Here at Bay Woof, we’re taking a breath and savoring the special time that settles in each March during awards season. We’re done with the ballyhooing, the ballot counting, and the backstage scrambling; now we happily raise a toast to this year’s big winners. Oh, you thought we were talking about the Oscars? No, we’re celebrating something far more essential to the Greater Bay Area’s growing legions of canine connoisseurs – the one and only Beast of the Bay Awards (BOBA)! In this issue, we’re proud to present our readers’ picks for top local dog people, places, products, and purveyors. The 2013 list of winners and runners-up is here.
It’s an impossible goal for our small staff to keep up with the explosion in nifty new places, terrific treats, and must-have services for the canine crowd, so thanks to all of you who took the time to tip us off to your cool new discoveries or tell us that your old favorites still rock.
We wish we had room to feature every single person, place, and thing that helps make the Bay Area an exceptional place for dogs and the people who love them, but we have to settle for just one winner and 2-3 runners-up in each category. The fact that this barely scratches the surface is a sure sign of how vibrant a dog-loving community we are! Know that even if your name or business doesn’t appear on this year’s list, we appreciate your contribution to our local canines.
Our Beast of the Bay issue can’t encompass everyone and everything canine, but we like to think it’s a valuable effort. In the feedback section of the ballots (see samples of comments HERE), many of you told us our annual list has become a go-to resource. Readers new to the Bay Area use the BOBA awards as an indispensable guide as they get acquainted with the environs, and old-timers love discovering new dog-friendly destinations.
Since we live, type, and spill ink to be of service, we’re glad to know you think it’s all worthwhile. Your appreciation and encouragement restore our spirits and keep us going. And your feedback serves a practical purpose, too – next year, watch for new BOBA categories and other voter-inspired enhancements to the process. Thank you for all the great ideas!
And while we’re passing around the thank you bones, one of the juiciest goes to Theo Joire, Bay Woof’s in-house version of PriceWaterhouse. Theo pored over thousands of ballots, crunched the numbers, and didn’t spill one bean to the Vegas bookmakers.
After you’ve soaked up all the awards news, sit back and enjoy your favorite Bay Woof columns. In Good Dog!, Vicki Ronchette of Braveheart Dog Training shares her size-specific techniques for training those lovable but sometimes challenging small dogs. Kelly Gorman Dunbar’s Monthly Woof asks us to pay more attention to our dogs’ natural inclinations to learn and do. Dr. Arnold Gutlaizer of Oakland’s Broadway Pet Hospital reports on the ins and outs of pet insurance in Ask Dr Dog.
Wrap up your reading with this month’s Shelter Zone. Kevin Metz, a volunteer at Tri-Valley Animal Rescue in Pleasanton, will boost your optimism with his article about a new generation of animal advocates.
There’s still one thing left to do for the BOBA bunch – celebrate! The culminating event of awards season 2013 is the fabulous Beast of the Bay Awards Party, happening from 3-8 PM on Saturday, lucky April 13, at the forever fun and festive El Rio, 3158 Mission Street in San Francisco. Winners, runners-up, voters, and non-voters – canine and human alike – are cordially invited to enjoy the festivities. See the Calendar for full details.
Farewell ‘til next month, when spring will have sprung and our annual travel issue will be in your hands, just in time to fuel your (and your dog’s) wanderlust.
– Deb C.Z. Hirsch, Managing Editor
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