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Dogs in Los Angeles are living their best lives. These days, everywhere you go is crawling with dogs. They’re at beaches, bars, restaurants, hiking trails and grocery stores. Some of these places seem more welcoming to our furry friends than to us, the humans they were built for.
We are living in a dog lover’s dream. (To me, it is a nightmare. I am seriously afraid of dogs.)
I was shocked to find that L.A. isn’t the dog capital of the world. There are 32 cities that are even better for dogs, according to U.S. News & World Report. Portland came in first, while San Francisco was fourth among the top U.S. cities to be a dog owner.
Low ranking aside, if you’re a dog in L.A. you’ve got it made so much so that Times contributor Raef Harrison put together a list of 18 places in L.A. where your dog is more welcomed than you (a.k.a, 18 places I will be avoiding).
My only beef with this list is that 18 is such a small number. Every place in this city seems to prioritize dogs. A list of 18 places where dogs aren’t welcome would be more useful. Alas.
Enroll your furry friend in a private dog park
For $120 a month, you can take your dog to a private park called Dog PPL in Santa Monica. To join the members-only club, dogs must pass a temperament test, be up to date on vaccinations and be spayed or neutered at 8 months. Once they’re in, they get a safe and clean place to roam off-leash while their humans enjoy a cafe, bar and concierge, lounge areas and free Wi-Fi.
Have dinner or a drink with your dog
Whenever I see a dog in a restaurant, I can’t help but roll my eyes. Do dog owners not have any human friends to eat with?
But that, unfortunately, hasn’t stopped people from bringing their dogs to breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Some bars and restaurants in L.A. even roll out the red carpet for dogs, like The Morrison in Atwater Village. It has a separate doggy menu with all dishes served on a silver platter. Of course!
See an outdoor movie in the park with your dog
The last thing I want to do is sit next to an off leash dog while trying to watch a movie. But watching a flick under the stars with a favorite furry friend in tow is probably like puppy chow for dog lovers.
At two of Cinespia’s locations — the Greek Theatre and Los Angeles State Historic Park — your canine companion is welcome to join your movie watching experience.
And that’s not all! Here’s our full list of places where dogs are more welcomed than humans.
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Column One is The Times’ home for narrative and longform journalism. Here’s a great piece from this week:
A California city’s transformation from ‘murder capital’ of the U.S. to zero homicides. In 1992, East Palo Alto was dubbed the “murder capital” of the U.S., with 42 murders in its 2.5 square miles. Now, its mayor says it’s “one of the safest places to live in the peninsula.”
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Have a great weekend, from the Essential California team
Elvia Limón, multiplatform editor
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
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Kevinisha Walker is a multiplatform editor for newsletters at the Los Angeles Times. She previously worked as a social media editor at the Daily Beast and has a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Orleans and a master’s in journalism from Roosevelt University. Walker is a proud New Orleanian, but currently calls Long Beach home.
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