Sunday, July 29, 2012

Only in Provincetown - The Most Dog-Friendly Town in America

I don't know anywhere else in the world where you can take your dog into a public building like the post office or the bank and not only be welcomed in, but be fawned over and admired, and be offered a doggie treat to boot. Tellers at the drive-up window will ask how many dogs are in the car, so they can send out the correct number of dog cookies along with the driver's deposit receipt.
In most any other place in the so-called civilized world, you would find this sign instead loudly proclaiming "No Dogs Allowed" in menacing, red, prohibitive lettering.  In PTown dogs are lionized rather than villainized. At Seamens Bank on Commercial Street, where this photo was taken, any dog that is tall enough to reach the counter is encouraged to stand up on its hind legs and accept a dog bone from an admiring teller.
At my last inquiry I was told more than a quarter-million dollars had been privately raised for the Pilgrim Bark Park, the dog park out on Shank Painter Road. We now have a bubbler (a water fountain, for those of us born somewhere other than New England) on Commercial Street, in front of Town Hall, put there to provide a drink for dogs walking by with their humans, with the fountains included for watering the humans being its secondary purpose.
Many shopkeepers set out a bowl of fresh water for passing dogs and keep dog treats handy, and all of this prompted Dog Fancy magazine in 2010 to name Provincetown the Most dog-friendly of their top 40 cities and towns. Dog Fancy editor Ernie Slone said: "All dog owners know of a few local shops or restaurants that allow dogs, but it is remarkable to have an entire town where virtually every establishment opens its doors to dogs - even the bank."
Click on this link to find a Provincetown Business Guild article all about  bringing your dog to Provincetown.

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