In Flagstaff, people are required to have dogs. Ok, probably not – but there may be some kind of municipal requirement for people to be genuinely fond of dogs.  And that’s great news for everyone  who wants to escape the Phoenix heat with their best buddies. (And even though, it is a beautiful morning right now – we all know it’s going to be miserable by this afternoon)

True story: a friend’s big black mixed-breed dog was sitting out front of Macy’s coffeehouse in down Flag. A guy walks up, bends downs and sticks his face right up to the dog’s face. The dog responded by licking the guy’s face like a mother attacking a toddler with a washcloth. The guy stands up, says thank you and hits the road.

People in Flag love dogs. They leave water bowls in front of their businesses for them and there are plenty of dog-friendly places in Flagstaff to hang out like:

• Bookman’s: 1520 S Riordan Ranch St.
• Camping World -9147 W H 66  Bellemont
•  Late for the Train -107 N San Francisco St.
• Diablo Burger: 120 N Leroux St #112
• Flagstaff Brewing Co: 16 E. Route 66
• Macy’s European Coffeehouse -14 S Beaver St.
• New Jersey Pizza Company -2224 E Cedar Ave.
• NiMarcos Pizza: 101 S. Beaver St.

And there’s plenty of places to stay with your dog. Flagstaff has a wide variety of chain hotels, including La Quinta, which is well known for being pet friendly. If you want to go local, try the Arizona Mountain Inn.

Yes, there are places to hang out and to stay but the best thing about Flagstaff may be the abundant hiking trails up north that will welcome your dog. Check out the Flagstaff Nordic Center, a cross country ski center with nearly 25 miles of non-repetitive trails. Owners and their leashed dogs can wind through some of the largest Ponderosa pine stands in the state.

There’s also dog parks in the Flagstaff area including:

• Bushmaster Dog Park -3150 N. Alta Vista
• Thorpe Park Bark Park -600 N. Thorpe Road

And don’t forget the guy at Macy’s – he’ll welcome your dog with open arms.