ALTON — The beverages were not on your house however some were certainly on the flooring Saturday as buddies made the Riverbend rounds throughout the yearly Downtown Alton Pup Crawl, commonly referred to as Drink With Your Dog.
Two- and four-legged individuals lapped up the libations, and the attention, at almost 2 lots pet-friendly businesses that used food and drink specials, pet-friendly activities and a possibility to win rewards, all for a $10 ticket that included an unique bandanna for each dog.
Aimee Delafuente of Alton brought her dog Roxanne to Solera, a Pup Crawl place.
“There were a few places on the passport that we hadn’t checked out yet and we thought it would be a great opportunity to see where we could take her and meet other local dog lovers,” Delafuente said. “We love it because Roxanne is like our little child and we love to take her everywhere.”
Did Roxanne choose one Pup Crawl business more than another?
“She’s democratic; she loves all of Alton,” Delafuente said. “The more businesses that offer that opportunity the better for us.”
Tomi Dublo of Alton was taking pleasure in the outside seating location at Ragin Cajun with her dog Harley Jo.
“This is a great way to socialize Harley. She is a farm dog so she doesn’t get in town much,” Dublo said. “All of the other dogs are a little frightening to her, however she’s extremely friendly.
“I believe this is incredible,” she said. “I believe every location needs to resemble this.”
Five-month-old dog Broden chosen Mineral Springs Hotel “because he got ice cream here,” said his owner, Janine Irvin of Godfrey.
“We joined the Pup Crawl to socialize him, to get him out to meet people and other dogs,” Irvin said. “Everyone is happy when you walk in with a dog.”
Brighton homeowner Breanna Harbison and her dog Athena were delighted to participate in the Pup Crawl.
“I love dogs and I had fun last year. This is Athena’s first year, and I think she’s excited, but she’s probably going to also have a lot of issues with other dogs, so we’ll see,” Harbison said. “I love being able to take her places. It’s a lot of fun seeing all of the dog-friendly places around Alton.”
Pup Crawl individuals signed in at the Alton Dog Park, where they might board a shuttle bus to transfer them to taking part areas. Stephanie Hopkins of East Alton boarded the shuttle bus with her dog Kolby and they were both getting ready to go.
“Kolby is thrilled about today; he is ready for all of the dog treats,” Hopkins said. “He’s our only kid so we like to take him out when we can and any place we go. He doesn’t like to remain home; he likes to be with us.
“When we found out there was an event for people and dogs, we were like, ‘Heck yeah, we want to do that,’” Hopkins said. “Kolby can be more involved, rather than just sitting beside us waiting for us to finish whatever we are doing.”
Ripley and Gloria, with their owner Keith Allen of West Alton, Missouri, were repeat Pup Crawl visitors. They took pleasure in the occasion in 2015 and returned Saturday to the Flock Food Truck Park.
“It’s a fun event and it gets them interacting with other dogs,”Allen said. “It makes it more fun to go places. Everybody loves their pets so you get to bring your ‘kids’ with you.”