Milan’s Dog Moms Share Their Favourite Vets, Parks, Travel Tips – And More
- milanwomennetwork
- 1 day ago
- 7 min read
Milan has proven itself to be an incredibly dog-friendly city…and so who could resist not having one? But it can be overwhelming when you realise what it takes to give your dog the care & attention it deserves. Thankfully, 5 of our MWN members are well-versed dog moms who love spoiling their pooches. These are their suggestions for the best dog parks, food suppliers, sitters, and loads more to make being a dog owner that much easier and stress-free. Here’s everything you need to know – and a few things you probably didn’t even think of! (Bonus travel tips with your dog at the end.)
Written by: Ché Maria Milani
Dino, photographed by Chè Milani at one of MWN events
Our Favourite Dog Accessory & Pet Stores:
Patty Pet
Location: Via Generale, Via Giuseppe Govone, 26
A neighbourhood pet store filled with a wide range of organic food options.
Why Roberta loves Patty Pet: it's a women-owned business with a genuinely thoughtful, organic selection — the kind of shop you're happy to give your money to.
Arcaplanet
Location: Multiple stores across Milan.
A mid-range chain stocking everything from premium brands to everyday budget options. And it’s worth knowing: when you register a new puppy, they run a puppy programme where you get roughly 30% off food until the dog turns one.
Why Indre loves Arcaplanet: it's reliable, well-priced, and that puppy discount is genuinely good value if you're just starting out.
Most Recommended Vet in Milan
Clinica Veterinaria Gran Sasso
Location: Via Donatello, 26
A 24-hour emergency service, so you're covered whenever something goes wrong, not just during office hours.You can contact them here.
Why Roberta loves Clinica Veterinaria Gran Sasso: it's one of the most highly recommended vets in Milan, and knowing you can walk in any hour of the day or night offers a lot of peace of mind.
Roberta and Pancakes
Roberta and Pancakes
The Best 3 Dog Groomers
Collare di Stelle
Location: Via A. D'Aosta, 19
An old-school pet store with a wide selection, offering grooming services on-site. Check out everything they have and do right here.
Why Roberta loves Collare di Stelle: it's a proper neighbourhood institution with a great selection of offers, excellent grooming service, and all-round wonderful ‘one stop shop’.
La Barf
Location: Via Adriano, 94
In addition to grooming services, they also offer raw food diets for dogs, perfect for anyone wanting to explore that route. For more details, click here.
Why Brianna loves this groomer: it's her go-to grooming spot, though for her pups' actual diets she works separately with a veterinarian nutritionist — it’s good to know both options exist under one roof.
I Cuccioli della Grande Luna
Location: Corso Buenos Aires, 42
Great for grooming and harder-to-find specialty foods. Check out their wide range of products and services here.
Why Indre loves this spot: it's her number one choice for the food she literally can't get everywhere else.
Indre and Dino
Dog-Friendly Parks & Spaces in Milan
Giardini Indro Montanelli (Porta Venezia gardens)
Location: Via Palestro, 14
This gorgeous park houses a huge, well-equipped dog area with agility training games — one of the few dog areas with proper grass rather than just sand.
Why Roberta & Indre love this park: Roberta rates it for being spacious with real agility equipment; Indre highlights the fact that it's the big exception to Milan's sandier dog runs, and simply says: "highly recommend!"
Parco Sempione
Location: here
Another wonderfully spacious park popular among dog-owners living around this part of Milan.
Why Roberta & Brianna love Parco Sempione: Roberta picks it for the space and agility training equipment. Brianna's dog Yuki — not a social butterfly — loves it for the walking paths when she'd rather wander around than mingle with other dogs.
The park in front of Bosco Verticale
Location: Via Gaetano de Castillia, 28
Why Brianna & Natasha love this one: it's Brianna’s dog Hecky's favourite — he's a lot more social, and this is where he goes to spend time with other dogs. Natasha’s dog also has a lot of fun making friends local to this area.
Parco Lambro
Location: here
North east of the city is this park that wouldn’t be many’s first choice simply because it’s not central – but absolutely worth the quick trip for that sense of nature, and a park filled with walking paths.
Why Brianna loves it: it's Yuki's other favourite — plenty of room to walk without the crowd Hecky thrives on.
Piazza Gae Aulenti
Location: here
A splash spot in the fountain puddle on hot days — closer than a lake, and a nice cool-down in summer. But a caveat worth noting: this isn't an official dog area, and there's no clear rule that confirms or bans dogs in the fountain specifically…so please know it’s a bit of a grey area subjective to the discretion of security personnel on duty.
Why Natasha loves it: her dog Sophie loves playing in the water and splashing about, and so far, no one's asked them to leave.
Natasha and Sophie
Our Favourite Dog-Friendly Cafes
While most places have no issues with dogs, these 2 came highly recommended: Orsonero and Rito, as both keep water bowls and dog biscuits out, and both tend to have other dogs around for yours to socialise with.
Renowned Dogsitters, Daycare Centres & Trainers in Milan
Amelie Magic Dog
Location: Via Pinturicchio, 5
A dog daycare centre where your dog spends the day on training, activities, and games. They also offer pick-up at your house in some areas.
Why Roberta loves them: it's run by a wonderful, caring woman — another women-owned business she's happy to support — and the dogs are genuinely looked after and cared for.
Rover (the app)
The all-in-one app if you’re searching for daycare, dogsitting or walker services. It’s also great if you yourself would like to offer one of these services.
Why Roberta loves Rover: she's used it many times across Milan and other Italian cities, and it's held up every time.
Andrea Preda & Renato Preda (behavioural trainers)
This is a father-son training duo. Andrea is a renowned behaviourist known for rehabilitating aggressive dogs and has written books on the subject, and his son Renato is following in his footsteps.
Why Brianna loves the Preda duo: their sitters were all trained directly by them, which gave her the confidence to trust the whole network around her dogs, not just the trainers themselves.
Marta & Lorenzo (behavioural sitters)
This couple hosts dogs at their own homes rather than a facility, and happily provide detailed updates on the dogs’ well-being, ensuring absolute peace of mind for the owners away on holiday.
Why Brianna loves Marta and Lorenzo: Marta is meticulous and very communicative, while Lorenzo treats the dogs to barbecues. VIP treatment, we’d say!
Brianna and Hector
7 Travel Tips with Dogs in Italy
Dogs become a part of your family and your daily life, so we put together a list of additional tips to help you navigate life (literally and figuratively) with your canine best friend.
1. Supermarkets: If you’re going to choose your supermarket based on how much dogs are accommodated, take note of these options:
– Conad gives you a cart for your dog
– Pam, your dog can simply walk with you.
– Esselunga and larger Carrefour locations don't allow dogs to walk inside, so you'd need to leash them outside (not something Roberta recommends, given reports of theft this way). Indre mentioned that Esselunga’s policies can be inconsistent across stores, so read the staff and decide on the spot.
– Smaller local shops (like Unes) have never been problematic.
2. Trains: Dogs need their own ticket alongside yours. FrecciaRossa's supplement averages €1–5 and lets you choose your seat for comfort. Italo's is steeper at €50 for medium-plus sized dogs, but guarantees extra space next to you and includes a pee pad for long rides (genuinely useful if your dog gets anxious in crowds). Regionale trains don’t have reserved seating, so just come prepared to stake out a suitable spot.
3. Taxis: Milan taxis accept dogs. Simply call ahead (024040) and mention it. Drivers usually prefer dogs in the back seat, unless they're very small.
4. Renting a car: Dogs are welcome without even needing to ask, but keep the car free of dog hair or you may be charged a cleaning fee. If you're driving your own car, Italian law requires your dog to be secured. A fluffy clip-on car seat (widely available on Amazon) works well, clipping to the seat and attaching to the collar like a seatbelt.
5. Ferries: GNV and Grimaldi ferries both accept dogs, and you can book a dog-friendly cabin to sleep together regardless of size. Between the two Roberta's tried, Grimaldi wins being spacious, clean, and with an outdoor grassed area for dogs to relieve themselves.
6. Flying: Small dogs can travel as frequent flyers with the right prep — an appropriately sized (ideally expandable) carrier, a calming spray, a comfort item that smells like home, and a warm layer since the cabin floor gets cold at your feet. Timing potty breaks before boarding are useful to factor in.
7. Driving with dogs: Stop frequently for water and bathroom breaks, and skip feeding during travel to avoid car sickness. Calming aids (for example, Australian bush flower remedies and supplements) can help settle nervous dog travellers, alongside a blanket that smells like home.
Additional note: If yours is a rescue dog, the golden rule is learning what each dog needs individually — some need reassurance that you'll stay together in new environments, others adjust quickly as long as they're near you and they know where they'll be sleeping.
Marta and Olivia
Additional Recommendations Beyond Milan
Roberta recommends:
Florence TuscanHound is a dog daycare and pet-care company that can look after your dog while you explore the city's museums, and they run day trips into the Tuscan countryside.
Alassio, Liguria Baba Beach Alassio is a dog-friendly beach club with dedicated dog terraces, doggy showers, and a pet-friendly restaurant.
The Dolomites Dogomiti maps out pet-friendly hiking trails across Trentino–Alto Adige and shares treks and trip planning for exploring the mountains with your dog.
Marta recommends:
Spotorno, Liguria Pluto Beach Spotorno is a small, fully dog-friendly beach open May to September, with a bounded swimming area for dogs, a fenced-off run for off-leash play, a dog-washing station, and a welcome kit with water bowls and waste bags on arrival.
A huge thank you to the ladies who contributed to this article:
Roberta Cucchiaro - connect with her and her dog Pancakes here.
Natasha Karpman - Art Marketing & Business Mentor - connect with her on Instagram and via her website.
Marta Dekiert - Business Strategy & Digital Transformation Consultant - connect with her on Instagram.
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