On Sunday I was supposed to attend a fundraising party for a rescue located north of Washington, DC. At the last minute the party organizers had to reschedule it, so I found myself with the afternoon now free.
I still wanted to see a friend I was going to meet at the party, but now we had to find somewhere new to go where we could also bring Chihiro, whom I had with me. We decided to go to Great Sage, a restaurant specializing in organic green cuisine. I’m always up for something new, and I liked the idea of the restaurant both because of that and because it was very dog-friendly.
Spending an hour or so out on their patio on Sunday afternoon I got the impression that had health codes allowed it, the restaurant would encourage owners to bring their pets inside. The wait staff was excited to see Chihiro and very enthusiastic in taking care of her. I’d brought her water bowl, but they provided water bowls for other dogs on the patio, and they constantly brought out cold water and ice cubes for the dogs.
Chihiro was excited to meet and make friends over lunch with a Springer Spaniel, pit bull, and golden lab. I really enjoyed the experience of getting to eat out with so many fellow dog lovers.
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Chihiro loves to come along when we eat out.
My friend and I were even able to meet a man who shared many of our similar passions; he talked about the many rescues for which he volunteered and told stories of the plethora of dogs he fosters. In turn we swapped stories of my work for my county’s small rescue, and of my friend’s dedication to helping transport dogs from crowded rural shelters to areas with more potential adopters.
Great Sage is now one of my favorite new restaurants, and not because I’m particularly dedicated to becoming an organic vegetarian (though I sympathize very much with the causes). I’ve been out to a few other places where I could bring my dog to eat out on the patio, but I’ve never been to a restaurant so obviously dog-friendly. Having lunch at a place where so many of the staff and my fellow patrons obviously shared at least that one common love for dogs made a stiflingly hot afternoon eating outside even more pleasant than anticipated.
I feel the same way whenever I go to Annapolis; though I haven’t yet been to a specific restaurant there with pet-friendly areas, the entire town has a very pro-dogs vibe. That’s made Annapolis rise rapidly in my esteem to become my favorite local city, surpassing the activity-but-traffic-packed DC.
If anyone knows of a restaurant in their area allowing patrons to eat out on a patio with their pets, I highly recommend going. Even on a hot afternoon we met two other groups of people along with their dogs, which turned an already fun afternoon into an enjoyably unique experience. So I’m sure that in days of nicer weather you’ll find yourself eating with any number of dog lovers and their canine friends.
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