Today we attempted to hit the Bend Summer Festival in beautiful Bend, Oregon. I checked online – and there wasn’t any mention of banning the furry friends. Seeing that Bend is a rather dog-friendly town (I mean, come on — they have the Bend Pet Parade every 4th of July weekend), I figured we were safe.
I figured wrong.
Vendors at Summerfest
About 20 minutes into meandering through the street vendors, we were told by a not-so friendly officer that we (well, Koop) was not welcome (and uh, we must not have seen the posted signs). Well, there were quite a few people who also didn’t see the posted signs – as we saw a few more furry friends that would surely get the boot if they ran into Officer Happy Pants.
With temperatures reaching close to 90 degrees, and the dog at a steady pant that sounded more like a freight train than a Chocolate Lab, it didn’t quite bother me so much that we were asked to vamoose, although my dog was much more well behaved than some people’s children out there. Just sayin’. I was just bummed that we hadn’t made our migration to the beer tent before we got sidetracked.
Enjoying the Shade
To ensure he didn’t get his puppy feelings hurt, he did receive a couple of french fries while lounging in the well needed shade of the umbrellas while a friend and I enjoyed a late lunch at the Village Grille in Sunriver. No sulking going on there.
Better planning on my part is required for future endeavors, but not to fear. Next week we’ll be attending another festival where, for sure, the dog will be welcomed with open paws. Hooray for the dog-friendly beer fests! Bend Summerfest could get a tip or two on sharing the dog love.
