Dog Day Afternoons :: Pet-Friendly Events

Who doesn't need an afternoon or an evening out? When you have a pet who spends the day waiting for you at home to entertain them, it's a wonderful thing to have a plan in place that includes socialization, not just for you, but one that includes your furry friends as well.

Surprisingly, in actuality... well, maybe not. Based on the myriad of pet indulgences in every imaginable possibility, there are available a plethora of pet-friendly outings throughout the year for you and your babies. From street festivals to scavenger hunts, animal marathons to glitzy galas, with one version that even includes a car show. So, there is no excuse for you to put your tail between your legs and hide in the corner with which ever animal you might share it with. Remember, life (unlike a well-trained pet) doesn't land in your lap: You must seek out the experience of it. As you seek out life's many pleasures, remember to include your four-legged friends, too!

Here are a few examples of what's coming up in the next few months:

San Diego

Doggie Street Festival
Looking for a new best friend and a way to rescue a sweet, furry beast? Well, look no further than the 8th Annual Doggie Street Festival at NTC Park at Liberty Station on Saturday, August 27. It's an adoption event that brings the local pet rescue community, alongside veterinarians, pet professionals, trainers, health and nutrition experts to provide information and improved
care-together with adoptable dogs and cats in a platform designed to increase adoption and educate on spay/neuter options-all wrapped in a festive celebration.

As organizers have said,"Our hope is that someday there will be no need for this Festival because collectively as a society we will have solved the tragedy of pet abuse, neglect and homelessness. Until then, our
goal is to join our voice to the collective cry on behalf of our dog and cat population who cannot speak for themselves."

Bring your friendly dog for an afternoon of great music, special guest speakers, free vet tips, yummy foods as well as amazing pet products and
services and even a special play spot for your human children, too.

For more event information, go to doggiestreetfestival.org.

Dog Gone! Scavenger Hunt
Do you and your furry friend need something new and enjoy a good, fun challenge? Are the two of you a super-sleuthing team, ready to hunt up something special? Well then, you and your favorite four-legged friend are the perfect candidates to attend San Diego's first Dog Gone Scavenger Hunt at Westfield UTC's Dog Park on Saturday, September 10, from 11 a.m. to 1
p.m. Bring your walking shoes, along with your favorite pooper scooper and scavenger hunt clues will drive participants to specific on-site locations throughout Westfield UTC via your smartphone, allowing you to walk your dog as you figure out clues and collect dog treats and toys for your sidekick.

Your dog (any size) must be on a leash, humans must have a smartphone
with a QR reader app, social site access (Facebook or Twitter) and must "like" Thrill of the Hunt's app on either and possess a great attitude for following a course roughly equal to two miles. Dog Gone! Scavenger Hunt
pre-registration begins at 10 a.m. at Westfield UTC, 4545 La Jolla Village Drive.

For more information or to purchase tickets, call 412.841.2433 or click the "events" tab at thrillofhunt.com.

FACE Foundation's 4th Annual 5k Doggie Dash
Can I get a "Woof "all up in there? Talk about a worthy cause... The Foundation for Animal Care and Education (FACE) is a small non-profit dedicated to providing financial grants to families and their pets in need of
critical veterinary care. Their mission is"Saving Pets and Helping Families"and to date they have saved the lives of over 1,450 pets. To that end, their 4th Annual 5k Doggie Dash is being held on Sunday, September 25
as a way to raise much-needed funds for those pets who desperately need care and the families who might not have the resources to provide it. Supporters can walk or run for this worthy cause and enjoy a fun day that
features a lively vendor village, prizes, media coverage and a successful opportunity drawing.

2016 marks FACE's 10 Year Anniversary and in celebration of their success look for a special screening of "The Champions" on Saturday, September 24, at The Illumnia Theater, 10996 Torreyana Road. It's the inspirational film about rescued Pit Bull Terriers produced by Best Friends Animal Society. Last year, FACE raised over $10,000 to help San Diego's ill or injured pets, thanks to the generosity of event supporters. This year they hope to
raise even more.

For more information about their anniversary event, or to register
for Doggie Dash, click the "upcoming events" tab at face4pets.org.

DogFest Walk & Roll
Canine Companions for Independence We love this one. As they say on their website so eloquently, "Celebrate the community of people and dogs who make it possible for Canine Companions to show that the most advanced technology, capable of transforming the lives of people with disabilities, has
a cold nose and a warm heart."

Join organizers as they continue their internationally-recognized program of providing highly trained assistance dogs to those who are disabled, with a goal of enhancing their lives. Known for the longevity of the matches it makes between dogs and people, these loving companions open doors, both literally and figuratively, for those in need.

Come out on Saturday, October 29 and support the 176 active graduates and 133 puppy raisers residing in Southern California and help raise much-needed funds in order to continue their remarkable programs. DogFest San Diego's honorary chairs will be NBA Legend Bill Walton and Canine Companions Graduate Team Lance Weir with his companion Auggie!

For tickets and more go to cci.org/dogfestsandiego.com.

Orange County

The Diamond Ball
As mentioned previously, Canine Companions for Independence is the organization that "Celebrates the community of people and dogs who make it possible for Canine Companions to show that the most advanced
technology, capable of transforming the lives of people with disabilities, has a cold nose and a warm heart."

This national organization has many events, and because of their global reach and the way they change lives, another of their events is worth mentioning. The Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Niguel plays host to this fab
fundraiser on Saturday, November 12, for an event to honor the service and sacrifice made by our nation's men and women in uniform. The Diamond Ball raises funds for the Wounded Veterans Initiative of Canine Companions for Independence through ticket sales that feature a four-course meal, through both a silent and live auction, as well as several opportunity drawings throughout the evening.

A festive "Yappy Hour" will begin the festivities, with the Ritz's Chef Brian Sundeen on hand to prepare the evening's delectable food, along with live entertainment throughout the evening. Come and celebrate those who have served, and at the same time help to fund the canine companion program that helps to welcome them home.

For tickets and more information, go to thediamondball.org.

Cars & Doggies
The first annual Cars & Doggies event will take place on Sunday, August 28, at the Irvine Meadows Amphitheater, 8808 Irvine Center Drive in Irvine. This
unique combination of a sexy car show and family-friendly hangout was created to benefit the MPS Army Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping dogs affected by MPS-VI.

What is MPS-VI, you might ask? It's an inherited disorder that affects multiple organs, including the lungs, heart and skeleton. Its victims rarely survive past the age of two, and those who do will have a range of medical issues. On top of the main event car show, which includes awards for top cars, this all-ages event includes lots of fun activities for you and your dogs, photos by Ted7 and David Coyne, games, treats and even a shaded doggy lounge to keep your precious pet cool. (For the safety of others, all dogs must be on leashes or in a stroller.)

For tickets and more information, go to cars-doggies.com.

Bark For Life Of Orange County
The American Cancer Society knows the value of companionship when fighting disease and Bark For Life Orange County is their annual fundraising event in honor of the lifelong contributions acknowledging those canine caregivers. Canine caregivers include companions, guide dogs, service dogs, rescue dogs, therapy dogs, police dogs, cancer survivor dogs and
diagnostic dogs who, along with their owners, join the American Cancer Society in their fight to finish cancer.

The event celebrates survivorship, honors those who were lost to cancer and raises money to support the American Cancer Society's mission to finish the fight against cancer. Bark for Life takes place on Saturday, August 13, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Ronald Reagan Park in Anaheim Hills. So get your furry friend trimmed, groomed and buffed for what they say is a "PAWriffic day of fun, games and activities!"

For more information, please call 949.567.0631 or email [email protected].

Los Angeles

No-Kill Los Angeles Adopt-A-Thon
Last year, approximately 45,900 animals entered Los Angeles city shelters; of those, 35,200 left alive because they were rescued, returned to families or were adopted. The other 10,700 were not so lucky, and died as a result of being euthanized in those city shelters.

No-Kill Los Angeles (NKLA) is the organization that strives to change that by increasing the save rate for dogs and cats. Their plan is straightforward: Provide spay/neuter services where they are needed most, so that fewer animals go into shelters; and increase adoptions, so that more animals are placed into new homes. Step by critical step, they believe that together, all of us can bring the number of pets killed in Los Angeles shelters to zero.

Every Thursday during the month of August, at Backstreet Brewery, 1884 S. Santa Cruz Street in Anaheim, they will turn the patio into a neighborhood
dog park for you and your furry friend to come and hang out. Their goal? To educate about their cause, foster available dogs and rescuing in general!
For more information on this and their many other events throughout the year, go to nkla.org.

Bark For Life Los Angeles
Ditto for what we said about Bark for Life O.C. just earlier. Help The American Cancer Society save lives with Bark For Life and get them that
much closer to a world with less cancer and more birthdays. The event is another noncompetitive walk for dogs and their humans to raise funds and
awareness for the American Cancer Society's fight against cancer. So bring your best canine friend and join them for a fun-filled day Sunday, August 14, starting with a walk and then continuing with demonstrations, contests and games.

For more information, go to dogtrekker.com/event/bark-for-life-los-angeles-2016-august-14-2016#sthash.RUciRoPI.dpuf.

2 Girls. One Pup.
Want to share a laugh with your pooch and help raise funds for the Tailwagger Foundation, that provides funding for organizations that treat sick and injured animals? Every first Sunday of the month, Monique Madrid, her dapper pooch Comet and a rotating guest host invite dog lovers to enjoy stand-up comedy, complimentary "pupcorn" and raffles for pet-parent prizes, with the event's $5 admission, raffle proceeds and donations all going to fund the nonprofit.

Past dog-loving performers include Iliza Shlesinger, Dave Anthony, Hasan Minhaj, Beth Stelling, Baron Vaughn, Cristela Alonzo, Jackie Kashian, Emily Heller, Julian Mccullough, Justin Willman, Hampton Yount, Allen Strickland Williams, Jake Weisman, Jamar Neighbors, and many more.

Dress yourself and your pooch in your finest red carpet attire and pose for pictures at their next event on Sunday, August 7. Safely socialize in a fun
and festive environment with raffle prizes and more as you and your furry award-winner, partakes in plenty of fido-friendly events and goodies. You can get a sample of what's in store by searching for the 2 Girls 1 Pup podcast on iTunes.

For tickets and more information, go to 2girls1pupshow.com.

There are many more options out there, the best resources we've found so far are through several websites that list... well, pretty much everything that is Fido-friendly. For many other options year round, check things out at the event pages on these three websites: bringfido.com, dogsniffer.com or dogtrekker.com