Welcome to Yappy Hour! (Animal Friendly Bars)
by Paul Katz

Pets need to hydrate. So do humans. While animals might be happy with a bowl of water, owners often prefer their soda water to have a bit of Scotch in it.

So where to go when the mood strikes for a libation but Fido is in tow? New York City area is awash in pro-pooch barkeeps and taverns that aim to please customers — two and four-legged.

In Manhattan, we’ve got no bone to pick with Von (3 Bleecker Street; 212-473-3039) where the wine list is extensive and the complimentary bar nuts have been replaced with a milk bone for visiting dogs, the SoHo Grand offers a type of hotel for dogs at the sliver of a drinking hole in a side-alley known as The Yard (310 W. Broadway; 212-965-3588), and further north lies the misleadingly named Hudson Beach Café (Riverside Dr. at 105th St; 917-370-3448) with plenty of nearby park access for dogs to explore but little actual sand — so   leave the pail and shovel at home.

For those willing to hop boroughs, Brooklyn is a well woof the trip across the river. In the outskirts of Crown Heights lies Franklin Park (618 St. John’s Place; (718) 975-0196) that boasts a beer garden setting but sells top shelf cocktails too. Over on 4th Avenue awaits a giant tree inside a bar! Well, in the backyard of a bar — but humans or canines that find relief on the foliage can expect to be asked to leave from the Cherry Tree (5 Fourth Ave; 718-399-1353). Treat man’s best friend like a royalty with a trip to the infamous Queens waterhole, L.I.C. Bar (45-58 Vernon Blvd; 718-786-5400) where hair-of- the-dog is both happily dished out and invited in.  

And remember: try not to drink and walk … on a leash.