This just in: Hanging out with your dogs in public is cool. The best part is, it’s getting much easier to do it. A growing amount of restaurants and stores are allowing dogs either inside or on patio areas.

There’s a coffee shop in Portland called Iron Mutt Coffee Co. that goes above and beyond just letting your dog hang with you. They have a enclosed outdoor dog run/patio–it’s both dog and human-friendly. They also get free water and biscuits.

Pretty cool concept. If you’re nowhere near the Portland, try doing a search of dog-friendly places around your area. They’re popping up like crazy.

You can check out the folks at Iron Mutt by visiting www.ironmuttcoffee.com