Dozens of Bernese Mountain Dogs will romp at this pretty pumpkin patch

THE KISSES... that your Bernese Mountain Dog so generously doles out, one wet and sloppy smooch at a time, aren't scented like pumpkin spice. And sniffing the nape of your Berner, all to detect if the pup's gorgeous fur boasts a light scent of apples? That's not happening (unless, yes, your pup recently enjoyed a few slices and things got a bit messy). But the Bernese Mountain Dog is a fabulous Fido with fall cred, at least in the minds of many Berner buffs around the Bay Area and beyond. For it is in the earliest part of autumn when dozens of Bernese Mountain Dogs, and their devoted people, merrily converge on Farmer John's Pumpkin Farm in Half Moon Bay, for a day of romping, scritches, and adorable, pumpkin-adjacent pictures.

OCTOBER 6... is the 2024 date for this long-running delight — it is a Sunday — and details may be found on the farm's social media. A caboodle of shaggy sweethearts, ranging from youngsters to seniors, attended to the 2023 gathering, with "over 100 beautiful Berners" in impressive attendance. Perhaps you'll purchase a pumpkin or two before heading out and perhaps you'll make a new pal, another champion of these incredibly handsome and charismatic pooches. If you've been attending for years now, you likely remember some of the sweethearts who've captured your fancy, including Farmer John's own Clara Honey.

AUTUMN TRADITION: California is home to so many memorable breed meet-ups, including the huge Corgi Beach Days in Huntington Beach; now that it is fall in lovely Half Moon Bay, we do humbly bow before those utterly affectionate and loyal canines, the Berners, and the people who love them.