Tails of the City: A Round for the Hounds

By Peggy Scott

Having a little “hair of the dog” takes on a whole new meaning Oct. 17, as parched pooches and their people set off on DowntownDogLover.com’s inaugural “pup” crawl, from 1 to 5 p.m. Starting at The Tin Fish in the Gaslamp, this canine-and-cocktail course will visit seven of downtown’s dog-welcoming watering holes and allow dog lovers to mix and mingle.

Bringing man (and woman) and man’s best friend together is a pet project of the Web site’s president, Heather Degan. “We started out as a service directory for small pet-related businesses,” said Degan, whose furry family includes mini-doxies Ruby and Guinness. “Then events got added. Our users want to know what places are dog-friendly. They want to know where they can go have lunch on a patio with their dogs.”

Each venue will feature a signature drink (like cosmo-PAW-litans) or drink specials. Local pup pleasers will be on site also to give away treats and other dog delights. The cost is $20, which includes a Pup Crawl T-Shirt (for human participants — supplies are limited), map of the route and access to drink specials. What other hot spots are on the itinerary? Bondi, The Lime, Hotel Indigo, Funky Garcias, Gaslamp Tavern and Bare Back Grill are all setting out the welcome mat for both two- and four-legged “crawlers.” A costume contest and doggie giveaways should also have tails a-waggin. Sponsors of the event include Muttropolis, Chama’s Hillcrest Dog Wash & Wellness, City Dog, Furry Tales Doggy Daycare, The Honest Kitchen, Lindsey the Groomer, Natural Pet and Unleashed. Net proceeds benefit Helen Woodward Animal Center. To sign up, call (619) 238-0538. You can also join at The Tin Fish, 170 Sixth Ave. For more information, visit www.DowntownDogLover.com.

Peggy Scott is a freelance pet writer. She can be contacted at [email protected].