Wine With Your Pup

Enjoying a glass of wine with your dog (no wine for the dog)

If you don’t live in Santa Cruz County, you probably know this gorgeous stretch of the California coast for its beaches, its stellar university and the namesake town that proudly embraces its somewhat eccentric reputation. But Santa Cruz County is also known for its mountains, its redwood forests and its wines, particularly the pinot noir and chardonnay that thrive in the fog-kissed climate. Wineries and tasting rooms are sprinkled throughout the county, and dogs get a warm welcome at many of them. Read more.

Things to Do in Santa Cruz County

dog on hike drinking water from water bottle

When it comes to things to do with your dog in Santa Cruz County, there’s the obvious (beaches, wineries), and the not-so-obvious—like Byrne-Milliron Forest, a 400-acre Land Trust of Santa Cruz County property managed as a working forest and laced with dog-friendly trails (off-leash hiking for dogs with reliable recall is allowed). Read more.

Cruz The California Coast

Dog and people on the Santa Cruz County coast

Follow the Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1) along the Santa Cruz County coastline, and you’ll be tempted by 29 miles of beaches (15 of them dog-friendly) along the way. Only one, Mitchell’s Cove, is legally leash-free, and then only before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m. But no worries: there are plenty of other strands to explore provided you keep a tether stretched between you. Read more.

Kissing the Santa Cruz coast

Santa Cruz SPCA 2017

Children petting at dog at Sant Cruz SPCA

At Santa Cruz SPCA, it's all about creative community partnerships. Like when the local Anthropologie hosted adoptable dogs in a fashionable setting. Or the dog-friendly Jerk House offering a day of Jamaican cuisine and fun activities for people and dogs at the restaurant, then donating 10 percent of the proceeds to SCSPCA. Read more.