Bend has really gone to the dogs. And we’re all wagging our tails.

Bend is paradise for humans and dogs alike.

Central Oregon is not only a great place to live for humans, but for dogs, too. Every year, Dog Fancy magazine names the top “Dog Towns” in the country. And the winner for 2012 was…(drum roll)…Bend, Oregon!

The article sites Bend as “a place where dogs both work and play, ski and swim.” And rightly so. With “ruffly” 27,000 dogs to 80,000 people, the city has definitely warmed up to its canine companions.

First of all, we have countless beautiful places to take your retriever, shepherd, schnauzer, cock-a-poo or All-American mutt for a daily stroll – and almost as many bag dispensers for cleaning up after them.

In the summertime, it’s not uncommon to see dogs floating along on the front of a kayak or paddleboard with the locals, or jumping into the river after a Frisbee at the River Bend Dog Park. The city boasts six other off-leash areas, along with miles of dog-friendly mountain biking trails in the Deschutes National Forest.

In downtown Bend, residents can flaunt their dog at the annual 4th of July Pet Parade. Numerous restaurants, namely breweries, allow—even encourage—dogs on their patio areas. And numerous shops leave a fresh bowl of water outside their doors so Nugget can have a cool drink on a hot day.

Wintertime is just as much fun for dogs. The city’s dog advocacy group, DogPAC, has acquired a snowcat—renamed Sno-Dog—to enhance trail grooming at Wanoga Sno-Park, resulting in a two-mile loop of dog-friendly winter trails next to your own ski and snowshoe tracks.

Area residents and winter visitors can take dog-sled rides at the Oregon Trail of Dreams on Mt. Bachelor and maybe meet local Iditarod musher Rachel Scdoris. Mt. Bachelor Avalanche Rescue Dogs are skilled at locating victims under masses created by snow slides, while the dogs in the High Desert Search Dogs group focus on wilderness and urban tracking and trailing.

It’s easy to see why Dog Fancy has honored Bend as the best place for man’s best friends to have a healthy, active life. And it’s not too shabby for their owners, either.

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