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Your go-to guide for everything dog-friendly in West Michigan

Last month, Rover and Zillow rated Grand Rapids the 20th fastest-growing dog-friendly city in the country.

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As the weather finally transitions to summer, we are again finding things to do outside. For many of us, this is the time of year when we want to bring our canine companions along with us. 

Just last month, Rover and Zillow rated Grand Rapids the 20th fastest-growing dog-friendly city in the country.

13 ON YOUR SIDE reporter Keely Lovern spent months tracking down the best dog-friendly places to eat, play and shop right here in West Michigan. We took a closer look at a few of those places, but also put together a comprehensive list that can be your go-to for everything dog-friendly in the area.

"What can I say, we love our dogs," said Penny Doane, who's worked at Harbor Wear of Holland for more than two decades. 

Harbor Wear of Holland opened in 1995, and as a staple along 8th Street in Holland, they were the ones that really started the trend of putting water bowls outside their store.

"We started that about 21 years ago and the rest of Holland kind of caught on to it," Doane said, "and now we're definitely a dog-friendly town."

As long as they can remember, Harbor Wear's tradition has been to take a picture of all their canine visitors to put on the wall, plus give them all a treat when they come in. 

"I feel like we're in this generation that we have dogs before kids, so we want to take them everywhere," said Harbor Wear's Emma Neuser. "I think it's just become a really great way for all of us to kind of share something together beyond just clothes."

On the other side of the lakeshore, a long-time brewery holds a similar tradition.  

"Dogs are just such a huge part of our lives," said Old Boys' Brewhouse owner Melissa Browlick, "they're part of our families."

Old Boys' Brewhouse in Spring Lake has been a staple for decades, and was named after Browlick's late chocolate lab rescue. Their dog-friendly outdoor patio is the perfect place to enjoy an evening with your pup sitting right along the Grand River. And on the inside – thousands of pictures of dogs from customers far and wide. 

"Everybody brings in their pictures and we put them on the wall," Browlick said. "Any shape, size, framed or not framed, and it's just beautiful to hear all the stories."

The dog-themed brewhouse makes their love for dogs clear, and it's manifested a deep connection between visitors. 

"I can't believe how many people spend time looking at the pictures," Browlick said. "That tradition has done more than I would have ever even anticipated."

And Old Boys' even makes their own dog treats right there in the brewery called "KANINE KRUNCHIES."

Back near Grand Rapids is a place unlike anywhere else in the state of Michigan.

"People are always so curious about what we are here," said Raechel Macqueen, co-owner of The Pack. 

The Pack Indoor Dog Park, Restaurant and Bar opened in 2021 along West River Drive in Comstock Park and they offer a unique experience for dog owners with an off-leash indoor and outdoor dog park. 

"We felt like this was a need," Macqueen said, "and we wanted to fill that need."

The best part? They also serve food and alcohol to enjoy while your pup plays. 

"That's just added a whole other fun, element," Macqueen added. "And we're adding an outdoor bar this summer."

At this membership-based park, trained attendants walk around to monitor the dogs and get to know them really well. 

"All of our staff are trained to intervene way ahead of there being an escalated incident," Macqueen said, "and they know and love all the dogs that are members here."

"We love when dogs see each other," Macqueen said. "They get so excited because they have made friends here, and customers have formed really cool friendships by meeting here and hanging out here, too."

We know that there are so many other amazing places to take our dogs around West Michigan, so if we missed your favorite spot, please send us an email at keelylovern@13onyourside.com, and we'll add it to the list! You can find the full list sorted by category and county below.

PLAY

Kent County

Ottawa County

Muskegon County

EAT (outdoor patios)

Kent County

Ottawa County 

Muskegon Couny

Allegan County

SHOP

Kent County

  • Alger Hardware, Grand Rapids
  • Athleta, East Grand Rapids
  • Audrey Lane Boutique and Consignment, Grand Rapids
  • Bill & Paul's Sporthaus, Grand Rapids
  • Books & Mortar, Grand Rapids
  • Central District Cyclery, Grand Rapids
  • Cheeky Strut, Grand Rapids
  • Commune, Grand Rapids
  • Eastgate Barber Shop, Grand Rapids
  • Echo Salon, Grand Rapids
  • Family Farm & Home
  • Fido & Stitch, Grand Rapids
  • Flowerland
  • Fox Naturals, Grand Rapids
  • Hopscotch Childeren's Store, Grand Rapids
  • jbandme, Grand Rapids
  • LaFontsee Gallery, Grand Rapids
  • Lost & Found – Treasures of Old and New, Grand Rapids
  • Metal Art Studio, Grand Rapids
  • Millbrook Tack, Grand Rapids
  • MooseJaw, Grand Rapids
  • O'conner's Home Brew Supply, Grand Rapids
  • Otto + Grand Salon, Grand Rapids
  • Rebel. Reclaimed., Grand Rapids
  • Reinspired Treasures, Grand Rapids
  • Rylees Ace Hardwear, Grand Rapids
  • Spirit Dreams, Grand Rapids
  • Switchback Gear Exchange, Grand Rapids
  • Under the Vines, Grand Rapids
  • Urban Exchange, Grand Rapids
  • Woosah Outfitters, Grand Rapids
  • To & Fro, Ada
  • Pursuit Gift Shop, Ada

Ottawa County

Muskegon County

  • The Front Porch, Muskegon

Allegan County

ACTIVITIES

Kent County

Ottawa County

Muskegon County

Allegan County

NOTE: *This story was created by independent research done by 13 ON YOUR SIDE. If you have any questions regarding dog-friendly rules for a specific business or place, please contact them directly.*

13 ON YOUR SIDE also spoke to representatives with Zillow and Rover to learn more about their recent study that revealed Grand Rapids as the 20th fastest-growing dog-friendly city in the country. Here's what we learned:

How is this survey conducted? 

"The Top 20 Fastest Growing Dog-Friendly Cities ranking is according to both new dog accounts over the past year from Rover's database of millions of pet profiles, and Zillow rentals pageview data from the past year. For each city, Rover data on trends in new dog accounts was combined with Zillow data representing cities with the highest increases in average daily page views per pet-friendly single family home rental listing over the past year. As for the survey, that data was derived from 1,000 US-based dog owners conducted in March 2022, via Pollfish."

Why is this kind of survey so popular? What's so important about doing these surveys for cities around the U.S.? 

"Reports like the Fastest Growing Dog-Friendly Cities are popular and important for a number of different reasons. For starters, our survey data revealed that a whopping 72 percent of dog parents said it's important to them to live in a dog-friendly city with plenty of other dog parents, dog parks and pet-friendly housing options. So, the fact that Grand Rapids is ranked among the top 20 fastest growing dog-friendly cities may actually accelerate that even more, positively affecting the local real estate market. Also, I think every city in the country has a sense of pride and we naturally want to know where we stack up, compared to other metros in the U.S. At the end of the day, it's just a fun way to dig into dog-related data and understand how our pets are influencing everything we do – even something as significant as our housing decisions."

    

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