In Dog Town, USA, summer is an ideal time to dine out with your best furry friend. To find out where the best dog-friendly dining happens in Bend, we asked a few local pooches—and one visiting pup.
Hotwire
Retired Greyhound, Age 7
Favorite Snack: Organic carrots
Hotwire is retired from racing, but still works a few days a week as a shop dog at Willow Lane Artist's Creative Space. When Hotwire is not at work she enjoys morning walks with her mom and dad for breakfast at Village Bakery. In the evenings she loves the outdoor spaces at Jackson's Corner, Cascade Lakes Brewing, Longboard Louie's and Kebaba. She also likes Croutons, but if it's really sunny it's a little intense for her delicate skin. Hotwire's insider tip: Dutch Bros. has complimentary treats for dogs.
Booker
English Bulldog, Age 3
Favorite Snack: Watermelon or anything edible
Booker works downtown at the Wren & Wild yoga studio as a customer relationship specialist. He digs 900 Wall because it's a short walk from his work, but also because he gets lots of passerby-love at the great sidewalk tables. When he's feeling the vegan vibe he likes Pure Joy Kitchen's patio and Broken Angel food truck, where they give him peanut butter on biscuits. Booker is a pretty social guy because of his work, so his favorite place for lunch or dinner is 10 Barrel because a lot of dogs hang out there. When he's in the mood for romance he heads to Crux for the sunset. The other dogs look so good in the sunset light, so lots of humping usually ensues. Oh, Booker, we're blushing!
Jackson
Rescued Bichon Poodle Mix, age 6.5
Favorite Snack: Anything grain free and chicken free—he's a picky eater
Jackson has been to quite a few places, but his top picks are La Rosa (both locations), Spork, Kanpai Sushi, Kebaba and the restaurants in the Old Mill because they have awesome river views. He recently visited Bend Pizza Kitchen for lunch and there were a few other dogs there and he totally liked the shade. Atlas Cider is another exciting spot because he gets to go inside (since they don't serve food).
Stue
Rescued Sharpei, Age 7
Favorite Snack: Himalayan Yak Chews
Stue lives in Portland but visits Bend frequently because his human aunt, uncle and grandparents live here. He got a little personal with us and said he suffers from anxiety, so he doesn't like to be left at home. When he visits Bend he always asks his human pack members to go to El Sancho. He says the people there are super nice and lots of them stop to say "hi." Stue says his people always order the chips and guacamole.
Lily
English Springer Spaniel, Age 10
Favorite Snack: Carrots
Lily loves the outdoors but lets us know she's not big into dining out. She likes to gobble her food at home so she can nap afterward. Her human parents tease her that she gets a food coma. She did let us know her canine buddies like to hang out at Crux, Spork and The Lot.
Tigua
Husky Mix, Age 10
Instagram: @mynameistigua
Tigua is the muse to local photographer Carol Sternkopf. When Tigua isn't in front of the camera his favorite place to eat is Dandy's Drive-In. For him, the best part about Dandy's is that everyone gets to stay in the car, even when ordering. He emphasized that a few times: he likes it when everyone stays together to eat. Tigua gets particularly excited when the servers at Dandy's roll up on their skates. They smell good, like food. He always gets excited and his mom has to tell him he has to settle down if he wants "his usual." Tigua's usual is a delicious hamburger, and he's all about the beef because he likes them to hold the bun.
