Whether we’re in a dog-friendly store in downtown Portland, a pooch-loving restaurant like Lucky Labrador Brewing, or in one of Portland’s many Fido-friendly parks, Michael, age 5, always finds a cutie to cuddle.

He never misses an opportunity–after first, of course, asking the pet owners if their pooch is friendly and wants some love. We always ask if the dog prefers to be picked up, stroked, hugged or simply admired from a distance.

For dog lovers like Michael, Portland is a great city to meet pooches, pups and tail-waggers. It’s also a great city to be out and about with your best friend!

In fact, Portland consistently garners high rankings for its dog friendliness. It boasts 33 dogs parks (5.7 parks per every 100,000 residents), the highest number of dog parks per capita in the nation, according to Oregonlive.com. What’s more, Portland abounds with creative businesses that focus on Fido. For example, the city has 19 pet massage therapists and a social network for dog lovers, according to Oregonlive.com. One of our Kickstarter backers counts among these unique businesses. Sniff Dog Hotel offers a happy hour that combines beer for dog owners and free indoor play for their pooches.

Portland also gained the label of the most dog-friendly city in the nation by the personal-finance website NerdWallet and second-highest in a 2007 Forbes.com listing.

When we stop to chat with dog owners (a few times a day), we often learn that they got their best friend at the Oregon Humane Society, one of the largest dog shelters in the country.

You can learn more about the Oregon Humane Society–which is able to take dogs from all over the country until they’re adopted–here:

Whenever we’re out and about, we’re sure to bring our own best friend, Hudson. He shops with us, joins us when we eat at an outdoor restaurant, and makes friends for us. Along the way, he gets lots of hugs and kisses, too!

Before you follow in Michael’s footsteps and express your love to the dogs you encounter, be sure to heed this warning from Mark Dunlop, a dog trainer in Portland:

Off we go for a walk, hoping Hudson finds some friends.

While we’re out and about with Hudson, we often post on Twitter photos of the cuties we encounter. You can follow us on Twitter here: Bash and Lucy on twitter And learn more about our mission of instilling in kids a love of dogs–and dog books–here: BashAndLucy.com