By Kathryn Reed

Dogs are better than children to go out to eat with. They clean up after you instead of being the ones to make a mess.

This is the season to eat outside with your four-legged family member. The following is a smattering of places that are dog friendly.

The Tavern inside the Tahoe Beach Retreat in South Lake Tahoe has an entire day devoted to dogs. Canines & Cocktails is happening every Tuesday from 4-9pm. Show up with a dog and you get a 25 percent discount. AJ was loving it because not only did she get to be inside, she also was given a doggie treat.

She also got to be inside at Artemis at Ski Run Marina in South Lake. This might have been because she was with Dexter who is a legitimate, super-certified therapy dog. They were given his and her water bowls. Carole brought Dexter, her golden retriever, down from Incline for lunch. It was cool this particular June day, so eating in seemed like a better option. There is plenty of outdoor space, though, for canines.

We tried to eat outside at the Cantina in South Tahoe, even got let in the back gate to the patio. But we got tired of sitting there without service so we went to the bar. No one said anything, so she just laid on the floor at our feet.

Julie and I started outside at Revive near Lakeview Commons, but the rain in July chased us indoors. No one seemed to mind; AJ was as close to the door as she could be without actually crossing the threshold. This would be a great place for a dog because of the vast front yard area.

Appropriately, I was with two brothers while eating outside at Brothers Bar and Grill in South Tahoe. Dogs are OK there if they sit in the far back near the horseshoe pit area. It’s dirt/sand back there. It’s possible to enter through the back and not have to go through the restaurant.

While the tables outside are somewhat close together at Fireside Pizza at the Village at Squaw Valley, there is still room for dogs. Waitresses will bring your furry friend a bowl of water upon request.

Dogs are welcome on the tram at Squaw, as well as on the deck at High Camp, and throughout the village.

What set Heavenly Village apart was AJ’s water coming in a recyclable to-go container. I liked the idea of a single-user water bowl. Azul and The Loft each did this. The concrete at Azul was ideal for AJ to spread out on after a long hike. She was more restless at The Loft; the fake turf wasn’t to her liking but she did enjoy watching everyone play mini golf.

At AleWorX in the Crossing at the Y in South Tahoe there are almost as many dogs at people. Everyone was getting along great. However, if your dog can’t stomach pizza, beware because the people are a little sloppy. Water for dogs is provided if you ask.

South Lake Brewing Company is another venue where dogs almost outnumber the people. One pup was so well trained it could jump onto a bar stool. This gave him the advantage to see the doggie treats in the beer glass.

At Blue Angel Café in South Lake dogs have the choice of being on grass or wood chips. The food that has fallen is a bit hard to see in the wood chips. Sue ordered three waters; and appropriately two glasses and a bowl were delivered.

Steamers in South Lake Tahoe has a ton of outdoor space. AJ only had to share it with a toddler. The artificial turf was clean, so no worrying about what she might nibble on. Access to the back is through the restaurant.

Another clean spot was Classic Clue in South Lake. There was no random food on the ground for AJ to munch on. (As usual, she did share in the fries that Kim and I were having for dinner.) While AJ had to stretch out on hard asphalt, at dusk it provided her some warmth.

AJ loved being on the lawn at X Crows, the restaurant at Hotel Becket in South Lake Tahoe. Our picnic table was on the edge of the grass and patio. She lapped up the water from her bowl to cool off as the sun was setting.

It was all grass for AJ at the Bear Beach Café in South Lake. Along the outdoor wall is an assortment of self-serve doggie water dishes and a hose to fill them up.

Down the street at MacDuff’s Pub the large umbrellas provide plenty of shade, keeping the wood deck cool for those lying on it. AJ lapped up the attention from the foursome at the table next to us as they kept complimenting her.

At the Getaway Café in Meyers half of the outdoor tables had a dog along for breakfast. The soft rocks appeared to be to all of their liking. And there were plenty of water bowls to go around.

It’s not just restaurants with outside tables that welcome dogs. Seldom does a Bank of the West teller forget to offer AJ a treat.

Almost all pet stores allow dogs. At Pet Supermarket in South Lake Tahoe it’s like nirvana with all the smells. It’s hard to get out of there without buying an individual treat at the front counter. I’m a sucker. At Hot Diggity Dog & Cat in Kings Beach the store dog is stretched out in the doorway, not even a sniff or a wag of the tail as AJ goes by. The two younger dogs want to be let out from behind the gate. Not happening, though. AJ loved their Giants decorated bones.