Sniffing an eight-foot-tall orange fire hydrant, dogs and their owners gathered at the Austin Beerworks Sprinkle Valley at 11 a.m. on Saturday, ready to experience Austin’s Puptopia festival, a celebration of dogs in the lives of Austinites.
Starting in Houston in 2021, Puptopia travels to cities, giving people and their dogs a chance to enjoy themselves and celebrate their furry friends for a day.
Morgan Vacek, marketing events coordinator for Bounce, the company behind Puptopia, said she wants the event to connect people with their dog and leave knowing they enjoyed the experience.
“I own a dog, and I understand the feeling that you get when you feel (your dog is) your child, and you want to share your life with your dog in various different ways,” Vacek said. “This event is specifically catered to people who love … their dogs like they are their children.”
Vacek said she’s organized this event in other cities before, but was excited to bring Puptopia to Austin.
“Austin has … young and old people who have dogs, and they’re always on one of those lists where you see people take their dogs to different breweries, to the trail,” Vacek said. “It’s one of those cities that always shows up in the list of best places to live with (a) dog.”
Guests of Puptopia walked their dogs through Beerworks before entering the outside pavilion hosting a DJ and around 26 local and national vendors selling clothing, treats, food, supplements, body care products for dogs and even a doggy spa for attendees wanting to treat their dog.
Dr. Mark Gracia, founder and owner of RGV Freeze Dried Treats, sold his product at the event for the second time. Gracia initially made the treats just for his dog, Jack.
“I bought freeze-dried treats in the store once, and (Jack) was stubborn,” Gracia said. “Never wanted to go back. … He went on strike.”
Gracia emphasizes utilizing pure ingredients for his dog treats, sourcing all the ingredients as locally as possible. He said people in Austin often look for more exotic or natural dog treats.
“People come to my booth wanting something more for their dog, and they either come … because they can’t find something in the stores, or they want to be able to support local and help farmers at the same time,” Gracia said.
In addition to all the vendors, both dogs and owners enjoyed themselves, jumping into the ball pit, running through the obstacle course, using photo ops and participating in the tiny dog race.
Danny Tran, computer science senior, went to the event after an invitation from someone he met the same day. Tran and Costilla brought their dog Cinnamon to get her more exposure and some treats.
“The dog scene here is really booming,” Tran said. “A lot of people aren’t having kids, they’re having dogs. It’s getting popular.”
