As many pet-loving Alamedans already know, our sunny island paradise is one of the most pet-friendly cities in the Bay Area. We’re home to more than 100 restaurants that welcome dogs at their outdoor seating areas (some even have menu items for dogs!), plenty of pretty parks, miles of stunning waterfront trails, loads of pet-friendly stores and services, and an abundance of fun and unique adventures you can share with your furry friends.
Alameda is such a great place to have a dog or cat that we at Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter (FAAS) decided to celebrate our city’s love of pets by creating the Alameda Pet Guide—a fun, attractive, and informative publication. Every household in Alameda will soon be getting one in their mailbox.
This 32-page magazine-style guide is packed with fun, pet-friendly destinations. If you want to shop, dine, or adventure in Alameda, and don’t want to leave your pet behind, the guide will be invaluable.
“At FAAS, we’re always looking for ways to help nurture the human-animal bond,” writes FAAS CEO John Lipp in the guide’s introductory letter. “Spending quality time together is a great way to foster a beautiful relationship.”
Admittedly, dogs are the pets who will benefit the most from this guide, since people don’t tend to bring cats to restaurants and parks. There are exceptions to that, and we’ve met some of them. We thoroughly adore cats and include an article dedicated to making them happy.
The guide also features listings for local veterinarians and other pet-oriented businesses, so people with all manner of pets can have a ready resource at their fingertips.
Pet perks
What do a couple of South Shore gift stores, an estuary-based boat rental company, a Webster Street barbershop, and a waterfront café near FAAS have in common? They all welcome dogs—and four of them even give dogs treats.
South Shore Center’s Modern Mouse and Whales & Friends have dog-loving staff members who dole out a treat or two when they’re not too busy. BAE Boats lets dogs join their humans on a couple of their electric rental boats. Al’s Barbershop is among a few dog-friendly personal-care services in the guide. Here’s their writeup from the guide:
Al’s Barbershop
Stepping into Al’s is like stepping back in time, only with up-to-date haircuts with really good fades. It’s a classic old barbershop with beloved and cool barbers who wear collared real-deal white barber shirts and wrap your face in hot towels for a shave. The barbers love dogs, and most have dogs of their own. If you visit when shop owner Nick is here, you may meet his little black-and-white dog, a Japanese Chin named Bob. Bob (we love this name for him!) looks like a serious fellow in the shop’s Instagram photos, but he’s actually a chill guy who is always down for meeting other dogs.
Dogs are welcome here. There’s a water bowl outside, and inside, dogs can get treats and play with some toys while you settle in for a barbershop experience that’ll likely make you a regular. 1502 1/2 Webster Street; 510-473-7869; www.alsbarbers.com.
Mosley’s Cafe, just a three-minute walk from FAAS, is one of about 100 dog-friendly restaurants in the guide. While most restaurants are featured as short listings, Mosley’s is one of our “Picks of the Litter” and gets a full description. We’ll share this with you now as another sneak preview:
Mosley’s Cafe
Owner Scott Cordle lights up when he sees a dog at the entryway to his open-air cafe overlooking the Oakland Estuary. Busy as he can be, he’ll often come out to greet dogs. He gets to know them by name (much as he does his human customers), features them on his Instagram page, and gives dogs a piece of organic Tillamook cheese if time allows. As if that’s not enough, he also has a jar or two of treats, and a giant water bowl here is always full.
And here’s something that makes dogs swoon: Mosley’s has a dog-friendly menu item you won’t see on the regular menu: Your dog can get a side of ham, turkey, or scrambled eggs. Lucky dogs. You need to order indoors (you can be served outdoors), but your dog can come up to the counter with you since it’s open-air. 2009 Grand Street; 510-263-8228; www.mosleyscafe.com.
Look for our ‘Dog-Friendly’ decal
Move over Yelp and TripAdvisor! Along with the publication of the Alameda Pet Guide, FAAS will be rolling out another new program. Businesses that welcome dogs are going to be given a special FAAS window decal indicating they’re dog-friendly.
This will be invaluable for people who don’t have the guide in hand, but want to know if a business will welcome their leashed, beautifully behaved dog. For all restaurants, the dog-friendly designation pertains only to outdoor seating, since dogs aren’t permitted inside.
Anytime you see a business displaying this decal, you’ll know that you and your leashed, well-behaved dog are welcome. Always ask, though, just in case.
Besides helping pets and their people spend more time together, Lipp says he hopes the guide and the decals will help to support our local pet-friendly small businesses. “People who get to bring their pet dogs to these kinds of places can become very loyal customers,” he says. “We’d love that for Alameda businesses.”
Alameda Post makes an appearance
We’d be remiss if we ended this article without a mention of the fabulous Alameda Post, on whose website this article resides. The Post made it into our guide, and publisher Adam Gillitt even has a quote. Here’s our final sneak preview:
Historic Alameda Tours
Well-behaved dogs are always welcome at the Alameda Post’s history walking tours, led by award-winning East Bay historian Dennis Evanosky. “Especially if they’re cute dogs,” jokes publisher Adam Gillitt. The Post holds walking tours several times per month, on Saturdays or Sundays. The tours cover one to two miles and last about 1.5 hours.
It’s not a fast-paced or particularly long walk, so it’s good for most ability levels. There may be multiple dogs in attendance, or encountered along the way, so keep that in mind if your dog isn’t into other dogs. Often there are no dogs; it varies greatly but there’s no predicting. Learn about upcoming tours here: alamedapost.com/tours.
The 2023/2024 Alameda Pet Guide is scheduled to start landing in Alameda mailboxes as early as this weekend. FAAS also will have extra copies on hand at our three locations—the main shelter at 1590 Fortmann Way, the South Shore Adoption Center, and the Thrifty Kitty on Webster Street. We will begin distributing decals next week, but it will take a little time to get them out to all of our dog-friendly businesses.
Maria Goodavage is the Communications Manager for Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter.
