By Mary Ann Bourbeau
ASBURY PARK – Everyone loves a parade, and what could be better than a parade of cute little pugs dressed in their finest pink outfits?
That’s just one of the pug events happening in Asbury Park May 6-8 as the 4th Annual Pugapalooza returns to town. The event has been turned into a three-day extravaganza at the Wonder Bar, with pugs and their owners boarding at the nearby Empress Hotel. Proceeds from the weekend’s events benefit Curly Tail Pug Rescue.
“We want to have a good time and raise money for a good cause,” said Connie Breech, an Asbury Park police officer and pug owner who started the event four years ago.
The event kicks off Friday evening with a Pugs & Peeps Meet & Greet in the lobby of the Empress Hotel, featuring cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. The hotel is offering a pet-friendly discount for the weekend when guests use the code “curly tail.”
The Pug Main Event takes place from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Wonder Bar on Ocean Avenue. The day will include raffles, along with music by DJ Chris “Jiggy” Wicket, who brings his own pug to the event. Vendors include Pugnacious Gifts; pug jewelry by Geoffrey Baldwin Designs; The Dawg Joint, grooming and doggie day care; Serina’s Delights, dog treats and accessories; unique handmade items by the Crafty Hong Sisters, and Curly Tail Coffee – home roasted coffee that benefits animal rescue efforts. There is a $5 suggested donation. Children are welcome in the food area, while the dogs hang outside in their own fenced-in section. The rain date for this event is Sunday.
“Last year we raised $2,500 for Curly Tail Pug Rescue,” said Breech. “We hope to raise even more this year because it’s a whole weekend event.”
Curly Tail’s mission is to rescue pugs that are sick, injured, homeless, unwanted, have been surrendered by their owners or rescued from puppy mills. Breech has two pugs – Bo and Biscuit – and Bo was a Curly Tail rescue.
“Pugs are like Lay’s Potato Chips,” she said. “You can’t have just one. They need to have that companionship.”
Last year, 163 pugs attended Pugapalooza at the Wonder Bar during the four-hour event.
“It’s the craziest thing to see all these dogs in one area running all around the place,” Breech said. “Different colors, shapes and mixes, it’s the cutest thing. You just have to laugh.”
This year, in honor of Asbury Park’s Paint the Town Pink breast cancer initiative, all pugs are asked to don their best pink outfit for Sunday’s Pink Pug Brunch, which runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at a cost of $15 per person. Proceeds benefit Curly Tail Pug Rescue. After the brunch, pug owners will take their pooches across the street for a brand new event – the Pink Out Your Pug Boardwalk Promenade, complete with judges and prizes.
“I thought it would be really cool,” said Breech. “Pugs like to dress up, and it will be a nice day on the boardwalk.”
Breech regularly brings her dogs to the Wonder Bar’s Yappy Hour in the spring and summer. At Yappy Hour, sociable dogs can run free in a fenced in area while their owners sip a cocktail at the outside bar. The dogs have a swimming pool and an agility area. There are always four security guards on duty at all times, and the dogs that misbehave are sent to a separate time-out section.
Wonder Bar manager Debbie DeLisa, who is a big advocate for animal rescue organizations, started Yappy Hour 12 years ago on a small patio outside the bar. Developer Madison Marquette took over the Wonder Bar in 2008 and dedicated an entire lot on the property to the pooches, even going so far as to build a deck for the dogs and a Tiki bar for their owners.
“The president of Madison Marquette is a huge animal lover,” said DeLisa, who has three rescue dogs of her own. “Now on the weekends, we get between 200 and 300 dogs at Yappy Hour.”
When Breech approached DeLisa and Curly Tail Pug Rescue about organizing a Pugapalooza, they all thought it was a great idea.
“You can meet other pug owners with common interests and raise money for a good cause,” she said. “I hope it’s a great weekend, and it brings people in to see our great city and all we have to offer.”
DeLisa is just as happy about how popular Pugapalooza has turned out to be.
“All the rescue groups need money, and the pugs are so cute,” she said. “They look like a bunch of little tater tots running around.”
For more information, visit www.curlytailpugrescue.org or www.wonderbarasburypark.com.
Arts and entertainment writer Mary Ann Bourbeau can be reached at mbourbeau@tworivertimes.com and Twitter @MaryAnnBourbeau.
