Kingsbrook Animal Hospital's Blog: Dog Friendly Frederick, Maryland

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Dog Friendly Frederick, Maryland

Frederick, Maryland is a great place to be a dog owner!

Downtown Frederick is becoming a hot spot for dog lovers to visit. There are over 50 shops that welcome dogs including home furnishing, book and clothing stores. There are even antique, art and jewelry  shops that allow well behaved, leashed dogs! Downtown also has several restaurants where you can enjoy a meal or a cocktail with your dog!  CafĂ© Nola, Ben and Jerry’s and La Paz are all restaurants that allow dogs on their patios.  Other restaurants, such as Griff’s and Cacique, allow dogs to be tied to outside of their patios. Be aware though-if an unfriendly dog comes across your tied up dog, there is a fence between you and your dog. Look for the “My dog’s digging Downtown Frederick” stickers in the windows for dog friendly restaurants and shops. Recently technicians from Kingsbrook Animal Hospital had an outing downtown with their dogs. Julie, Ann C. and Tiffanie, along with their dogs Stuart, Quincy and Ethel all enjoyed dinner at La Paz: Dog treats and bowls of water complimentary! 
 
Dog Days of Summer, sponsored by Downtown Frederick Partnership, is always a big hit for dog lovers. Besides the regular dog friendly restaurants and stores there is a costume contest, parade, music and “yappy” hour.
Several of the local animal welfare groups have fund raisers which can be attended with your dog. Walk in Wag, Bark in the Park, Paws and Claws and Howl O Wine are all fundraisers in or near Frederick that Kingsbrook Animal Hospital had a booth. Several of our technician’s dogs joined in on the fun at these functions.

Another great activity to do in Frederick and surrounding areas is hiking! Catoctin Municipal Park, Greenbrier Park, Gambrill Park and Cunningham Falls have areas which allow hiking with dogs. South Mountain Battlefield,  Monocacy National Battlefield and Catoctin Nature Center also have dog friendly areas. Ann C’s favorite place to hike with Quin is the trails in the water shed area of Gambrill Mountain and the Appalachian trail . Before hiking make sure your dog is protected against ticks! In some remote areas a bear bell on your dog collar will help deter any surprises hidden in brush or around bends in trails.
There are also several dog parks in the area to let your dog romp. Green Briar in Urbana, Downtown Frederick and Ballenger Creek all have fenced dog Parks. Caution should always be used when visiting dog parks-Kingsbrook Animal Hospital recommends picking a slow time of day when the park isn’t too congested. The more dogs, the more chance of a scuffle-Remember, dogs are pack animals! Always use  common sense when visiting dog parks and watch all the dog’s body language.
Make sure you visit Kingsbrook to update your dog for kennel cough and Canine influenza if needed. It is also important to have your dog on a HW preventative such as Sentinel that will also prevent intestinal parasites!

Written by Ann Carlson