It used to be that a dog was there to serve a purpose, for protection or maybe to help with hunting. Those times have changed. Nowadays, your dog isn’t just your pet. He’s a part of the family. Heck, he probably gets more pampering than you do!

It’s not just people changing their attitude toward dogs, towns are too. A lot of places that would normally be off-limits to our four-legged friends are now welcoming them in. After all it’s not just a nice thing to do, it’s good for business.

But how does a person find out which places allow dogs? Well, there’s a new website meant to give you the answer.

Fido Factor calls itself the “ultimate guide to dog-friendly locations”. It’s a growing online resource of businesses that allow dogs: Restaurants, bars, shopping, parks, attractions, lodging, etc.

Image via Wikipedia

But this site is still young so its database is far from complete. You search Boston or San Francisco and you’ll find dozens (or even hundreds) of entries. But try typing in Des Moines or Milwaukee and you’ll get almost nothing – mostly just a listing of a few chain hotels that have a dog-friendly policy.

This site has great potential. Not only does it allow people to add dog-friendly locations to their directory, the site will also donate a small amount to the San Francisco SPCA for each new location and location review.

So while the site is far from where it needs to be, it’s getting there. It just takes dog-owners and dog-friendly businesses to build it up and help it truly become the ultimate guide to dog-friendly locations.