Lovely views and good company at the Bob Wenger Memorial Off-Leash area.

I just realized it’s been nearly three years since I wrote this post about how to plan the ultimate dog date in Bend

Since then, Bend’s canine-friendly reputation has grown faster than an Italian Mastiff pup on steroids. Dog Fancy magazine named Bend the dog-friendliest city in the nation last summer, and Dawg Grog (a non-alcoholic beer for dogs invented by Boneyard Beer employee Daniel Keaton) became a national sensation with everyone from CNN to Conan O’Brien buzzing about it.

With new dog-centric businesses and events popping up all over town, it seems like a good time to revisit the notion of how to plan the best dog date EVAH for you and your pooch.

My dog date starts early with my canine companion, Bindi, a four-year-old Australian Kelpie. We kick things off with a sunrise walk along the canal in northeast Bend en route to the Bob Wenger Memorial Off-Leash Area at Pine Nursery Park. It’s an 18 acre fenced dog park with oodles of trails to explore and plenty of wide open spaces for fetching and frolicking.

Now that Bindi’s burned off some energy, it’s time to get to work. Our favorite dog trainer, Bryan Castleberry of Cascadia Canine, swings by the house for a refresher course on house manners. His training has made Bindi one of those dogs everyone stops and watches and asks me, “how do you get your dog to walk so well on a leash?” For visitors to Bend, a quick one-hour Saturday session can be a nice way to give Fido a little help with trouble areas like jumping or leash pulling.

11-year-old Cedar frolics with Bindi on Elk Lake.

After our session, it’s time for a reward. Bindi and I head to Bend Pet Express for a handful of freshly-baked dog treats. Though their location near Costco is our preferred spot for its proximity to home, they have another location on Bend’s westside that’s convenient for folks en route to the mountains and lakes.

That’s our destination today, as Bindi and I are craving some time exploring the areas of the Cascade Lakes Scenic Highway. Both Sparks Lake and Elk Lake are great areas for swimming and picnicking, and my step-kids are happy to give Bindi a good workout with the aid of a sturdy stick. Lucky for us, Bin wears a waterproof, stink-proof collar from Bend-based Ruffwear. The Headwater collar is perfect for dogs that frequent the water, and the coated webbing is flexible, non-absorbent, and boasts a cute reflective pattern that’s handy on nighttime walks.

The collar may not be stinky, but Bindi kinda is. Off we go to Woof Neighborhood Dog Wash, which opened earlier this month on Newport Avenue. This u-wash dog station provides everything we need to get Bindi sudsed up and clean in their super-cute old fashioned clawfoot tubs. The $15 flat fee is worth every penny to avoid covering our own bathroom in hair and mud.

With Bindi clean and blow-dried, we make a quick stop at Healthy Paws (closed) on Newport Avenue to grab a few treats made by Polka-Doodle Dog Bakery. We also stop to browse the shop’s cool collection of doggy-themed art.

Tasty eats, great beer, and a dog-friendly patio at Crux Fermentation Project.

Souvenirs in hand, we head to one of our favorite dog-friendly breweries. Crux Fermentation Project has an amazing outdoor dining area with a big field for frolicking and plenty of water dishes on hand for four-legged companions. While Bindi snoozes under the table, we order a sampler tray of Crux beers and their to-die-for Grilled Cheesy sandwich—an asiago-cheese crusted panini with mixed ricotta, pepper jack, and white cheddar with diced bacon and spicy pickles on Italian country spent grain bread from DiLusso Bakery.

Of course, Bend has plenty of other dog-friendly dining spots to sample, so check out our listings of Bend restaurants. As you scroll through the grids for different restaurants and types of cuisine, you’ll see notations beneath many of the restaurant names indicating dogs are allowed on the patio. Pretty handy!

After dinner, we get to head home for some doggie snuggle time on the sofa. For those who aren’t Bend residents, there are tons of pet-friendly Bend hotels happy to roll out the red carpet for your four-legged friend. The Riverhouse offers dog treat bags, easy access to river trails, and no extra charge for pets, while The Oxford Hotel greets your pooch with a personal pet bed proportional to his size, two travel bowls—one is your gift to keep!—a map of dog-friendly trails and parks, and samples of goodies like pet salve and dog treats.

For more resources on traveling to Bend with your pooch, check out the Visit Bend Pet Travel page.

Then give your pooch a scratch behind the ears and tell him, “good dog!”