I don’t know about you, but I tend to become envious when I see some of my friends’ social media accounts. Endless picturesque photos of hikes in the mountains, camping under the stars and discovering hidden waterfalls…with a dog by their side. I always sigh out of jealousy with thoughts of, “Man, I want to do those things.” But for some of us it’s just not possible. We have families, full time jobs and budget constraints. Maybe we have physical ailments or don’t have transportation to get there. Personally, I have a bad hip so strenuous physical activity is a BIG no-go for me. I have other animals at home I need to tend to, and I don’t have ANY sort of camping experience. I wouldn’t even know where to begin. So for the rest of us in the real world, I’ve created a list of time and budget-friendly ways that you too can seek adventure with your dog.
Dog-Friendly Stores and Restaurants
Recently I was talking to one of my neighbors as we ran into each other while walking our dogs. We were gabbing about how beautiful the weather is but that it’s been unusually hot lately. The topic of Arizona summers came up and we discussed how it’s nearly impossible to walk our dogs when it’s 115°. It’s just WAY too hot for ourselves and our dogs. That brought us to talking about dog-friendly stores because it’s nice to be able to walk our dogs around air conditioned places. With that being said, here is a list of dog friendly stores and restaurants, although there may be others in your area that aren’t on the list.
Pine Trees and Puppies in Payson!
It seems like just yesterday that my mom was talking about buying a second home in Payson, AZ. I can’t believe a year has already gone by! Payson is only about 1.5 hours north of the greater Phoenix valley, so it’s the perfect place to have a home to escape the heat and desert. Payson is extremely different from the desert – the mountains still exist but they are filled with greenery and pine trees instead of dirt and cactus. The temperatures run much cooler than Phoenix. During the winter the temps can drop as low as 20 degrees or so, but normally they stick around 30-40 degrees. They will get snow, but most likely a light dusting. It’s truly wonderful because you can enjoy the winter season without freezing to death and shoveling snow for hours.
