Islington Dog Friendly Pub Picker for a First Date With Dogs

A first date where both of you bring a dog is half a date and half a playdate, and Islington handles both rather well. The Regent's Canal gives you an easy walk to break the ice, and the old pubs on the streets above have long welcomed locals with dogs at their feet. This dog friendly pub picker follows Leah, her corgi Mabel, Sam and his terrier mix Rocket on one autumn evening.

First dates often stall in the first ten minutes, when neither person knows where to look. Dogs solve that instantly. There is always something to talk about, from how they were named to the strange thing they eat. Leah and Sam had matched on an app for dog walkers, and both agreed that meeting with dogs felt less like an interview and more like a walk with a friend.

There is a catch, of course. You are not only finding out whether you like each other, but whether your dogs do. Planning helps. A neutral meeting point, a short walk side by side and a pub with enough space for two dogs to ignore each other turns a risky first meeting into a relaxed evening.

Never introduce two dogs for the first time inside a pub. Small rooms, tables and strangers' legs make dogs tense, and a growl under the table is a bad start for anyone. Meet outside instead, ideally on the Regent's Canal towpath, where the dogs can walk side by side and sniff the same patch of ground before they ever face each other.

Walking parallel is the trick. Let the dogs move in the same direction with a little gap between them, and only let them greet once their tails are loose. Watch for cyclists, because the towpath is narrow and busy with commuters, so keep leads short and walk single file when a bike rings. The narrowboats moored along the bank give you plenty to chat about.

Just east of Angel, the canal disappears into the Islington Tunnel, which runs for well over half a mile under the streets. There is no towpath inside, so in the days of horse-drawn barges the horses were led over the top while boatmen lay on their backs and pushed the boats through with their legs. Walkers still follow the old horse route above.

That route over the tunnel is a pleasant way to walk from the canal up into Islington. It passes the long, narrow gardens of Duncan Terrace and Colebrooke Row, where Georgian houses face a strip of trees and benches. It is quieter than Upper Street, the dogs can sniff the hedges and you arrive at the pub with both dogs calm.

Islington has plenty of pubs, but not all suit a date with dogs. Avoid tiny bars where you will be squeezed between other tables, and avoid the busy corners of Upper Street on Friday and Saturday nights, when the crowds are loud and the dogs will struggle. A side-street pub with wooden floors, a few booths and a calm crowd is what you want.

Ask staff whether there is a table with space on both sides, so each dog has its own patch. Sit opposite each other and put the dogs at your own feet rather than together in the middle. That way they can see each other without being forced to share. A water bowl each avoids the classic argument over who drinks first.

Keep it light. A glass of wine or a pint and a few small plates to share leaves your hands free for leads and treats. Order at the table if you can, so nobody has to leave their dog with someone they met an hour ago. If one of you goes to the bar, ask first whether the other is happy to hold both leads.

An honest tip: skip the big sit-down dinner on the first dog date. A long meal means two dogs waiting under a table for two hours, and even the calmest dog gets bored. Plan one drink and a snack, then decide together whether to walk on. If it goes well, the second date can be a proper dinner without the dogs.

Keep half an eye under the table. Relaxed dogs lie down, sniff around and fall asleep. Unhappy ones stare, freeze, or stiffen when the other dog moves. Mabel and Rocket started a little wary, but once Mabel rolled onto her side and Rocket curled up on Sam's jacket, Leah knew the evening was going fine.

If one dog is clearly uncomfortable, act early. Swap seats so the dogs cannot see each other, give the nervous one a chew or step outside for a minute. None of this is a reflection on the date. Dogs, like people, sometimes just do not click, and handling it calmly says a lot about the person holding the lead.

Agree on a gentle plan before you go in. Tell each other that if either dog is stressed, you will finish your drinks and walk instead. That takes the pressure off and means nobody needs an excuse. A slow stroll back along the canal can be just as pleasant as another round, and the dogs will be happier moving.

If the pub is too busy when you arrive, have a second option nearby rather than standing in a crowded doorway. On a cold evening a dog friendly cafe works, and on a dry one a takeaway drink on a bench in a quiet square is perfectly romantic. The dogs will not care, and neither, usually, will your date.

The Karpo APP is handy for this kind of date. Ask it for dog friendly pubs in Islington with space for two dogs and a quieter feel, then save two or three options near the canal. If the first choice is too busy, you already have the next one ready without staring at your phone in the middle of the date.

Leah and Sam ended their evening back on the towpath, the dogs walking happily together for the first time. Whether a second date follows is up to the humans, but the dogs have already decided they are friends. Plan carefully, keep it short and let the canal do the talking when conversation needs a break.