A select group of Long Beach restaurants will participate in Dining For Doggies, a weeklong promotion aimed at dog lovers. From Friday, December 4 to Saturday, December 12, participating restaurants will highlight a menu item and each time a customer orders it, he/she will receive a voucher for a free ticket ($20 value) to the 2009 AKC/Eukanuba National Championship. The two-day international competition and exhibition featuring the most extraordinary dogs in the world is expected to draw more than 25,000 attendees.
Among the 30 participating restaurants are Michael’s On Naples, P.F. Chang’s, Johnny Rockets, Gladstone’s, Boston’s, Bono’s, L’Opera, Madison, Alegria, La Creperie, Lucille’s BBQ, Open Sesame, Taco Surf, Aroma di Roma, Café La Strada, Legends, Magic Lamp, Crème de la Crepe, Lotus Café, Buono’s Pizzeria, It’s A Grind, Rock Bottom, Extreme Pizza, Natraj, Yen Sushi, BJ’s Pizza, George’s Greek Café, Bouchee’s Bistro, Phuket Thai and Stefano’s Pizza.
Presented by TV’s Animal Planet, the 2009 AKC/Eukanuba National Championship will be held at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center December 12 & 13. In addition to the competition between 3,000 dogs from around the world, the event will feature 400,000 square feet devoted to man’s best friend including:
• DOG SENSORY EXHIBIT – For the first time you will be able to see, smell, hear and taste exactly as a dog does at this multi-sensory exhibit;
• MASSIVE DOG MALL – More than 100 products including Swarovski crystal embellished collars, leads and apparel (for dogs and humans); fine designer jewelry (for pets and humans); dog art and collectables;
• AKC MEET THE BREEDStm – You will be able to interact with almost 150 different pure breeds and learn about their personalities and temperaments, responsible dog ownership and which breeds best suit your lifestyle;
• LUXURY POOCH PALACE EXHIBIT – 10 luxury pooch palaces – each designed by a different local nonprofit organization – will be displayed;
• SUPER DOG COMPETITION – Watch Labradors, Collies and other breeds sail through the air into an indoor pool to see which one goes the farthest in this impressive competition;
• POLICE DOG DEMO – They track the scent of criminals, detect carefully hidden illicit drugs and assist in the apprehension of suspects and now these public servants will show off their skills;
• INTERACTIVE EXHIBITS – Test your knowledge of the world of dogs by participating in a game show competition much like the popular television hit, “Jeopardy;”
• CELEBRITY APPEARANCE – World-famous Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson, an avid dog-lover, will be on hand to greet the public, answer questions about dog ownership, sign autographs and take photos.
For more information, call (562) 491-1000.
