Walking the Dog on a Summer's Day

Want to take Fido along on your summer excursions and don't know where to you are allowed?

I have run into this many times, or been somewhere and realized I could have brought my dog with me.

As I have discussed in this column, there are many restrictions due to village, state and federal laws about where you can bring your dog in Morton Grove.

One example is the . Because of the Department of Agriculture's rules, dogs are not allowed near food at farmers' markets.

I think my dog would try to sneak a nibble and get us evicted anyway.

So that is not an option, but there are other great places to take your four-legged best friend in our town and nearby.

My favorite walk with the dogs is along the quiet village streets and then up to the Forest Preserve path. It can get a bit crowded on weekends, but we are usually walking very early in the morning and have the path to ourselves.

Beyond the borders of Morton Grove there is the Sculpture Garden in Skokie along McCormick Boulevard.

If your dog needs some company and likes a party, Pooch Park is open now in Skokie/Evanston on property shared by both. The address is 3220 Oakton St.

The non-resident fee is $85 for the year and $15 for each additional dog.

Further east will get you to Evanston's very dog friendly venues along the lakefront and city streets.

Go to City of Evanston's concerts info page for information on such doggie-friendly festivals as Ethnic Arts Fair July 16 and 17, Lake Shore Arts Festival August 6 and 7.

Coming up this next weekend is the Custer Street Fair at Custer and Main Streets. You may find more information here.

Hopefully, this list should be enough to keep you and your furry friend busy for the next few months.