By Lulu the Pug
Today, I’m pugjacking “A Few of My Favorite Things,” usually written by my owner, Kathy Chouteau, because it’s time for this dog to have her day. I’m Lulu, a six-year-old black pug from Richmond, and while my hooman usually goes on about her favorites and whatnot, today I’M TAKING OVER. It’s all about some of MY FAVES, besides belly rubs and BBQ scraps.
One place where I always get the zoomies is Barbara & Jay Vincent Park beach in Richmond’s Marina Bay. This is the small beach facing the Craneway, not the larger one with murky sea creatures. While my hoomans rave all day about the views—“Oh, look at the bay!”—I get to splash in the water and try to doggie paddle to that other city with tall buildings and bright lights.
A short car ride from the beach is another spot that always curls my tail, East Brother Beer Co. My hoomans rave about “the amazing IPAs,” and “La Santa Torta birria tacos,” but I like it cuz I get to come along and wander inside and out. Plus, all the fuss the brewery’s hoomans make over me. “Oh, she’s so cute” and all that. And then there’s the trail near the entrance to the barking lot, where us furballs can go for a walk.
Then there’s Mira Vista Field (dog park) in East Richmond Heights, which is my day-to-day neighborhood stomping ground. It has lots of room for super-sized furballs to exercise, yet is manageable for a little 15-pounder like moi (As opposed to that larger dog park, Point Isabel). When I’m not busy running with the wind through my ears and catching up on the latest pee-mail, my hoomans—AGAIN—go on about the views. This time it’s chatter about the “Golden Gate Bridge,” “Mt. Tam” and—wait for it—the BAY!
Up the hill from where I roll with my homies is the Gyuto Foundation, Richmond’s resident Tibetan Buddhist monastery. Why does a pug like a monastery? Because they have Foo Dog statues that resemble me and are also kind to animals, welcoming us four-legged furballs onto their beautiful grounds. This includes the “Path to Enlightenment” trail and the “Peace Garden.” Since pugs used to do the “security” detail (barking?) for Tibetan monasteries back in the day, I feel right at home here.
Also on my doggie-faves list is the Sunday Pug Meetup at Mira Vista Park—a small spot not to be confused with the field mentioned earlier. It’s there, on Sundays from 9:30-10:30 a.m., I get to bark it up with other flat-nosed furballs on the expansive main lawn, while we fully express ourselves through grunts, huffs and pug zoomies. Other breeds are welcome too, plus the group often has small events, like a Halloween celebration and birthday parties. My hoomans like to wax poetic about the “serenity” and “history” of the little enclave—it has a rock where Native Americans used to grind acorns, they say.
There’s no bones about it, these are some of my favorite things to do in Richmond. Tell us about some of yours in the comments.
