Customer Reviews

Doggone Chicago Sniffing Our the Best Places to Take Your Best Friend

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A travel book without maps strikes me as not much of a travel book at all. While there is a lot of info. in this book, it's not easy-to-use. I'd rather have some directions, maps and tips than stories about Luna and Chaser and what kind of spaghetti sauce they prefer.

While this book provides a large number of listings about the local parks and other places, there are serious flaws. First of all, there are no maps (!), and directions are minimal or missing from most listings. Second, a lot of the descriptions contain more details about the author's dogs than about the places they visited, which is fun, but largely unhelpful. Finally, a lot of the information is out of date (although that's par for the course with any guidebook). As a resident of Chicago, I found it only slightly useful. I think a visitor to the city would have a hard time using it at all.

I don't believe there has ever been a book that will create so much fun for dogs and their owners. I give this book (in the author's terms) a rousing 4 bones!

I love and dearly miss Chicago, but was not a dog owner when I grew up in the city. I long to visit for reasons other than business, but cannot justify taking a vacation to a town where my dog might not have fun. This book gives me something to do and look forward to with my devoted companion Ben. I've seen all the museums, the shopping and the water, now I want to experience Chicago from Ben's point of view. I know he'll love the people and the street food! And my mom will love that I finally found a compelling reason to visit!

I was very disappointed when I tried to call the hotels in Downtown Chicago listed in the book as "dog friendly" and told that they no longer allow dogs. The only one that still allows dogs is the Resident's Inn Downtown Chicago. Based on that, I have reason to question the accuracy of the other information in the book (ie. restaurants, parks, shops etc.)

If you have a dog and live in Chicago, this book is a must. Just flipping through this book, you can quickly learn how dog friendly the Chicago are is.

Having recently moved to Madison, WI, I didn't realize what I had until it was gone (most parks prohibit dogs, and the designated "dog parks" are usually over run with extremely aggressive, untrained dogs that are a serious danger to you and your pet).

As one reviewer notes, you should phone ahead on some of the places in the book. The Renaissance Hotel downtown will allow small dogs (generally less than 15lbs), and even has a section on the room service menu for your furry friend.