Pug Sunday!

They're squat, fat, and prone to a myriad of health issues. They resemble miniature Ewoks and can be heard blocks away by their heavy snorting and grunting. Of course the people of San Francisco want to dedicate one day each month to this creature, the pug. Pug owners, enthusiasts, and friends of the pug gather every first Sunday of the month at Alta Plaza Park in Pacific Heights to play, socialize, and butt sniff. As many as 75 pugs are known to take over the park. All breeds are welcome to the gathering as long as they're pug friendly. Some people (pugophiles?) even like to lay down a blanket, have a picnic, and simply enjoy the pugs in the sun. 

On this day, Z and I set up a blanket and let Finnegan run loose. He hopped over to every pug and picnicking owner in order to try and ham it up for a few pats on the head. At times, it was a bit difficult to capture Finnegan's photo because he kept darting back and forth trying to get pugs to chase him. We saw so many pugs of all shapes and sizes. We even saw Winston and his owner Susan of Modcloth! This is probably my favorite day of the month because I get to "ooh" and "ahh" over the myriads of pugs and not feel out of place. Hope that you can come and check out Pug Sunday next time you're in the area. Maybe you'll see the chunky black pug wearing a stripped harness prancing around, trying to sneak some food out of your picnic basket.

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: