Dogs love shopping too!

The Thanksgiving holiday is just a few procrastination filled work days away, time to start dreaming of yummy Turkey, buttery stuffing, and if you’re like 63% of Americans, candied yams. Oh the dinner, the family drama, and the dog begging for table scraps… precious holiday memories. Not to worry though, soon your mind will turn from second helping remorse to savings, savings, savings! That's right, Black Friday is back. The day we excuse ourselves from civility in pursuit of the bargain.

But what about the dog? Consumer Reports says the average consumer will spend 13 hours holiday shopping this year. Long hours perusing the best deals means time away from the home and time away from the dog. Sad. What if there was a way to spend as much time as you wanted shopping, without having to worry about your dog being home alone, tied up outside the store, or racking up an expensive doggie daycare tab??? 1,000 points if you guessed the solution was Fido Factor. That's right, Fido Factor has made dog friendly shopping easy. Browse our 330 dog friendly retailers on our website or on the go with our free iPhone app and shop the day away with your best friend. Fido Factor details each stores' leash policy, permitted dog sizes, breakables, if other dogs will be there, treats, water bowls, and more. You will also want to be sure your dog is comfortable around large crowds. If Fido is skittish in groups, this Friday might not be the best day for a first jaunt around the city. Even if your dog is a crowd veteran we encourage all owners to review the following safety tips before venturing out with the dog - City Dog Basics

If all this info wasn't enough, take a look below at some of our favorite dog friendly stores offering special bargains this Friday. We've highlighted the dog policies for each and the Black Friday hours and sales, the only thing you need to worry about it is shaking off the Thanksgiving food comma. So grab the dog and spend some money, apparently we're in some sort of recession.

Best Buy Dog Policy: http://www.fidofactor.com/location/14843/best-buy

Special Hours: Doors open at 5am, tickets handed out as early at 3am – WOW.

Sales: Too many to list, check the link http://www.bestbuy.com/doorbusters2009

Nordstrom Dog Policy: http://www.fidofactor.com/location/2883/nordstrom

Special Hours: Doors open from 8am-9pm.

Sales: All clothing 33% off, Ladies shoes and boots 33% off

Pottery Barn Dog Policy: http://www.fidofactor.com/location/224/pottery-barn

Special Hours: 10am-9pm

Sales: Pottery Barn is keeping quiet about particulars, all sales announced Friday morning.

DSW Shoes Warehouse Dog Policy: http://www.fidofactor.com/location/562/dsw-shoe-warehouse

Special Hours: 8:30am-9pm

Sales: All Gucci products on sale

*All dog related information based on locations listed and subject to change. Please verify individual property policies before visiting.

We are offering a Mark Rogers pet photography package to the dog (or owner) that enters the most dog friendly locations and reviews.  If you don’t know Mark, he was voted the Bay’s 2008 Best Pet Photographer and was the winner of the prestigious American Humane photo contest.

Here are the official rules:

Anyone can enter by creating an account (or logging in with Facebook Connect) on Fido Factor and sending an email with their username to contest@fidofactor.com.   The contest will run from Sept 18th through Friday, October 23^rd.  Any new dog friendly location or review, regardless of geographic location, counts as one point.  The user with the highest total will be the winner.   The winner will receive a pet photo shoot with Mark Rogers in San Francisco.   Shoot locations outside of San Francisco will be at the discretion of the photographer and may be subject to a fee.   Fido Factor employees and their families are not eligible.

Now get out there and have some doggie fun!