Ocean Beach is an admittedly dog-friendly town. One need look no further than the upcoming Canine Carnival, which will offer a pre-Howl-o-ween party for dogs and their two legged counterparts on Saturday, Oct. 21, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Ocean Beach in association with the Ocean Beach Recreation Council, this unique bash is a free celebration and street fair featuring a doggie bag full of prizes for the pooch that puts his or her best paw forward with festive Halloween attire.
“For years we’ve wanted to do an event for locals and their dogs,” says Melanie Nickel President of Kiwanis Club of Ocean Beach. “Everybody in OB has a dog and they take them everywhere so we came up with this event and costume party.”
In addition to endless Kodak moments, man’s best friend will have lots of booths to sniff and peruse. With more than 50 vendors offering everything from crafts and animal rescue booths to an array of pet related toys, supplies and must-have doggie giveaways, this promises to be quite an event.
“At our booth we will be doing a canine trivia contest,” said Jane Donley, owner of Dog Beach Dog Wash. “We’re having a bone stacking contest to see how high people can pile up a stack of doggie bones before they topple. And we’re doing a wiggle and wag contest for the dog with the most active tail followed by some hollow-weenie-bobbing where dogs can bob for weenies and baby carrots.”
As one of the primary sponsors for the Canine Carnival, the staff of OB Dog Wash has high hopes for this venue to become an annual event in Ocean Beach.
“People in OB love their dogs,” said Donley. “We would love to see Canine Carnival become a yearly event and what better place for this kind of a party than here in Ocean Beach?”
After your pooch has had his fill of weenie bobbing he can work off those calories by participating in the big Costume Parade sponsored by the Kiwanis Club. The parade begins at 1 p.m. with registration earlier in the day for a $5 fee that includes a special gift bag and prize drawings for biggest, smallest, smartest, cutest and ugliest dog
“There is something for everybody and every dog,” Donley said.
All proceeds go toward the Kiwanis Club’s projects and a selected animal charity. The Canine Carnival will be held on Santa Monica Avenue between Sunset Cliffs Boulevard and Ebers Street. For additional information, call (619) 225-8705.