Thinking about taking your dog on vacation this summer?
(After all, today — March 23 — is National Puppy Day.)
Online travel agency Booking.com has published a study ranking “The Best Dog Friendly Cities in the U.S.”
And you might want to take a seat, Boise.
Actually, sit!
Because you don’t need to go anywhere.
Living in Boise is a treat for dog owners. Idaho’s capital city ranks No. 3 for Fido-friendly leisure destinations.
Orlando, Florida, is No. 1. Asheville, North Carolina, is No. 2.
Cities were ranked in several categories: dog-friendly hotels, pet shops, dog-friendly parks, dog-friendly hikes and dog-poop tonnage on Foothills trails.
Which Boise won by a mile.
(OK, OK, I made that last category up while cleaning off my shoe.)
So what makes Idaho’s capital city so fantastic for canine-accompanied vacations?
“With miles of mountain hikes just a stone’s throw away, and 64 properties waiting to welcome guests with four-legged travel companions, Boise offers plenty of opportunities for adventure,” a press release explains. “The Boise River Greenbelt has a selection of parks and trails close to the water’s edge, as a perfect escape from the nearby city.”
By properties, we will assume Booking.com is referring to hotels, not our cat-loving neighbors’ front lawns.
And, by the way, if you do feel like escaping Idaho for a dog-friendly vacation? You won’t have to travel far.
Salt Lake City, Las Vegas and Portland all finished in the top 10.
An entertainment writer and opinion columnist, Michael Deeds chronicles the Boise good life: restaurants, concerts, culture, cool stuff. Deeds materialized at the Idaho Statesman as an intern in 1991 before taking on roles including sportswriter, features editor and music critic. Over the years, his freelance work has ranged from writing album reviews for The Washington Post to hyping Boise in that airline magazine you left on the plane. Deeds has a bachelor’s degree in news-editorial journalism from the University of Nebraska.