Where is your favorite place in the US to vacation with your dog?

Strangely I would say the Salt Lake City area.  This town(s) is covered with dog parks, dog friendly businesses, etc, but the real reason is that Yellowstone National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Arches National Park and several other National and State Parks are short drives (approximately 5 hours) from here, and are also all dog friendly, although depending on the type of dog, you might need a bear report before leaving.

My dog passed away a while ago but I would definitely say Carmel is one of the easiest places on the planet to take a dog. Every store has a water dish outside it, they can run on the beach and there are plenty of restaurants that have sections for people with dogs. Plus, it's just one of the best towns on the planet, I think. 

I'm going to have to say San Francisco, and the whole Bay Area in general.  People love their dogs here!  

My favorite place to see pooches isn't actually in the city proper, but in the suburbs in Richmond (California) (about a 20 minute drive away) at Point Isabel Dog Park.  It's pretty much the coolest dog park ever.

This is going to sound weird, but.... I don't actually have a dog (someday!); but I love dogs, so I just go there to play with other people's dogs.  One time I told this to a friend and he said, "People are okay with that?", "Yeah, totally!", "Are you sure they aren't creepy guys just trying to pick up girls at the dog park?", "There are lots of families and couples there, too, and if anyone's creepy, well... I'm probably the creepy one" Ya know, at the dog park without a dog and all.

The people there are so nice and the dogs there are SUPER happy.  It's on the water and there's only one road to get there.  When you see cars with pooches in it approaching the park, you'll tails and tongues extra wagging because they know they're about to go to ~*somewhere amazing*~.

Bonus points:

• There's a cafe there for humans called Mudpuppy's at Point Isabel Dog Park, also known as Mudpuppy’s Tub & Scrub/ Sit & Stay Cafe.  After dogs spend the day sniffing each other, playing in the mud, and going for a swim, you can take them here to be bathed and groomed while you enjoy coffee and a sandwich.
  
• There's a Costco Wholesale right there just in case you also need to run errands, killing two birds with one stone.
• Last, but not least, the views are AMAZING.  You can see the Golden Gate Bridge and a lot of the San Francisco high rise buildings from there.  Here it is at sunset:

Good luck planning your trip!  San Francisco's a pretty good choice.  When my best friend visits without her dogs and she's missing them, I just take her here.  You'll just being sitting on a bench minding your own business, then suddenly be surrounded by 10 adorable and super happy dogs.  

So awesome :)

Fort Collins Co. I thought savannah Ga was until I moved to FoCo. My wife and I never go out without our dog (  Burt Reynolds ), the dog park in town has a man made pond and dock for your dog to run and jump into. And going to old town with your dog is great! We have our favorite dog store that we always go to, and Burt gets his favorite, peanut butter and bacon ice cream!! 

Hi Jill!

I loved having my dog in San Francisco! 

There are plenty of dog parks all throughout the city and most restaurants I went to were dog friendly as well. 

Baker Beach is dog friendly and such a beautiful spot with the Golden Gate Bridge right in front of you. Your pup is bound to have a good time here! 

Hand's down, I would say Santa Barbara. There are endless outdoor cafes (The Andersen's is incredible) and tons of places to let your pup run off leash if they want to. Aside from all that, though, there's a fantastic dog-friendly beach called Hendry's Beach that is absolutely amazing. First of all they have on- and off-leash sections which is great because I don't love having my little dog around other dogs who are off-leash, but even better than that--they have a little station where you can give your dog a little bath before they go home! Obviously, I've most beaches have a little shower head where you can get the sand off your feet but I'd never seen a doggie bath before. 

Also, if you go up the coast, Waller Park is a GREAT dog park with tons of open space--I'd check it out even without my dog. 

Both Napa and Sonoma each have at least a dozen dog-friendly wineries. Google search will provide a couple of websites with a list.

Being able to bring my dog, a toy Manchester terrier, made it a memorable experience. I even found a limo service that drove us around...I just had to have my pet carrier which came in handy when we went to a winery that didn't allow dogs. My dog enjoyed the air conditioning while the limo driver watched him.

We took my mom’s little Maltese to Savannah thinking we’d have to leave him in the hotel most of the time and come back in shifts to take care of him but we ended bringing him just about everywhere with us because the city was so welcoming to dogs. We were absolutely shocked by how many places we were allowed to take him.

Bonaventure Cemetery lets you take your dog in as long as he or she is on a leash which really surprised us. You’re also allowed to take your dog into any of the city’s famous public squares and parks which was great because Forsyth Park was one of our favorite places to hang out and the dog loved it.

One of the big attractions of Savannah is its walking tours and there’s even one for dogs which we couldn’t believe. It’s called Oliver Bentleys (which is also a dog food company that’s located in the city) and it starts from Wright Square and takes you all over the city. Just make sure your dog is a good walker--we had to leave a bit early because ours isn't. 

If you want a good Savannah restaurant to take your dog to, check out the The Olde Pink House. They have a cute little outside area that’s perfect for dogs. It’s a great place for a splurge dinner because you can really take your time without worrying about getting back to the hotel to check on your dog. 

Oakland, California! 

I love taking my dog around Lake Merritt or going for a run a long the new San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge.

There are tons of great hikes up in the Oakland Hills. My favorite hiking spots with my pup are at Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park or Joaquin Miller Park. Both are scenic and you can take your dog off their leash so they can explore and sniff freely.

(Hiking with some friends at Joaquin Miller Park)

I travel with my dog a lot and Telluride Co and Baja Mexico are both super friendlY towards dogs. There are digs everywhere in Telluride, they allow them on the Gondola to go up the mountain and they even have poop bag dispensers on every corner in town. lots of great hikes and places to take your dog to eat outside. 

The beaches on the N Coast HwyOregon coast.  We spent two weeks on various beaches there in September and altho there were lots of signs requiring dogs on leash, no one cared when we let our spaniel mix run free.  Many of the state parks along Hwy 101 have pet friendly cabins and yurts listed at www.oregonstateparks.org.

The answer to this depends upon the age, breed and size of the dog. My Black Lab and Australian Sheep Dog which are on the medium size and fairly young love to run and get into the water. Any chance for them to get their energy out is great. Since I live in Florida and it is hot year round. Any dog park with lots of water, beach, trail or wide open area is great for them or even the mountains. My little Jack Russel Terrier is hyper and all over the place. The mountains would not do for him. My dachshund is on the old side and is a bit over weight. So just lounging around the house with a special treat and away from the other dogs is perfectly fine for her.