After forcing your pup into a costume all weekend, you'll definitely owe your little champ a special treat. Luckily, Pawtrero's annual street festival returns this Sunday, Nov. 1st, promising a slew of goodies for SoMa's four-legged residents.
Dog Day Afternoon started nine years ago as a costume contest in the park with seven dogs, said Pawtrero owner Ray Nyden. Now it attracts thousands to the shop's Brannan Street location to help raise money for small Bay Area pet rescues and meet a host of local pet supply and service companies.
This year, 30 vendors and 14 rescues will set up booths from 11am-3pm on Brannan Street from Delancey to the Embarcadero. With goodie bags in hand, visitors will meet food and treat vendors, dog walkers, a pet psychic and other small companies, and take home a variety of free samples. They'll also have the opportunity to meet lesser-known Bay Area rescues, like Copper's Dream Rescue, Pets In Need, and Toni's Kitty Rescue, and learn about adopting and fostering dogs and cats.
While the event is free to attend, the official currency of the street fair is the "Paw Buck."
For a $10 donation, a Paw Buck can be purchased and used to buy a self-service pet wash at Pawtrero — regularly $12. To encourage donations, Pawtrero will accept Paw Bucks for baths all November long, Nyden said.
Paw Bucks can also be used at the fair to purchase a pet photography session (one Paw Buck), pet caricature (two Paw Bucks) or an entry to the 1pm costume contest (one Paw Buck).
Last year's costume contest winners.
Another way to donate is by purchasing raffle tickets. A variety of neighboring businesses and featured pet vendors have donated prizes, including local champions the Warriors, who donated an autographed basketball to the cause.
Proceeds from the event will be donated to the 14 participating rescues. Last year's event generated $7,000 for seven rescues, Nyden said, and this time around they hope to raise $10,000.
