SALTY AIR, SALTY DOGS: No pet person needs to be informed that canines are all about a warm and sunny day, the kind of day best spent catching some rays. If you've loved a dog, you likely know the experience of coaxing them off the patio, or in from the yard, or into the car after an hour at the dog park. Flatly put, they're not so keen to return to normal life. They want to stretch out on the grass for a bit longer, or the tile, soaking up the warmth. You can treat them, though, to such an sunshiny experience, one that has sunshine in its very heart. It's Pet Day on the Bay, the annual enjoy-a-boat fundraiser from the Helen Woodward Animal Center of Rancho Santa Fe. The 16th outing is on Saturday, April 30, and pups and their people are invited to book a spot on a Hornblower Pet Day cruise, all to help the many need-a-forever-home hounds cared for by the center.
THERE ARE THREE TIMES... to choose from -- 9:30 a.m. if your pooch is a morning dog, 11:15 for the midday crowd, and 1 o'clock to round it out -- and an adult ticket is twenty four dollars. Can your pup accompany you with that ticket? Indeed; each adult ticket includes a gratis dog admission, too. Will your lil' pumpkin need to remain on her or his leash? Definitely. Can you bring a "gently used blanket or towel" for donation? That would be most appreciated. Can you gussy up your tail-wagger in a sea-sweet theme? Say a mermaid or something "Gilligan's Island"-esque? Many past participants of the event have gone the thematic dress-up route, so go for it if the notion tickles you. How often do dog costume to-dos come with a single theme? So often there's an "anything goes" feel to the festival, but you'll want to find inspiration from marine life or aquatic adventures. Reservations? You'll want to make them. Telling your pup that she can soak up all the sunshine He likes over a one-hour tour of the bay, plus all of those pleasant salty breezes? He'll be as happy as when she hears you open a new bag of treats.
