Fort Funston, San Francisco

View of Fort Funston cliffs, San Francisco County

• Fort Funston, San Francisco. This stretch of rugged headlands just south of Ocean Beach in the southwest part of the city is not fenced, but it’s nirvana for off-leash dogs and woofing with canine activity even on drizzly, foggy days. Read more.

Stroller-friendly hikes for wheels, feet and paws

baby in stroller on walking path with dog

Photo by Minnie Zhou.

There are thousands of places to hike with kids and dogs in California, but if you’re new to an area, Read more.

Family Dog Rescue 2018

Black and brown dog at Family Dog Rescue

San Francisco's Family Dog Rescue's guiding philosophy is "We believe that when you adopt a dog, a family is created" — and they exist to help create and sustain those families. From their new headquarters in the Bayview, Family Dog offers a safe haven to dogs in need — puppies, adults, mixed breeds, purebreds, and dogs with disabilities — whether they're stuck in shelters, wandering the streets, or rescued from abusive situations. Funded entirely by donors, Family Dog provides necessary medical care and supportive foster homes, allowing each dog to reveal his or her true personality — and the kind of family they're meant to be part of. Read more.

Stay a night or three

If all that hiking, eating and drinking makes it unwise to drive home, why not put paws to pillow? The standout dog-friendly Oakland hotel, perhaps, is the Waterfront Hotel in the Jack London Square dining, shopping and entertainment district. Fittingly for a hotel with water frontage, the décor at this boutique Joie de Vivre property is nautical. It’s affordable as big-city hotels go and there's never an extra charge for dogs Read more.

There’s always something dog-centric going on in Oakland

Jack London Square, named for the California author who spent his boyhood on the Oakland waterfront before taking off for the Klondike (his relocated cabin is a local landmark), is Oakland’s vibrant social and historical nucleus, home to dozens of shops, restaurants, retail outlets and inviting lawns where many an event is held. It’s only fitting that a public space named for the author of “Call of the Wild” is dog-friendly, too! Read more.