Ocean Beach was surrounded by dogs Sunday, Oct. 13. For the first time, Day of the Dog, the largest touring dog festival in North America, landed in San Diego. This was a free event for dog owners and lovers to connect with other like-minded people.
It was the perfect way to spend a Sunday and celebrate that special bond between a person and their canine.
Day of The Dog started their tour in Canada and will end the tour in Scottsdale, Arizona for their 10-year anniversary show. Before they came to San Diego, they were in Santa Monica where over 1,000 people attended.
Day of The Dog had plenty of fun dog activities planned to participate in.
Festival attendee Cori, from Oceanside, bought her dog Pollo, and said, “The wading pool has been her favorite.”
A massive pool was in the middle of the event where they had a lifeguard look over the dogs wanting to take a dip and splash around.
Dogs and their owners came dressed up in costumes to enter a contest. Tinkerbell, Beetlejuice, prison inmates and princesses all roamed the event.
There was a mini ball pit for dogs to play in and multiple photo areas were spread throughout for free photo sessions.
Day of The Dog even had races for people to enter their canines in. The races were separated by category: fastest dog, French Bulldogs, Weiner dogs, Corgis and Doodles.
After the races, there was a pie-eating contest for dogs to participate in, which was equal parts messy, cute and chaotic.
Champion surfer, Surf Gidget the Pug all dressed up in her finest dress was in attendance celebrating her birthday and as a vendor for her charity Surf Gidget The Pug Foundation.
This festival is sponsored by companies like Tilted Barn, TAVO, Earth Animal, ONEISALL, LUCY Pet and The Honest Kitchen.
Day of The Dog was beneficial for pets, owners and small businesses alike.
The street was filled with other vendors that specialized in products and services for dogs. Cookies & Co., Pet Shot Studio, Precious Pet Care, Jibby Dog Crew, Designer Hoarder Pups and The Pup Puck were just a handful of vendors there.
A fan favorite event was “To see the alternative dog foods that are less processed,” said Cori.
Some of those alternative foods are from small businesses like Ancestral Raw Nutrition, Cosmicos Pet Bakery, Primal Pet Foods and more.
They even had a food truck just for dogs called The Mobile Barkery where they had treats like cookies available.
The event didn’t only have vendors, animal rescue non-profits with adoptable dogs were in attendance as well. Some present were Traci’s Paws, Frosted Faces, Delta Force Animal Mission Corp and The Animal Pad.
Day of The Dog was a fun event to learn about new businesses, adoption options and to fawn over the adorable dogs partaking in the many activities planned for them.
If you’re a dog parent, love animals or a local business looking to set up shop, this is the perfect event for you. Learn more about Day of the Dog here and be on the lookout for next year’s event.
