Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Dise... as in "paraDISE"

Yesterday, I made my way over to the Cobblestone Autospa in Scottsdale to get my long overdue wash and oil change (hey, 3,000 miles comes up fast when you work out of your car). Though I did not have my furry companion in tow, while I was there I had this thought: what would you do if you went to use the car wash and you had your dog with you? Well, I asked the cashier that very question and also if dogs where allowed in the store (especially when it is this HOT). The friendly (yet slightly dazed) employee said it was no problem, and gave me a look like it was a dumb question. GREAT! We can add another venue to our list! Not that everyone will rush out to the car wash with their dogs... it's not the ideal destination. The excitement is just not there.

As I turn the corner to walk out onto the well misted viewing patio, to my surprise I almost step on a little French Bulldog! It tries to jump up and starts licking my legs. SO CUTE, with his little smushed nose! ... Ahem... I see this as a research opportunity and strike up a conversation with his young, urban looking owner. I ask him the classic dog questions like how old is he (the dog, not him), what's his name (again, the dog)... blah, blah, blah. The owner mentions that he never gets a chance to take his dog out of the house and that he needs to get more exposure. Oh, really? The sly person I am, I mentioned that I am always looking for places to take my dog, especially restaurants. He gave me a surprised look and said "really?". Okay, I'm not that crazy, right? There are others like me out there! Anyways, I go on further to say I am more specifically looking for outdoor patios at restaurants that allow dogs. He goes on to tell me that he knows Dos Gringos has a dog-friendly patio (see, was it that hard). This is great, you never really know who you will run into and strike up a conversation with! Dos Gringos is officially on my list of places for Whiskey and I to try... and hopefully not get kicked out.

As my car was up, sparkling clean, and workers yelled "READY!", I jumped out of my chair and pet the bulldog on the head, "it was nice to meet you Dise, see you around."

(actual picture not Dise, but sure looks like him)

Monday, August 27, 2007

First mission... Restaurants

Whiskey and I are on the lookout for places where we can go together. Most importantly, restaurants that allow (well behaved) dogs on their patio/outdoor dinning. As you must know, Starbucks is the first place that comes to mind when thinking of venues that are universally dog-friendly. You can sit there drinking your vanilla latte, reading a good book with your mutt at your side and no one thinks twice. But must we succumb to only coffee drinking with our furry friends? There has to be more out there...