Mike Schramm

"We are Chicago's only bakery," says Galloping Gourmutts' Candice D'Agnolo. Chicago's only dog bakery, that is. "We're not licensed to sell to humans, but it's all human-grade ingredients," she says of the spread of doggie delicacies before her. Canine Cannolis are stacked up next to tiny cinnamon rolls, mini pretzels and Poochie Pizzas, D'Agnolo's favorite. "Sometimes, when we're making these, I'll take and eat one," she confides.

She's staffing the Gourmutts booth at the 3rd Annual Bow Wow Beach Bash, a dog festival at Montrose Beach. Inside the makeshift exhibition area, overseen by a giant inflatable pooch, dogs and their owners are checking out the booths of businesses that cater to a specifically canine clientele. Not a lot of barking going on, but there's sniffing, a little play fighting, and mostly a lot of wary regarding.

Next door is a booth run by a group called Sit Stay Read!, which runs "literacy programs for kids and dogs." They set up events for children in public schools to practice reading to dogs. "It's much less threatening to read to a dog," says Bonnie Tucker, a volunteer wearing a nametag with a picture of her dog Rocky on it. "They're very nonjudgmental." She happily points out that the program has boosted test scores, helped classes of kids with reading, and boasts "perfect attendance on Sit Stay Read! days."

Owners herd their dogs on leashes through the rest of the exhibits. But one look at the beach behind the fair, and it's clear where the real party is. Crowds of dogs have been unleashed onto the dunes and run free in the sunny afternoon.

(2005-06-28)

Also by Mike Schramm

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Don't they know there's a war on?
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Belting the Maintenance Blues
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Game over?
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Spam and Cheese
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Serving Kurtwood Smith
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Not too many cooks
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Go West
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Curtain Call
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