I love my job.

One of the great things about being a writer and blogger is that I get to explore new things and share them with my fellow dogs. A great joy in my life is travel – I am in fact a traveling fiend, having visited New York City, Nashville, and Salt Lake City – to name a few. But sometimes my person and I discover great stuff much closer to home. Recently we took a road trip from Los Angeles up to central California, where you can find some fabulous dog-friendly stuff.

Sit…stay…good hotel!

So one of the most important things when you are traveling with your peoples, is to make sure that the hotel you choose is dog-friendly…or as I prefer to call it, non-speciesist. The easiest way to find these places is to go to BringFido.com and research hotels in the area you are planning to visit.

After researching hotels in the Santa Cruz/Capitola area, we chose to stay at the Bay Front Inn. Like most of the places of temporary livingness in this beach town, it is simple and no-frills, but clean and pleasant and most definitely welcoming to dogs. It is within walking distance of a people beach and boardwalk, and a short drive from a dog-friendly beach – speaking of which…

Once more, onto the beach!

I remember the first time I saw a beach. It was the Huntington Dog Beach, and it was incredible. Sand as far as the eye could see! My first thought was, wow, my person has been holding out on me! And my second thought was, RUN! And I did…fast and far, again and again.

Well, the Santa Cruz area has its share of dog-friendly beaches, and we discovered a fabulous one – the Lighthouse Field State Beach. True to its name, it is in the shadow of a beautiful lighthouse. The sand is clean, the air is clear, and the beach was less crowded than Huntington Beach, although I cannot guarantee it is always that way. Such a gorgeous spot probably gets crowded sometimes.

I can tell you that there were lots of dogs there, of every size, shape and breed. All nice and well behaved, and my little sister Delta and I made some friends. Delta also tried to dig her way to China. I think she got pretty close.

So where do we eat?

Always an important question for dogs. Now, granted, we ate our meals in the hotel room…but when our peoples went out to get people food, of course they wanted to bring us along. And being smart peoples, they found some cool places.

Capitola: Zelda’s on the Beach

For lunch, we went to Zelda’s on the Beach, which is a lovely establishment with a beautiful view of – you guessed it – the beach. They offer a nice selection of people food, including salads, sandwiches and, appropriately, seafood. I was able to sample a few bites of ahi tuna, and it was quite tasty.

Santa Cruz: Seabright Brewery

Supper was at the Seabright Brewery. This is a charming pub in Santa Cruz, with a spacious outdoor patio area where dogs are welcomed. Food is typical pub fare, and the atmosphere is relaxing and fun.

Bonus: Fresno: Peeve’s Public House

So on the way home we swung by Fresno, and it was about lunchtime so my person decided to find a pet-centric place to stop. She was amazed when she found, in her research, a place called Peeve’s – which is, in fact, named for the owner’s dog, a pet named Peeve!

You see, my person has an odd sense of humor, and she has often said she would love to get a pet one day and name it Peeve. Lucky for me, I am not that pet. I much prefer the name Belle.

Peeve’s Pub was probably our favorite eatery of all during our trip. Peeve and his person are lovely, the place is quirky and fun, and the food is locally sourced, fresh and delicious. My sister and I were welcomed in with open arms and a great time was had by all!

And that’s the dog’s honest truth.

If you are in Central California, I encourage you to visit these places and have a blast! I know we did. Looking forward to my next trip to Phoenix, Arizona in a couple weeks…will keep you posted on all the news that’s Fido to print!

And if you know some fabulous doggie haunts, please share them in the comments!