Jul
2012
23 PAWS: 200 Small Dogs at the Beach
It’s 23 PAWS! I love writing about Charlie and posting photos of him, so participating was a no-brainer, obviously (oh yeah, and I think Eat Pray Tri is awesome, so happy to participate for that reason too!!)
This month, I thought I’d write about Charlie and my adventure at the beach on Saturday. A few weeks ago, a friend told me about a massive small-dog meet-up that happens every Saturday at one of the SF beaches. Supposedly, over 200 people show up every week with their small dogs and all walk from one side to the beach and back together. The dogs play and have their own little party.
It sounded pretty neat. I read the website before I left. For a very informal meet-up (I think it just started as a few friends meeting with their dogs), there are some very specific rules–
1) Dogs MUST be under 20 pounds (Charlie weighs 19-20 pounds, so just barely makes it).
2) No leashes allowed (they want the dogs to be free to roam).
3) No treats allowed (so the dogs don’t get distracted).
4) Only happy, friendly dogs allowed (duh).
Good to know…I would have brought treats. Anyway-
We got there a little late on Saturday….and of course, in typical SF fashion, the entire City was 75 degrees….except for the neighborhood with the beach where it was cold and foggy! But the fog was actually very pretty. Charlie didn’t mind. He LOVES the beach and was thrilled to be there.
And my friend was right– there were almost 200 people there!
All the new dog-friends made Charlie pretty excited…
Come on, Mom, let’s go play
And basically, it was one big dog party. I’m trying to socialize Charlie a little more because he’s sorta indifferent and scared about other dogs lately, so it was good for him to play. (we had some not-so-good experiences with a few not so nice nieghborhood dogs lately…) And since it’s 23 Paws, I’ll just post his friend-playing-etc photos. I feel like I’m posting photos of my toddler from his play group- ha, kidding!
I guess this is bound to happen if you get a lot of dogs together…..I’m just glad it wasn’t Charlie
And he of course, came home wet, sandy, tired, and happy…..and so did I 
Questions for ya–
If you have a dog, do they prefer playing with dogs their own size or smaller/bigger dogs? Charlie likes dogs that look like him…too small and he’s not interested…too big and he’s a little scared.
Do you think your town/city is dog-friendly? SF is…you can bring dogs into just about any store. BUT- it’s really, really hard to find an apartment that allows dogs.
If you could get any breed of dog, what would you get? I now love Cockapoos because of Charlie, but I’ve always wanted a golden retriever and I think a goldendoodle or labradoodle would be terrific too.
eatpraytri
July 23, 2012 at 3:37 pm (306 days ago)Oh. My. Goodness. Charlie looks to be having THE BEST time. What an awesome thing to do!! We’ve been to couple of small dog meet-ups and they always are super fun. Stinks that the beach was so cold and foggy! But looks like everyone had fun anyway.
Guinness is good with dogs of all sizes although he’s not really interested in playing…he likes toys and people. I’ve taken him to the dog park before and he just goes to a group of people standing around and stands in the middle of them waiting for pets. HA! Silly. Chloe doesn’t really like to play with other dogs, but I think its just b/c she is so small. She always feels like she has to protect herself. Toby however, loves to play with all other dogs. He would love this beach met up. Although he is a smidge (ok a lot) over 20lbs so he would get kicked out for sure! HA!
Rebecca
July 23, 2012 at 4:02 pm (306 days ago)That’s so cute about Guinness wanting to be pet!! Ha, I think Charlie might do that too. Your dogs are lucky that they have each other to play with/keep each other company at home…I think Charlie gets super lonely sometimes.
Brittany
July 23, 2012 at 3:39 pm (306 days ago)My mom/my dog, Boogie, is terrified of any dog bigger than him and Chewbacca growls at them. If they’re smaller though he looooves playing with them. We have a neighbor with a little French Bulldog puppy and they’re best friends.
Despite the fact that Santa Cruz likes to boast it’s animal-friendly, it’s really not. There are like 2 spots in Santa Cruz county you can legally take your dog off leash, otherwise they’re stuck on a leash and not allowed in any stores. It’s incredibly hard to find anywhere to live that allows dogs.
I’ve always wanted a Brittany Spaniel, originally because of my name ha!, but also because they’re so adorable and cuddly. If I had the land I’d love to get an Irish Wolfhound, they’re really sweet dogs and super big.
Rebecca
July 23, 2012 at 3:59 pm (306 days ago)I didn’t realize that about Santa Cruz! That makes it so hard not to allow them off leash anywhere! Brittany Spaniels are super cute!!
Alex @ therunwithin
July 23, 2012 at 4:00 pm (306 days ago)What a cool idea they do for the dogs, wow I really love this! To the person above I actually have a brittany spaniel!
Brittany
July 23, 2012 at 4:07 pm (306 days ago)I’ve seen (not to sound like a stalker ha) and she’s so adorable!
Stacie @ Snaps and Bits
July 23, 2012 at 5:37 pm (306 days ago)This looks so fun and Charlie is sooooo cute! If I lived near SF, like I used to, I’d be sad to be excluded since my doggie is 45 pounds. Do they have a medium size dog meet up too?
Rebecca
July 23, 2012 at 11:06 pm (305 days ago)I’m not sure if they do…but I bet there would be enough medium sized dog owners that you could start a meet-up for one if they don’t already have it!
helennaturally
July 23, 2012 at 6:12 pm (305 days ago)I think it is so awesome that you have the opportunity to go to a dog meet up. While we do not have a small dog, I would love the opportunity to particpate in soemthing like that!
Rebecca
July 23, 2012 at 11:05 pm (305 days ago)Agreed- whoever thought of it had a great idea! I’ve seen some owners of specific breeds organize meet-ups too (pugs, havanese, etc) which must be fun for all the dogs too.
Min
July 23, 2012 at 6:47 pm (305 days ago)Wow!! First of all, 75 degrees in July? That sounds heavenly!!
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What a neat meet-up! LOVE LOVE LOVE the second picture!! Look at Charlie go!
Our best companions really DO bring people together! 200 People?!? (I apologize for my overuse of !!..I can’t help it). Kona prefers humans over his kind. We’re def trying to socialize him more. He does prefer large dogs over friends that are his size. He must have a distorted self-image, thinking he’s a lot larger than he really is
Austin is VERY dog-friendly as well! I think it’s wonderful!
Rebecca
July 23, 2012 at 11:03 pm (305 days ago)I know, I couldn’t believe how many people were there!! I’m glad Austin’s dog friendly too. And super cute that he likes bigger dogs- brave too!
healthcraved
July 23, 2012 at 6:53 pm (305 days ago)this is too funny/cute! I’ve never heard of such a thing. I’ve had all different kinds of dogs–black lab, English mastiff, great Pyrenees, spitz…but my favorite so far is our Golden Doodle. she is so sweet natured and not too big but not too small and she’s a cuddle bug!
Rebecca
July 23, 2012 at 11:00 pm (305 days ago)Aww so cute about your goldendoodle!! Thats neat that you’ve had a mastiff- I actually see people in the city who live in apartments with them–they’re so big, I can even imagine what apartment living is like for then!!
healthcraved
July 23, 2012 at 11:12 pm (305 days ago)our mastiff was such a sweetheart but they do have a slight drooling problem that can get pretty nasty
Apples and Arteries
July 24, 2012 at 5:31 am (305 days ago)What a neat event. Our big dogs seem to get a little spooked by smaller dogs.
I think I’m stuck on Labs
Carrie
July 24, 2012 at 9:15 am (305 days ago)So fun that it was at the beach. And I love that it was small dogs only. I’m a huge small dog fan. I would love to get a Border Terrier. Their so cute and mutt-looking.
Rebecca
July 24, 2012 at 2:22 pm (305 days ago)They are so cute!