee is a very common sight. We have a large dog park as well and several informal (officially illegal) off-leash areas. When I walk my dogs in the morning, we pass by dozens of other people doing the same.

We're looking for a new house right now and one of my major stipulations is that it be in this area because there are many less-dog-friendly neighborhoods of the city and I want to stay on the doggy side of things.

Hi neighbor, kinda!  At least we're in the same county. )  Are you familiar with Kutztown?  There's a cool little shop that opened up.  It's called "The Bark on Main".  I've never been to Godfrey's but I'd love to go.  I'm starting to talk to people in K-town about getting a bark park going.

Nantucket.

Key West, for sure!  Dogs are welcome pretty much everywhere...very few instances where a dog would not be welcome.  When hubby & I visited with Willow, the restaurants were calling us in off of the sidewalk...just short of literally grabbing our arms and dragging us in.  They also a have a local dog beach which is nice.  We've lived in Florida and have been to many pet-friendly destinations but Key West beats them all.

Kutztown, yes, I'm in Bernville, so that's not very far at all.  Bark on Main huh? I'll have to check it out.

this is the info for Godfrey's
Godfrey's
Phone: 610.777.5755
Toll Free Phone: 877-436-4366 (877-4-DOGDOM)
Fax: 610.777.5525
Email: [email=info@godfreysdogdom.com]info@godfreysdogdom.com[/email]
Address: 4267 New Holland Road, Mohnton PA 19540
Hours: Tues.-Fri. 10-6 Sat. 10-4 Sun. 11-4 Closed Mon.
 
Well, it sounds like Pennsylvania is doing better than I thought.  I'm glad to hear someone is looking for a dog friendly area to settle down.  We at least have a real nice backyard.  Maybe I'll just have to invite friends over for Gizmo when the weather gets nicer.

ORIGINAL: spiritdogs

Nantucket.

 
We went to The Bark on Main today.  Kim was very nice, extremely helpful.  We went overboard with Gifts for Gizmo.  We got him a hat (which of course they are embrodering for us), Sneakers, a jacket and tons of little baked doggie goodies.  Thank you so much for the referral.  Kim was even taking photos of Gizmo all dressed up.  She was impressed on how much he enjoyed wearing sneakers.  We will definitely continue visiting!!  I hope they do get a dog park, that would be wonderful!

Ok, apparently I don't know how to quote...sorry

i have to say:  i think even dog friendly cities are a little less friendly to bullies[:'(].  i can list an UNfriendly city for sure:  denver (and a lot of CO).  i don't care how friendly they are to other dogs, they have rampant BSL.  i got outta there as fast as i could...
 
so far, dallas has been pretty cool.  everywhere i've walked the dogs, someone is sweet to them.  of course, there are plenty who cross the street as well.. but today, a guy came hollering after us, "miss!  miss!"  and it turned out he owns a dog boutique called "petrolpolitan".  they have a myspace page, if you want to check them out.  he was SUPER sweet to my *kids*, so i give this place a thumbs up.  plus, i've seen a lot of dogs on patios and everywhere i go someone is walking something.  "bark park central" is one of the NICEST dog parks i've ever seen. 
 
my mom says that amsterdam is the most dog friendly city she's ever seen...

ORIGINAL: DoggyMoments

We went to The Bark on Main today.  Kim was very nice, extremely helpful.  We went overboard with Gifts for Gizmo.  We got him a hat (which of course they are embroidering for us), Sneakers, a jacket and tons of little baked doggie goodies.  Thank you so much for the referral.  Kim was even taking photos of Gizmo all dressed up.  She was impressed on how much he enjoyed wearing sneakers.  We will definitely continue visiting!!  I hope they do get a dog park, that would be wonderful!

 
Oh too cool!!!!  So you see why I *love* that store.  Kim is so sweet.  She was even really nice when *ahem* Grady decided to mark one of her decorations.  I was mortified.  I know my dog well enough to know that he wasn't the first to mark the spot but even sooooo.  I'm dying over some of her "shearling" jackets.  Grady would look awesome in one but I'm not spending that kind of money on one.  Which cookies did you get?  Grady loves the molasses ones.

A lot of Florida is extremely dog UN-friendly.  The Gainesville area is (because of the vet school) -- but the Orlando/Daytona area has become horrible.  At this point you can't even have your pet with you at an open-air cafe!!  Florida is a "clean air act" state so the smokers want to be able to sit outside but now they say dogs can't be there.  It's grown into a huge flap here in Orlando/Daytona -- it used to be you could have your dog at any restaurant that had outside seating, and our dogs are extremely well-mannered.  But I've had restaurant owners refuse to let us sit there because they are terrified someone will complain. 
 
It's actually a state law in Florida that dogs aren't allowed on the beaches (and the whole dange state IS a beach 7/8 of the way around it!) -- there are a few who deliberately violate that simply by turning a blind eye to it, but not for the most part.
 
A lot of it is due to the deliberate urbanization -- these manufactured cities (like Celebration and The Villages) where they have just built housing and called it a "city" where there was none before.  Because it's all to "pre-manufactured" and everything is built to "look" a certain way and be all pristine and posh all the time -- they don't want a problem with people wanting to build a fence that might be considered "different looking" or out of character with the pre-conceived/pre-planned character they have marketed.  Every house looks the same, every yard (including the color of your drapes and the color you are allowed to paint your porch) is all pre-determined and you answer to your homeowners association.  There are a lot of these communities where you can't even own a dog -- particularly if it has anything to do with manufactured housing. 
 
 I've worked for a law firm who does a lot of "city law" and the deliberate "plan" is to build in a dog park when you do the city ordinances so you can literally make it so people can't walk their dog on a city street.  "Give them a dog park so they can keep their filthy animal away from everyone else." (and that was a quote by one of the attorneys I worked for who felt that was the best way to avoid "the problem" in areas where they couldn't actually make it illegal for someone to have a dog).
 
It's sounds like something out of a bad novel, but I see it all the time here. 

ORIGINAL: calliecritturs

A lot of Florida is extremely dog UN-friendly. 

Hi calliecritturs: In the 12 recent years that we - hubby, me, & doggys - lived in Florida, we have found the opposite to be true for the most part.  Aside from Key West (as mentioned above), areas that are very pet-friendly are the Clearwater/Dunedin/Palm Harbor/Ozona/Tarpon Springs/Tampa and surrounding areas, as well as, Saint Augustine/Jacksonville and surrounding areas.  These are the two coastal areas that we have lived and have direct experience with.
 

ORIGINAL: calliecritturs
 
It's actually a state law in Florida that dogs aren't allowed on the beaches (and the whole dange state IS a beach 7/8 of the way around it!) -- there are a few who deliberately violate that simply by turning a blind eye to it, but not for the most part. 

We've never heard of this law...but, honestly, that really doesn't mean a whole lot.  Again, in our experience, all of the many large & small beaches we've been to allow dogs but they must be leashed (in some areas 6' only and no retractables).  There are always county/state posted signs stating the rules.  Doesn't seem to me like they are turning a blind eye...that is kind of blatant, you know what I mean?  Is it a general law, with it also being left up to the discretion of each city/town/county?  With you being in the law business, do you have a link to the specific statute regarding this law?  Yes, I can always do a search myself...laziness, lol. []
 
It is shame, if what you say is true regarding the Orlando area. [:'(]  I am familiar with the communities you speak of.
 
If you look at the rules here in NH, regarding dogs being allowed into state parks, they say "not allowed."  I believe it is posted on their website, as well as, published printed material.  But still there are some that DO, with park-posted signs saying it is okay under leash (or voice control).

Depending on the neighborhood, Chicagos pretty nice!

Well my husband and I are now talking about planning a trip in April to fly down with Gizmo to Florida.  We will be visiting my In-Laws live in the Ft. Meyers area.  I certainly hope this is dog friendly.  Can anyone confirm or make recommendations.  After hearing how dog friendly FL was we decided it would be great to have him with us and see what dog friendly life was like.  Now I'm hearing a different side to things.  Help.  If anyone knows great things to do with dogs in the Ft Meyers area please fill us in.  I would hate to go down there and find that we can't share a family vacation. 

ORIGINAL: DoggyMoments

...We will be visiting my In-Laws live in the Ft. Meyers area.  I certainly hope this is dog friendly.  Can anyone confirm or make recommendations. 

You might check with your in-laws, the chamber of commerce, or even a local pet gift boutique or supply shop.  Sometimes the small pet supply shops or boutiques will have the low-down on where to go, where to stay, dog parks, and where to eat, etc that's pet-friendly.
 
We've visited the Ft. Meyers area a few times but that was prior to having our dogs.