Wave Runner

I remember the first time we took Finnegan to the beach. He didn't understand that you couldn't and shouldn't eat the sand, but that it is also okay to get your paws wet. Finnegan has some OCD tendencies in that he hates having dirty paws and will go out of his way to avoid stepping in puddles, on rain drains/grates on sidewalks, and other things that we may encounter on our walks through-out the city. This is great for me since a clean dog makes me a happy pug mom. Flash forward to today and Finnegan has finally embraced running head on into the crashing waves at a beach and was totally bro-ing out. He went for the waves, immersing himself, when usually he would not dare come near them. After romping around Fort Funston, our usual go-to spot for Finnegan, we stopped by Unleashed by Petco in Daly City to self-serve bath him. I love taking him there because I don't have to worry about cleaning up tons of little black furs in my tub and the selection of shampoos are pretty swell as well. Hope you all have a lovely week! Cheers!

Weekend Warrior

If Finnegan could speak, I am fairly certain he would say that Fort Funston is one of his favorite places to visit--besides his food bowl and warm comfortable bed. I've blogged about this place before, but I was able to take more photos this time around because the sun was out and the beach was clear that day instead of being deeply immersed in shroud of fog. There are a few ways to get directly to the beach, but this day we decided to go down what seemed like a thousand wooden planked steps to the sand. Finnegan loved it. He scooted up and down the steps excitedly. He is a peculiar pug in that he appears morbidly obese, but when given the chance to go hiking or run about in the outdoors--he's a maniac with so much energy. He's willing to do almost anything physically, which is the complete opposite of his lounging and napping attitude the rest of the time at home during the weekdays. He truly is a weekend warrior.

During this visit, he was brave enough to run up to the waves creeping up the beach and even got close enough to sniff a crab. (Albeit it was not alive, but shhh! Don't let him know about that! He's still a courageous little pug!) If you're looking for a good place to let your pups roam free, Fort Funston is the place!

Finnegan Visits Fort Funston

I have always seen other dog owners heading out to Fort Funston all the time, but it wasn't until Finnegan and I went there ourselves that I truly understand why this is surely the best off-leash dog park in our area. Fort Funston features 200 foot high sandy bluffs on San Francisco’s southwest coast where the winds blow reliably wildly. It is no surprise that it is one of the premier hang-gliding spots in the country. A network of trails make it ideal for hiking and horseback riding. Dog owners will be happy to know they can take leashes off here. It is also home to the Fort Funston Native Plant Nursery. 

That day, I decided not to hide my crazy pug lady personality and wore some cut-off overalls and a PUGS t-shirt that I had thrifted a while ago back home in Ventura, CA. I am sure that Z was embarrassed to be seen with me. Upon reaching Fort Funston, we took a winding trail though some sand dunes to an isolated beach. There were tons of dogs, all nicely trained of course, accompanying their owners for this scenic walk. If you want to do some dog watching, this is the place to be. As soon as we reached the water, Finnegan was already tired from the seemingly arduous journey to ocean paradise. At one point, he was so exhausted that he flopped himself down in the middle of the wet sand and probably looked similar to a beached whale from far away. Completely covered in wet sand and panting non-stop, we dragged Finnegan back to the car and took him to a self-wash bathing center near-by. We found out that Finnegan gained some weight on their in-store scale--about 29.2 pounds to be exact! After the bath, Finnegan passed out in his new Star Wars Boba Fett hoodie (I couldn't resist) on the couch and didn't even wake up to eat. I guess he was trying to tell me that this was a pretty successful pug day outing.

To see Finnegan in action, click on the Instagram video below: