Dogtoberfest events are now across the country, hosting agility, obedience, tricks, games for dogs, pet adoptions, and sponsored by many local pet service companies. There's a little bit of everything for the visitor. The Tucson event's proceeds help Handi-Dogs, a non-profit organization that trains dogs for elderly people with disabilities.
Hours are 10-4pm but I only stayed two hours because of the heat.
The event is held at the Gregory school field on Craycroft, just before crossing the seasonal Rillito river. The Gregory school is a private, non-sectarian school for middle to high school students. It's a nice neighborhood in the Fort Lowell area. Visitors pay $5 to park, but the rest of the events are free. There are food trucks in the front of the field, but no picnic tables on which to sit.
I parked a 0.4 miles away north of the river, in the River Road outdoor mall behind a Whataburger. I got to the field at 10:30am and already felt the heat. There was little shade except for what was available under the many vendor tents and a few mature cottonwoods. I knew I wasn't going to last for the entire event, but I did enjoy talking to vendors, getting a few freebies, watching other dogs and talking to the owners of A Loyal Companion, the two women who run the therapeutic pool I'm thinking of taking Minnie to.
The main stage, where two KLPX (Tucson's Classic Rock station) employees hosted pet tricks, was mostly barren. Not all the tables were occupied. Zeke rested under one table to stay in the shade, but even I was getting warm (and I wore my floppy hat to stay cool!)
There were no doggie pools as advertised on the event's website, but there was a man spraying dogs down with water. I went to him three times to cool off Zeke. Vendors provided water bowls, but there was no central trough for dogs to drink out of.
I would have enjoyed this event much more had it been cooler out. It was 89F when I got back to the car at 12:30pm. I missed out on other demonstrations, such as police dog exhibits and stupid pet tricks. Maybe next year it will be later in the year. I drove by the field 30 minutes after leaving the event, the field looked busier than earlier.
Not to waste the day, I had lunch at Sentinel Peak brewery on Grant Road. SteveT and I had been there earlier this year and liked the beer. I like their Heatwave Hefeweizen and had that with their chicken tacos as I sat at the outdoor counter where dogs are allowed. The tacos had more cabbage in them than chicken, though. I had a second Octoberfest beer which was also good (Sentinel Peak makes consistently good beer) while Zeke enjoyed cooling off in the shade. More dogs and their owners were coming as I left an hour later, heading to the recycling place on Speedway Blvd before stopping at the Arizona Beer House on Kolb.
I had heard about this Arizona Beer House. It's a taphouse converted from an old auto shop; the floor is cracked concrete, but the entire building is a large spacious square. Kids and dogs are allowed. I tied Zeke's leash to a hook under the counter, where there are also USB outlets for charging smartphones. Food trucks are up front and today it was a BBQ chicken truck. I sat at the bar and chatted with one of the beer tappers. Service was very friendly, but the prices are steep. The beers I tried were all in 12-ounce glasses or 8-ounce tulips Except for the steep prices, this kind of place is what Sierra Vista needs: a dedicated establishment that allows dogs (and well-behaved kids), has plenty of room, and which provides diverse food choices.
I dragged out my time in Tucson. I told Kevin I'd be home by 7pm, but instead I got home closer to 10pm because high winds began on my way home. I stopped in Benson to wait out the wind, which was futile. Little did I know that that wind was a precursor to an arctic cold front moving in and affecting the West and Great Plains for the week.
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