Scottsdale Ranks #1 as Most Pet-Friendly City

Good morning, Scottsdale. You’re reading Scottsdale Scoop, your insider pass to what’s fun, fresh, and worth checking out around town. Every issue features hand-picked events, local business spotlights, and hidden gems that make our city great.

In today’s Scottsdale Scoop:

Let’s get into it.

— John Apolinar

The city announced a $40 million investment to revitalize Old Town Scottsdale's infrastructure and safety ahead of the city's 75th anniversary in 2026.

Major projects include expanding the Brown Avenue parking garage for $15.2 million, upgrading the Entertainment District parking garage for another $15.2 million, and improving Main Street from 69th Street to Scottsdale Road for $7.9 million.

Old Town Farmers Market will be relocated to accommodate the Brown Avenue expansion, and crews are already implementing pavement improvements across 374,000 square yards of streets and parking areas through October.

I love anything pets so I’m excited to share that Scottsdale has been named the most pet-friendly city in the United States, according to a new WalletHub study.

We ranked first due to its high number of pet businesses and dog-friendly shops per capita, with nearly 98% of rental listings allowing pets. Love to see it!

Scottsdale also has the 10th-highest number of dog-friendly restaurants per capita and nearly 27% of the city designated as parkland. The study compared 100 cities across pet budget, health and wellness, and outdoor pet-friendliness categories.

Tired of playing contractor roulette every time something breaks around the house? One Home Solution just launched in Scottsdale with actual full-time pros (not random guys with trucks) who show up on time with transparent pricing. 

Download their app and book your first service. No more endless Google searches or crossed fingers hoping your handyman actually shows up. It's like having a reliable home maintenance team on speed dial and we all deserve that peace of mind.

Want to spread the good word about your business, a fun concept you’re working on, a hire, or just want to say hello to 7,000 locals?

Graze Craze takes the stress out of hosting with handcrafted charcuterie boards that wow guests for every occasion. Locally owned in Fountain Hills and always freshly made, they deliver all over the Valley. Check them out here.

Westin Kierland is throwing a Disco in the Dessert indoor dance party on 8/16 and if you’re not there you’re square. They’ll have live music, disco dance lessons and photo ops. Snag a ticket here.

The Dating Gym is much needed for some of us! Struggling to find the confidence to get off the dating apps and meet women in person? Worried, you won't know what to say? They’ll teach you and work on exactly how to meet the person you've been searching for. Sign up for a free class here on Fri, Sat or Sun.

Zen Vitality just opened their doors to Scottsdale a few months ago and if you’re looking for a sanctuary for modern wellness this is it. Book a session here.

This is another cool local business owned by a young entrepreneur, Izabella Rivera. She took her experience of being a barista for 6 years and launched her own venture, Juniper Street Coffee this year!

They’re a mobile coffee cart serving everything from Matcha to Coffee and focused on creating a community of fellow coffee and matcha lovers.

Their instagram is awesome, with a lot of content around making fun drinks like pumpkin pie lattes and apple cinnamon butter matcha lattes. It’s also where they share where their next pop up is so feel free to follow their journey! Love to see young entrepreneurs getting after it.

Nothing in this section is sponsored. They're just local businesses I wanted to highlight. I'll always let you know when something's sponsored.

Kauboi (pronounced like Cowboy) is a restaurant inside the REMI Hotel that just opened! It’s an upscale restaurant with a "cowboy attitude," blending high-end Japanese dishes with bold, creative elements.

It had such a fun atmosphere and I loved all the Japanese whiskeys they had to order from! We ordered a variety of different dishes from oysters to steak and all of them were great. The standouts to me were the Hamachi and the Wagyu Short Rib Yakitori (skewers). I wish I ordered more of those! But everything was quality.

It has the dark, upscale vibe of a great date night and if you want to explore a bit the hotel has a few different spots to grab a drink!

Nothing in this section is sponsored. They're just local businesses I wanted to highlight. I'll always let you know when something's sponsored.

Wednesday, August 6

🎲 BINGO | Pinnacle Brewing Company | 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM

🧶 Learn To Crochet | Starbucks - 16990 N Tatum Blvd | 10AM

Friday, August 8

🎶 Kirtan with Infinite Compassion Orchestra | Buddha Bella Healing Center | 7:00 PM

🔮 Lion's Gate Portal Sound Meditation | Shanti Sound | 6:30 PM

🎤 Dylan Scott | Talking Stick Resort | 8:00PM

Saturday, August 9

😂 New Legends Comedy Show | American Legion Post 44 | 8:00 PM – 9:45 PM

🐍 Year of the Snake Celebration | Empire Scottsdale | 7:00 PM

🧘 FREE Zen & Play at Play & Stay | Play & Stay | 2:30PM

🎵 Steve Earle | Talking Stick Resort | 8:00PM

🎼 Spotlight on Mariachi | Musical Instrument Museum | 1:00PM

Sunday, August 10

🐾 Yappy Hour | Pinnacle Brewing Company | 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Featuring last week’s most expensive home sold at $7.7M. ICON at Silverleaf is a new luxury community, pre construction and this was the penthouse unit.

Here’s the Zillow link if you want to check it out!

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Our 7,000+ Scottsdale neighbors are always asking: "Where'd you find that place?"

We spotlight the local gems they can't stop talking about – from the coffee shop that gets your order right to the trainer who actually cares.

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