Guest blogger: www.DogsintheCLE.com

First of all, I want to thank Amanda for letting me guest post on her blog. As a blogging newbie I am excited to be featured on her blog – one of my favorites to read to find out what’s going on the CLE.

One of the reasons I started blogging about dog-friendly places in Cleveland was to find more places I could take my dog. Before I got a dog I had no idea the guilt that I would feel leaving him for long periods of time. Lucky for me I have discovered there’s enough dog-friendly places in Cleveland that it’s possible to spend your day with your dog and still get out and enjoy the city.

Cleveland parks are among the most dog-friendly in Ohio, bars and patios spread across the city welcome dogs, and tons of local businesses cater to the dog-loving crowd. Here’s my rundown of how to spend a day with your dog from sunrise to sunset and still get everything you need to do accomplished:

Pomerian-about-town Hunter and his buddy Sampson enjoy brunch at Luxe

BREAKFAST/BRUNCH

Any weekend or day off should start with brunch, at least in my opinion. There are lots of great patios to take your dog, but for an everyday dog-friendly brunch, you can’t do better than Lucky’s. This is one of my favorite brunch spots in Cleveland, and the casual patio is great for hanging out with your dog. It does get crowded on weekends, so your best bet is to go early or on a weekday. If you’re spending the day with your dog on a Sunday, Luxe and Rocky River Wine Bar, two of the best patios on the west side, also hold dog-friendly brunches.

SHOPPING

Have some shopping to do but don’t want to leave your dog at home? Bring a friend along and hit up Crocker Park with your dog. The outdoor shopping complex welcomes dogs, providing a “Fido Station” with bags to clean up after your dog. Although I’ve heard that you can bring your dog into some stores if they’re in a bag or carrier, if you do plan to do more than window shop, you may want to bring a friend to hang out with your dog. There are a lot of outside seating areas to hang out, and Aladdin’s and Chipotle will allow you to eat on their patios with your dog.

If you need to get some grocery shopping done, you can make a stop at one of the local farmer’s markets with your dog. The Downtown Farmers Market in Public Square, Gordon Square Farmers’ Market and Tremont Farmers’ Market are all dog friendly. Tremont Farmers’ Market, held on Tuesdays, also hosts many dog-related vendors and holds a Dog Daze of Summer event featuring speakers and dog demos.

Crocker Park makes it easy for shopping dog-owners to pick up after their pup

EXERCISE

Hate to leave your dog at home when you go to the gym? Thank Dog Bootcamp is a dog-friendly workout option held on Wednesday and Thursday evenings and Saturday and Sunday mornings either at South Chagrin Reservation or Beachwood City Park. In the winter months, they move indoors. My dog and I tried this recently and loved it! It was great to be able to work out with my dog. The boot camp also focuses on dog obedience, so it’s a great way to work on training your dog as well.

DINNER

On the west side some of my favorite dog friendly dining spots are Nano Brew in Ohio City and Clifton Martini and Wine Bar in Lakewood. Not only is the food delicious at both places, but the patios are large enough to feel comfortable hanging out with your dog while you eat. For a list of dog friendly patios check out: http://www.dogsinthecle.com/#!patios-bars/c1c2t

Disclaimer: Since I live on the west side, this dog day is very west-side focused. But don’t worry, if you’re an eastsider there’s still plenty of dog-friendly things to do. Some of the best spots for eastsiders to spend the day with their dog – Holden Arboretum, Fairport Harbor for swimming and Legacy Village for shopping.

Ann McDonald blogs at www.dogsinthecle.com. At the age of 14 she was finally successful in convincing her parents to get a dog (a crazy beagle named Daisy) and it’s been a love affair ever since. When she’s not checking out dog-friendly spots with her curious and social Pomeranian, Hunter, she can be found planning trips she can’t afford and thinking about what she is going to eat next.