Dogs Days of Summer

Dogs are people too! Well, at least here at Dog Days of Summer, where your pooch can be king or queen of the day! This event was started 10 years ago and took up two blocks, now it has become one of the largest pet friendly venues in North San Diego.
On this sultry summer day, you and your dog can enjoy many pet focused booths of information, promotions and goodies! There are pet photographers, pet food, pet clothing and accessories, pet boarding, pet exercise, basically a pet vendor available for anything under the sun! Dog bowls of water and marketeers with treats galore will greet you and your pet!
The event hosted American Diving Dogs this year — a pool for dogs to fetch and cool off! There are always pet and pet owner contests and competitions and auctions to raise money for animals in need! Food trucks and a seating area are available at the center of the event and this year the beer garden was hosted by Lost Abbey with live music to entertain the furry and not so furry critters. We met several volunteers at lunch that shared their experiences of being involved with the event over the years… something magical happens when dog owners unite!
Our first experience with Unilocal was at this event last year. We stopped by the booth and picked up a frisbee and said hi to the folks running the booth. They were taking photos of pups and their owners (we did this last year so opted out, but this is highly recommended!) We picked up some coupons and samples from Honest Kitchen (our pups favorite food) and said hello to Varin who we met earlier this year and sketched a silhouette or our dog (a lost art tradition of hand cutting silhouettes is also highly recommended)!
My only feedback for the event for next year is to roll out the green grass walkway or the red carpet for the pups! The pavement was hot as the temperatures were up. This has been used in the past and we noticed many folks carrying their dogs around (sometimes even a larger breed)…it’s their day and time to shine after all!

What a great annual event for dogs and the families who love them. Cardiff-​by-​the-​Sea hosts this annual one-​day street fair on Saturday, August 8, on Newcastle Ave, between Aberdeen and Liverpool Drive.
Organized by Cardiff 101 Main Street, Dog Days of Summer is celebrating its 10^th anniversary. This event is the largest dog festival in the county, drawing up to 10,000 humans and dogs.
The event starts out like every day should, with a Doggie Parade (of course!). Then the humans take to the same course to enjoy vendor sponsored activities and displays.
These include grooming stations (dogs only); dental checkups (dogs only); a silent auction to bid on prizes and/​or events (dogs with money or humans only); «cooling pools» for your pet to chill out; and ends (like every day should) with savory entrees from your favorite food trucks, and beer. We had an assortment of Pierogis — meat, cheese, or vegi-​filled dumplings originating from Eastern Europe.
Unilocal as usual was a favorite sponsor, featuring a variety of Unilocal schwag (can you ever have too much Unilocal schwag?), dog photo booth, and free hugs from Andy (dogs only)!
This year there were 4 different dog contests including Cutest Puppy, Dog/​Owner Look-​A-​Like, Best Looking Big Dog and Best Looking Small Dog. We didn’t enter because our puppy is medium-​sized. NEW this year was the Diving Dog Competition, which featured dogs of all sizes, breeds jumping in a giant swimming pool!
After your busy day with your best friend, wind down at the Lost Abbey beer garden while local musical artists entertain you. Life is as it should be.
#MansBestFriend #YelpSchwag
#DogsWithMoney #ExitThruTheBeerGarden