Have you ever considered how far you walk with your dog? If you walk just 15 minutes a day you will have walked far enough in your dog's lifetime to cross the United States. With all that walking ahead of you, aren't you ready for a new place to take a hike with your dog? Doug Gelbert, author of 22 books on hiking with your dog, has brought his pack to the Pittsburgh region to sniff out the area's best tail-friendly parks and trails for the new book, DOGGIN' PITTSBURGH: THE 50 BEST PLACES TO HIKE WITH YOUR DOG IN SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA. Pittsburgh can be a great place to hike with your dog. Within a short drive your canine adventurer can be climbing forested mountainsides that leave him panting, trotting through impossibly green ravines, exploring the estates of America's wealthiest families or circling lakes for miles and never lose sight of the water. DOGGIN' PITTSBURGH explores the region's top trails with your best friend in mind... Where can your dog see Long Island's largest population of its only native cactus, the prickly pear? (page 83) Where can your dog visit the site of United State government time travel experiments (maybe)? (page 51) Where can your dog stand by the grave of August Belmont's Gordon setter, Robin, who he showed in the first Westminster Dog Show in 1877 (page 63) No Dogs Is there any more dispiriting day for a dog owner than driving to a new park and encountering the dreaded "NO DOGS" sign? DOGGIN' PITTSBURGH tells you the parks that don't welcome dogs. Also packed inside these 116 pages are... ...dog-friendly campgrounds ...tips on outfitting your dog for a hike ...tips on practicing low impact hiking with your dog ...and much more What makes a greatplace to take your dog hiking? Well, how about a paw-friendly surface to trot on? Grass and sandy dirt are a lot more appealing than asphalt and rocks. A variety of hikes is always good - long ones for athletic dogs and short ones for the less adventurous canine. Dogs always enjoy a refreshing place to swim as well. For dog-friendly parks our guides describe the trail options for your dog, evaluate park traffic from other users, tell you whether you will need a guide dog to find your way around and, of course, tell you how to get to the park. While walking the dog, Gelbert also brings along generous helpings of local history, botany, geology, architecture and more. So what are you waiting for? Your dog will want to hike through the deepest gorge in the Eastern United States (page 67), view deadly insectivorous plants (page 51), find the best doggie swimming hole in southwest Pennsylvania (page 65), hike through the only preserved battlefield from Pontiac's War (page 94)...