SAN DIEGO — Along with Fourth of July fireworks and barbeques, every year on Independence Day, San Diegans pick the most patriotic pet. In this Zevely Zone, I went to Rancho Bernardo to host the 13th annual Larry Himmel Memorial Patriotic Pet Contest.
As much as America loves its Independence, we also love our animals. The contest has three categories: Small dogs, large dogs, and other animals. An early 4th favorite was a Pomeranian named Patches. "He loves eating hamburgers, hot dogs and potato chips," said Patches' owner.
Next up a small dog named Wiki dressed as Captain America entered the stage. "He wants to protect America," said Wiki's owner. Defending our borders and attacking our microphone was a job a dog named Ira wanted to take a bite out of. "This is a first," I said. "This is the dog who should be protecting America."
The Rancho Bernardo Community Council promotes pet inclusivity. So, along with Loki the cat and Dasher the goat, two rabbits jumped into the fray. "Which is harder bringing a cat to a patriotic pet contest or a rabbit?" I asked. I was told the cat. Or could it be a brawny boxer? "Uh, oh, run away dog!" I yelled. A dog named Weston was half dog, half bulldozer.
Next up? A labradoodle named Yankee Doodle. "One day Yankie Doodle went to town riding on a pony he stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni," said a young lady. If the bit seemed rehearsed it was that young lady was my daughter Brianne, and the dog was ours too named Raleigh. My daughter is going to college in the fall and wanted to enter our dog into the contest. Due to my role as the contest host, I had to disqualify both Raleigh and Brianne. "That does not seem very democratic to me," joked Brianne.
But picking the Grand Champion was and the crowd always gets to decide the winner. This year, there was a new 'kid' in town. "Let's hear it for Dasher," I said. The crowd erupted with applause. For the first time in the history of the Larry Himmel Memorial Patriotic Pet Contest, we had a goat as the winner! Dasher is owned by Klara Pennal.
The Patriotic Pet Contest is named after Larry Himmel because he hosted it five times and lived in RB for more than 30 years with his wife Joan and son Miles. Happy Fourth of July! This was the 13-th annual Larry Himmel Memorial Patriotic Pet Contest. The event is organized by the Rancho Bernardo Community Council. The event honors Larry's legacy of storytelling and community spirit in San Diego.
Watch Live: Zevely Zone: Larry Himmel Memorial Patriotic Pet Contest (Jul 4, 2019)