best "dog friendly" state (labs, training, children, paws)

[phonelady61]

I guess I will have to ask in regards to what ? In regards to pet rents stay away from florida they are ridicously high with their pet fees for apts that claim they are pet friendly is a bunch of hooey !!! and there are very few beaches you can take your dog on in the state of florida . I would say the friendliest state I was in for pet fees was Ohio . i rented a house for 500 a month and and 200 dollar pet fee and that was it . this was in a ritzy section too . Go figure some people really want to rent their places other folks dont . Oh well that is my take on it .

[ShelbyGirl1]

In my experience, Ca. hands down! Parks and dog friendly beaches, to store owners putting out water and "snacks" and restaurants that cater to them as well.

[ablau]

I will agree that certain parts of CA are dog-friendly. SF is definitely one of those. They even have a bar you can bring your dog into!

I feel like where I live (suburb bordering LA/OC) isn't great; there are dog parks and stuff, but a lot of my neighbors are the "get a dog and leave it in the backyard all the time for protection" kind, so that's really frustrating as a responsible dog owner.

My best friend lives in Denver and she says that her area is incredibly dog-friendly too.

[MAK802]

I just finished reading, "One Nation Under Dog," and San Diego was voted the #1 most pet friendly city. I must say, I agree! We have plenty of dog parks, several dog beaches, lots of canyons for hiking, where you dog can be off leash, Yappy Hours at many different restaurants, many restaurants allow your dogs on the outdoor patio and even offer a canine menu, and people treat dogs like family members and not just pets that are left home all day. We have surfing contests for dogs, kayaking events for dogs and their owners and our malls are dog friendly. I love SD and would never want to raise my dog in any other city!

[ablau]

Originally Posted by MAK802

I just finished reading, "One Nation Under Dog," and San Diego was voted the #1 most pet friendly city. I must say, I agree! We have plenty of dog parks, several dog beaches, lots of canyons for hiking, where you dog can be off leash, Yappy Hours at many different restaurants, many restaurants allow your dogs on the outdoor patio and even offer a canine menu, and people treat dogs like family members and not just pets that are left home all day. We have surfing contests for dogs, kayaking events for dogs and their owners and our malls are dog friendly. I love SD and would never want to raise my dog in any other city!

That sounds amazing! Can you give me some of the restaurants that have canine menus? (Maybe in a direct message so we keep the thread tidy.) SD is only about a two hour drive for me, and I think it might be worth it to bring Sven down for a nice meal!

[Aptor hours]

I loved that book! I read it in about two days and just couldn't put it down I totally fit the description

[Wicked Felina]

I don't know how accurate this is, but the list is from 2009 - most dog-friendly cities in the US with population of over one million.

San Francisco is #1 and Portland, Oregon is #5 (). I don't know...San Diego sounds pretty impressive with the surfing and kayaking contests! Sounds like California is pretty high on the list for states, too.

DogFriendly.com’s 2009 Top 10 U.S. Cities to Visit With Your Dog « DogFriendly.com’s Dog News

[MAK802]

In the book, he mentions all the issues San Francisco dog owners had with the city and not being able to take dogs to parks/beaches. Apparently, there were tons of protests because it was pretty much discouraged to own dogs there, so maybe that's why they're not #1 in the book.

[JetJockey]

Originally Posted by bgmv90

I'm surprised that more people haven't said anything. So, I guess CA is what is the most? I'm not sure if I can move to CA. Earthquakes, crowded, wild fires. Sounds extreme. Something to think about though. Thanks.

Not all of California is LA and San Francisco I live on the central coast and it's not all that crowded (lots of farmland, plus the beaches!) The wildfires are over-hyped by the media, as are the earthquakes. Yes, we have wildfires, but for some reason people choose to live in known paths of fires... As for earthquakes, we haven't had a big one in a VERY long time and you do get used to them. They aren't as scary as everyone makes them out to be.

CA is extremely dog friendly! There are lots of restaurants that we go to with our dogs and they get their own water bowls and treats A ridiculous amount of hiking trails and lots of dog parks. In many places they don't mind if you bring your dog inside shops because they're definitely considered part of the family.

[livesintriangle]

I want to put in a plug for North Carolina. There are a lot of great dog parks, and lots of hiking trails where dogs are allowed (on leash). You can take your dog to Ft. Fisher for ocean swimming, and many dog friendly apartments. Lots of pet fees at those though. Plus four seasons and last winter we had just enough snow (two days) for dogs to have fun in it without it paralyzing the whole state.

Our tick problem is serious, though.