'Merry Pugmas' event draws playful pups to Downtown Bend
Cheerful barking could be heard and vibrant sweaters could be seen inside Downtown Bend's Expedition Club & Supply on Sunday.
Bend Pug Club welcomed excited little dogs from all over Central Oregon, looking for a photo with Santa Claus.
The event they called 'Merry Pugmas' is a first for the Pug Club.
"We were inspired to do Pugmas because it's so fun," the club's founder Tierney O'Dea Booker said. "We had this at our old club, and it's really funny to have a pug picture with Santa, and then we have voluntary donations to Pacific Pug Rescue… they rescue these little guys all over the area."
A suggested donation for each photo was $5, but Booker spotted more than one $20 bill in the pile.
This is their second event this year to raise funds for Pacific Pug Rescue, after their Pug-O-Ween event in October.
"As you might guess, they definitely need some funds because when pugs are in trouble, it usually is quite a dollar figure," Booker said.
She started the Bend Pug Club after moving to the area nearly eight years ago.
"There wasn't a pug club here, and there had always been a pug club wherever we lived," she said. "What's fun about it is you don't expect pugs to be in a big mountain town, but they're still pretty adventurous dogs, and it's fun to get them all together because it really confuses the other dogs."
Booker's own dogs, Olive and Huxley, helped greet visitors as they entered the store.
She hopes to hold at least one event in the snow this year, and more events once spring rolls around.
To find out more about Bend Pug Club, visit their Meetup page here or their Facebook page here.