Tails of the City
By Peggy Scott
SDUN Columnist
“Bark”s and recreation
This Sunday’s organ concert in Balboa Park will certainly strike a chord with animal lovers, and a festival at Liberty Station on Feb. 28 will have feet – whether you have two or four – hitting the street for a day of doggie-dedicated fun.
Music aficionados attending “Bark in Balboa Park 4,” starting at 2 p.m. Sunday in the Spreckels Organ Pavilion, won’t be hearing “Kitten on the Keys,” but San Diego Civic Organist Dr. Carol Williams’ program will include several critter-centric tunes. Tap your toes to the “Tiger Rag” and “Alligator Crawl” and ponder: just how much IS that doggie in the window? Pets and their human pals can even take part in the Dog Parade across the stage. The concert is free, but donations will be accepted and go to a great cause – the San Diego Humane Society.
Helping animals is as near and dear to Williams’ heart as is song. “I started ‘Bark in Balboa Park’ four years ago,” explained Williams, who has an Airedale named Ambush. “When I was in England, I used to do fundraisers for the RSPCA. I just adore animals!”
Along with the concert, Bark in Balboa Park offers the chance to find your new best friend – the Humane Society will be on site with mobile adoptions. For more information, visit sosorgan.com.
The word on the street – The Second Annual Doggie Street Festival, actually – is that canines are cool and deserve their own daylong celebration. Running from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 28 at Preble Field in Liberty Station in Point Loma, this pooch party aims to raise awareness of pet adoption options – and have fun with Fido at the same time (dogs must keep their humans on leash at all times). The festival’s rockin’ “house band,” the Koalas, will keep things upbeat throughout the day as more than 30 breed-specific rescue groups and shelters seek to make a love connection between people and homeless pets. Attendees can find out how not to “litter” from SNAP (Spay Neuter Action Network), check out doggie-and-me workouts with Leash Your Fitness, flip for a demonstration by San Diego Gymnastics and groove to the Paul Green School of Rock House Band.
The day also offers a kids’ art area, auctions of works from the Doggie Street Festival Original Art Project as well as gift baskets, vendor and food booths, and the chance to get a photo taken with your furry friend by famed photographer Michelle C. D. Mueller. The festival is also featuring an “Ask a Pet Professional” booth, where seven experts will answer your questions, one-on-one, about issues such as training, behavior, spaying and neutering, and pet health.
You can even “brush up” on the basics, starting with those pearly whites! While it is estimated that 80 percent of people brush their teeth every day, far fewer pet owners scrub their pets’ choppers. Pet Dental Health Month, celebrated every February, teaches pet owners that proper dental hygiene is equally as important for their pets’ overall health. Take a bite out of “grime,” anyone? Visit petdental.com for more information.
For the scoop about the Second Annual Doggie Street Festival, visit doggiestreetfestival.org.
