Tampa area pet owners taking dogs more places than ever

In a New Yorker magazine cartoon, a man smoking a pipe and reading a newspaper sits in an easy chair. His wife stands in the kitchen doorway. Between them, their dog stands on hind legs, dressed smartly with a top hat, bow tie, tuxedo, boutonniere and cane.

Howard, the wife says, I think the dog wants to go out.

Lately, it seems there isnt any place in public you wont see dogs tagging along with their human companions. So much so, you almost expect to see them in formal attire.

Once, a dogs place was in the home. Today, its place is almost everywhere. Outdoor festivals. Bar patios. Ice cream stands. The workplace. The National Pet Owners Survey claims more than 1 million dogs are brought to work daily, including this Friday on Take Your Dog to Work Day.

Its past the time to concede that the world has become one big dog park.

Now more than ever, people are traveling with their pets, says Jenn Fadal, owner of Wag Natural Pet Market on Davis Islands, which promotes itself as a place for Tampas pet parents. In addition to natural pet food, Fadal sells leashes and collars and accessories that help dog owners take their pups along with them wherever they go.

Theyre treating their pets like a child, like a member of the family, Fadal says. Theyre taking vacations with their dogs. And when the dogs cant go, sometimes they dont take the vacation.

Dog encounters happen almost everywhere now. Fadal remembers a day recently when she was shopping at the DSW shoe store on Dale Mabry Highway. Suddenly and unexpectedly, a French bulldog came along for a nuzzle. The owner was roaming the aisles, casually shoe shopping with le petit chien francais on a leash.

Of course, the bulldog was loving me, the pet store owner says. [To them] I smell like 500 dogs all the time.

Fadal writes about dogs-in-public issues for a blog called The Pack Mom (thepackmom.com). Along with operating the store, its a topic she knows well. Most mornings, she and her husband, Cristan, and their 3-year-old son Sebastian go for a 2.5-mile power-walk with their dogs Abe and Chico, a Labrador mix and a Chihuahua. They do the same almost every evening as well.

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Tampa area pet owners taking dogs more places than ever