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! Café 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
