Dog-Friendly Austin (Mesquite, Spring, Riverside: home, neighborhood, buy)

[brattpowered]

I'll be entertaining a friend with a dog this coming weekend, and he would like to take the dog along with us around town. Are there any cool activities/shops/eateries that are dog friendly that you can suggest?

[Rae']

A few...
-there's several dog parks in town, one I know for sure is at Riverside and I35 (southwest corner) where dogs can socialize w/other dogs w/out a leash
-if it's still warm...the dog pool off of Barton Springs is a popular hangout for dogs who like to swim, also of course auditorium shores on town lake
-Posse East at San Jacinto and Duval north of UT is a sports bar w/ pretty tasty food that I've seen leashed dogs accompany their owners to

[twange]

Originally Posted by brattpowered

I'll be entertaining a friend with a dog this coming weekend, and he would like to take the dog along with us around town. Are there any cool activities/shops/eateries that are dog friendly that you can suggest?

I'll just list a few places in my neighborhood that always have dogs:

Bouldin Creek Coffeehouse Home Page

Torchy's Tacos FTW!
(a taco stand with a great outdoor seating area with a fire pit, basketball hoop and great tacos)

main3 (freddies place)
(another really nice outdoor space - beautiful large oaks)

Most of the places around South Congress are dog friendly. Good people watching, walking and shopping.

The area of Town Lake just west of S 1st is an off-leash area. Not for every dog, but owners seem to like it.

Any of the trails and Greenbelts.

Have fun and watch out for pitbulls...there's like a million of them here.

[stomp48603]

There is nothing wrong with pitbulls, I happen to have a well socialized pitbull that is a doll. She has never shown even the slightest sign of aggression to another dog including my seven pound Jack Russell (her best friend). The general comment of "watch out for pitbulls" is just wrong. What you should have said and most likey meant was watch out for irresponsible pitbull owners. As far as dog parks the one that I have found to be the most fun for myself and my dogs is off of 360 on lakewood.

[fil]

During the day: City of Austin - Parks and Recreation Department: Dog Parks
Check out Bull Creek District Park or Red Bud Isle.

We're fans of Norwood Estate (IH35 at Riverside Drive mentioned above), but it's standard fare in many states. Bull Creek District Park or Red Bud Isle are something different if the dog is well-behaved and does not run off. They are funs parks!

At night...rent a crate and go out.

[Lumerian Feast]

Bull Creek, as fil points out, is great. Scenic, a nice place to hang out. Also, Emma Long Metro Park has nice trails and is off-leash, as is Auditorium Shores, the section of Zilker Park downtown where dogs can romp and swim and socialize. No trails or anything at Zilker: just a bunch of fields and the river. But there's a nice view of downtown across the river, and it's convenient to lots of things. My dog loves all three of these places. The cool thing about Auditorium Shores is that you're very close to Green Mesquite BBQ (very good BBQ, I think) as well as the downtown Whole Foods (which isn't just a grocery store -- it has a ton of food stands), both of which allow you to eat with your leashed dogs on the patio outside. At Green Mesquite you can sit at the table with your dogs and order, but at Whole Foods someone will have to wait outside with the dogs while you go inside and buy your food.

A great website to check out is Dogfriendly. Just select the state you're visiting from the drop-down menu, then the city, and it will give you dog-friendly info.

[Phisch]

I just came across this list of Austin's dog-friendly restaurants:

Austin Pet Directory

[Cowboy74]

Definitely appreciate all the notes on places to take the pooch. I was wondering if there were some recommendations for a dog trainers in the area. My dog is great with other animals and people, but is the overly excited type that really wants to meet everyone and thing (to include, grasshoppers, grass clippings flying in the air, crickets...well anything that moves) and I would like to be able to take her to parks and lakes and such without a leash, and not worry about scarying persons, dogs, or wondering if she will ever come back...

Thanks again

[skynard72]

I too, have a wonderful pit bull mix. I would also kindly suggest keeping a more open mind and not perpetuating the negative stereotypes about them. But curious, for the person who did post the warning, have you or your dog personally had a negative experience?

[pi168]

Originally Posted by brattpowered

I'll be entertaining a friend with a dog this coming weekend, and he would like to take the dog along with us around town. Are there any cool activities/shops/eateries that are dog friendly that you can suggest?

Marias Tacos on sunday morning!

Posh Pets dogsalon

if it is unseasonably warm the dog part of Barton Springs