El Paso Texas for Dog Lovers

El Paso Texas for Dog Lovers

Welcome to Living in El Paso, Texas. I'm John Peña, a real estate agent here, and this episode is all about dogs. If you're thinking about relocating to El Paso or selling your home here, please reach out to us. This channel exists for people who are either trying to learn more about El Paso or just curious what people who aren't from here think about it. We've been here about two years now, so we love it, but maybe we're a little biased.

Dogs play a pretty big role in a lot of our lives, and if you're not from El Paso, you might have questions about how dog-friendly the city is and what you can expect to do with your dog here. One of the best things about having a dog in El Paso is that you get a year-round opportunity to enjoy the outdoors together. The one disclaimer: when it gets really hot, you shouldn't be walking your dog on hot sidewalks and streets, so be careful about that. But since our winters aren't full of snow, ice, and blizzards, you can still get out and do activities with your dog through the winter months, when that might be more of a challenge in the northern parts of the country.

Daycare, Grooming, and Boarding

El Paso has plenty of daycare, grooming, and boarding options for dog and cat owners to choose from, with both indoor and outdoor daycare available. Some daycares offer extra services like trail hikes, training, and obedience work to help your dog build good manners, plus administering medication for dogs that need it and one-on-one playtime. If you have multiple dogs, some groomers and boarding facilities offer multi-dog discounts. We've had very good luck with our own dogs, and now even some cats, at grooming and doggy daycare here. But that's what the internet is for: research these businesses, check the reviews, and make sure you're getting the best care for your animal.

McKelligan Canyon

Beyond daycare and grooming, it's important that your dog gets real activity and exercise. I'm not a crazy dog person, but I remember the Dog Whisperer's advice: exercise, discipline, and affection, in that order. I think that might actually be from Letterkenny, honestly I can't recall, but either way it's a good point. Younger dogs especially have a lot of energy, and the best way to deal with that is to exercise them. Trust me, when we exercise our young dogs, they're so much better behaved than when we don't.

El Paso has plenty of trails and a ton of dog parks to help with that. McKelligan Canyon is one of the most popular. It's an awesome area in the northeast, right off of 54. There's an amphitheater where they hold concerts and plays, and it's also a picnic area. There's a great hike here that takes you up to the top of the Franklin Mountains. We've done it with our oldest dog, Basil. She's getting a little older now, and she might not do great with it today, but she did pretty well when we went. I've seen people carry their small dogs when the trail gets to be too much for them.

El Paso Tin Mines Hike

We did a video on this one. Miguel and Issa went and checked it out. It's a long hike, so make sure you bring plenty of water for yourself and your dog.

Westside Community Rec Center and Dog Park

This one is actually pretty close to where I live, and it's a great area. We'll talk about dog parks in a bit, but this location also has additional trails.

Franklin Mountain State Park

Anywhere in Franklin Mountain State Park, you can bring your dogs as long as they're on a leash. I love letting my dogs off the leash so they can run around and burn more energy, but I've got a story a little later about why it's a good idea to keep them leashed while you're out hiking.

Lazy Cow Trailhead

This one I haven't done.

Hueco Tanks

We've done a couple of videos on Hueco Tanks. I didn't actually know dogs were allowed out there, but it's a really beautiful area.

Pebble Hills Dog Park

Dog parks have become a much bigger thing than they used to be. I don't remember them being nearly as common when I was a kid, but El Paso has plenty of options now, with both leashed and off-leash parks, some with water fountains and obstacle courses. Pebble Hills Dog Park is out in the Far East. I drive by it all the time. It's three acres of grass with two separate areas for small dogs and large dogs, an obstacle course feature, and there are plans for a water fountain in the future.

Don Haskins Community Center

This one is over by me, and it's an off-leash grass park that's fully fenced in, with two separate areas for small dogs and large dogs, small trees for shade, and a water fountain. This is the one we love. We take our dogs here all the time.

Eastwood Dog Park

I'm not as familiar with this one. I'm assuming it's over on the east side. It's off-leash and fenced in, all gravel, with agility equipment.

Dog parks are a fantastic option, not just to exercise your dog and yourself, but honestly, they're also a nice way to meet other people. If you're just moving here, a dog park can be a great way to meet fellow dog lovers and make some new friends.

Rite Eatery

Being a pet owner shouldn't mean leaving your fur child behind when you go out. With sunny days year-round, El Paso has great weather for you and your pet to enjoy together. Here are a few of the places where you can bring your dog when you go out to eat, ideally leashed and well-behaved. Rite Eatery has a dog-friendly outdoor patio with overhead fans, and they'll bring out a bowl of water for your dog. We go here all the time. I love Rite.

Deluxe

This one has a dog-friendly outdoor patio.

Eloise

I haven't been here myself, but it has a dog-friendly patio.

Tippy Tees

I've been here. It has a dog-friendly patio.

Rooley's International Kitchen

This one has a dog-friendly patio.

The Hoppy Mug

This is a cool little place near UTEP, off Mesa. It has a dog-friendly patio.

Gringo Theory Patio Bar

This is a really cool place that Lee and I found about a year ago, over on the east side, near the Far East. It's a really cool, hip bar with a pretty expansive outdoor patio area, and sure enough, it's set up with a fenced-in little dog area, kind of like a playground space. I wanted to actually film a video there, but we just haven't made it happen yet. We've been several times though, and it's a really cool place.

Mutt's Canine Cantina

This one might be coming to West El Paso. It's kind of a restaurant and dog park combo, so that sounds like it would be pretty cool. There are plans to open in El Paso next year, and we'll have to do a video on it when it does. There's so much new development happening in El Paso right now. It's awesome that we're getting the Amazon Distribution Center, and that we're building new hospitals. But the fact that we're also getting these trendier, hip spots, like a dog-restaurant-patio-bar combo, shows that El Paso is really trying to capitalize on its up-and-coming nature right now.

Veterinary Care

The thing most people ask me about when it comes to pets is veterinary care. Everybody wants to make sure their furry friends have the best healthcare possible, and there are plenty of options here in El Paso, including several emergency clinics and some more affordable choices. If you've ever had to take your animal to an emergency clinic, you know it's a big hit to the wallet. That's still true here, but it's not as much of a hit as it might be if you're coming from a bigger city. For simpler procedures, like vaccinations at an affordable price, there are Vetco clinics set up inside Petco stores on the weekends.

I love this next part. There are also more affordable options for pet owners just across the border. People already know that folks go over to Juárez for dental work or other medical treatments and procedures because the prices are significantly more affordable, and the same is true for veterinary care. There are several quality veterinarians just a few minutes from El Paso. Alejandro is really into dogs and pets, and he goes over to Juárez fairly often. He highly recommends the Veterinary Hospital of Medical Surgical Specialties, and we're happy to share their address, or you can reach out to us if you're interested. The point is, you've got great options right here in El Paso, but if you want something more affordable, it's right across the border too.

Keep Them on the Leash

Having a dog in El Paso is pretty fantastic. One of the things I really like is that our weather makes it easy to get your dog out and about. I live in a quiet little neighborhood, and there are people out every morning, afternoon, and evening walking their dogs, pretty much year-round.

That said, we were on a hike just last weekend, about 30 minutes north in Las Cruces, not here in El Paso. It was an established state park area, so dogs had to be on a leash. We were with other people, so we were being extra careful, and we took Marcel and Maude, our two youngest dogs, on the leash. We had a great time, but on the way back, there was a rattlesnake on the trail. This was in mid-October. It was a pretty decent size, probably three-ish feet, more or less. It saw us and coiled up, and we stopped because we heard it rattling and saw it there. I can guarantee you that if our dogs hadn't been on the leash, one or both of them would have gone up to that snake and probably gotten bitten, and probably wouldn't have survived it.

You can actually train your dog for encounters like this. There's special training for snakes, believe it or not, and our dogs should probably get it, because they're curious. Anytime something new comes around, they're going to go up nose-first, and they could get bitten and die. I hate to be morbid about it, but it's a really important point. At certain times of the year, when the snakes are hibernating and not coming out, you're probably fine, but it's something to keep in mind. We want you and your dog to be safe.

If you have any questions or concerns about anything we've talked about here, whether it's dogs, real estate, or local businesses in El Paso, please don't be shy about reaching out. We created this channel to be a resource for you, and we've also got a website where you can find even more information. Until next time, have a great week.