For art-lovers, pet-lovers, and small-business-supporters who can’t imagine going anywhere without their pups, here is a list of places you can take your pets with for a fun-filled day! Read on for a full itinerary of exciting, pet-friendly escapade ideas:
Little Red Fox Cafe, proudly displaying a Pride flag under its cute logo!
This dog-friendly Saturday will begin at the one and only Little Red Fox cafe in Friendship Heights! Little Red Fox has a bakery, cafe, wine market, sandwiches, and doggone-adorable fox logo. They also own Sugar Fox, which sells drool-worthy cakes, cupcakes, milkshakes & ice cream. Pro tip: seating is limited, so once you’re happy and full, make way for someone else - and their accompanying puppies!
East City Bookshop showing off their Insta-worthy, feminist tote bags. Learn more about them on their Instagram.
East City Bookshop is a local, independent bookstore that’s female-owned, female-operated, and dog-friendly! What more could we possibly ask for? As stated on their website, their mission is “to provide friendly and warm service, community-oriented events, and support for the literary arts at every reading level.” Though located in a small space, East City Bookshop is a reliable source for education, excitement, and support! They also have a small gift shop stocked with fun, book-related toys and goodies. And speaking of goodies…they have dog treats for your fur baby! They love dogs so much that they even display flyers with pictures of the pups they meet in the bookshop!
Studio Gallery is housed in a beautiful historical building, nestled in Dupont Circle.
Here’s a little shameless self-advertising! Studio Gallery is female-founded, the oldest artist cooperative in Washington DC, and boasts two floors of exciting artwork from local artists within our collective. Although we are a fine arts gallery, we also welcome dogs into the building (in fact, we encourage it!). Come enjoy some beautiful artwork (and AC!) with your pups at Studio Gallery. Please. We want to pet them. Plan your visit with our downloadable and printable visit guide.
Ankara offers delicious Turkish and Mediterranean food.
Pet friendly, LGBTQ+ welcoming, vegan friendly, gluten free friendly, and eco friendly (with free wifi!), we can’t imagine a better place for a weekend meal in DC! Oh, but wait- there’s more! Ankara hosts bottomless brunches every weekend from 10 AM- 4 PM, with a full brunch menu plus a large selection of drinks (because brunch isn’t brunch without a good mimosa!). And the best part of all of this? Your pups are more than welcome to enjoy brunch with you out on the patio.
The National Arboretum is the perfect place to roam gorgeously decorated open fields, escape the city for a mini-vacation back to nature, or simply have a good time with your dogs!
While The National Arboretum is happy to let you and your pooch wander around together, be sure to read their rules and guidelines… “Pets must be leashed at all times and must be controlled... Owners must clean up after their pets. Pets are not allowed in the Administration Building or in the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum.” (Read more here). The arboretum was established by Congress in 1927, and has 446 acres for you and your puppy to explore, with 9.5 miles of winding roadways.
Glen’s Garden Market was founded by Danielle Vogel, and was created to fight climate change. Read about their mission to serve eco-friendly, local food, and to support small businesses here.
Glen’s Garden Market offers a range of delicious, healthy, locally-sourced foods, including pub fare, pizzas, hot and cold sandwiches served on locally made bread, and a long list of delicious salads. They also have craft beers, yummy café picks, and brunch foods! Sit with your dog on their patio, and enjoy a good Heirloom BLT (or, if that isn’t your thing, Glen’s Garden Market also specializes in vegetarian/vegan/gluten free food options!).
From all of us here at Studio Gallery, we hope you have a wonderful many weekends with your pups!
For more information about our gallery and artist collective, click here.
From staff contributor Halley Stubis. Photo by Hudson Hintze on Unsplash.