Pet-Friendly Neighborhood Design
If you have dogs, you probably appreciate amenities like sidewalks, nature trails, and parks. Our goals as pet advocates align well with the goals of many pedestrian and bicycling groups, and with the goals of urban planners who promote walkable neighborhood designs. You can support these efforts by joining or following these types of groups. For example, if you use Twitter, you can search the term "walkable" to find advocacy groups in your city. And please follow us, too!
Animal-Friendly Services and Policies
Does your community support animal welfare? Is there an Animal Services department, and if so, how well does it respond to calls about wildlife or stray animal crises? Are pets included in your area's disaster response plans and allowed at emergency shelter facilities? Are there rescue groups in your area, and do they have enough resources and volunteers to handle your community's needs? If you don't know the answer to these questions but you care about animals, you should do a little investigating. The animals in your area may need you to step up. In many cases, no one (or not enough people) are speaking up on their behalf. An easy way to start is to look for local rescue or animal welfare groups. Even if you cannot volunteer to help, simply following their social media pages or finding out what their challenges are so you can spread the word is a big step toward being part of the solution.
Enjoying Pet-Friendly Activities and Events
Many communities sponsor pet-friendly events, such as "dog day at the ballpark," dog-friendly harbor cruises, Halloween costume parades, pet photos with Santa, or church-sponsored blessing of animals. You can often find events like these in the community calendar of your local newspaper or city website. Some city Animal Services departments feature this type of information on their Facebook pages.
Some dog guardians enjoy walking their pets along shopping areas, or bringing them to restaurant patios. Of course, if dog guardians want to ensure that our communities continue to welcome pets, we must be considerate. Please do not bring unruly pets into busy public areas. If your dogs frighten or disrupt others, it makes business managers less likely to allow other pets to visit. A few hours spent with a dog trainer, or even a bit of internet research coupled with practice walks near your home, can make all the difference in helping you lead your dog with confidence.
