Dogs Day Out is back this long weekend
The annual community event for inner-Brisbane dogs and the people they live with. Eight years in, still no entry fee, still chaotic.
The first Dogs Day Out happened in 2017 in a courtyard behind a bottle shop. Forty dogs, sixty owners, two paddling pools and a barbecue. Eight years on, it has its own dedicated grassy block, a portable agility course, a vet who turns up for the day in case anything goes sideways, and an unofficial schnauzer parade that nobody can remember authorising.
This year's event runs across the long weekend. The lap pool is open, before anyone asks. The agility course gets set up at 10am sharp. There is a stall selling locally made dog biscuits that taste, allegedly, fine to humans (we have not tested this and do not endorse the testing).
What is on through the day
10am, Agility course opens. Free to enter. Bring your own treats. The course is friendly enough for dogs that have never seen one before. The volunteer at the start will help you walk your dog through it before timing.
11am, The small dog enclosure opens. Dogs under ten kilos only. Strictly enforced this year after last year's incident, which we will not describe further. Free water, three paddling pools, a small shaded turf area.
12pm, Schnauzer parade. Nobody knows when this became a tradition. Schnauzers and schnauzer-mixes are invited to a slow loop around the main field. There is a rosette at the end. There is no judging.
1pm, The vet pop-up runs Q&A sessions. Two local vets take questions on common autumn issues. Tick prevention, kennel cough, dental scaling. Free, first-come.
2pm, Adoption corner. A handful of dogs from the inner-Brisbane shelter are present with their carers. Adoption is not done on the day. The carers can give you the application paperwork.
3pm, The dog-friendly food court winds down. Three trucks plus a coffee cart, all of them welcoming dogs at the table. Most pack up by 3.30pm.
Practical notes
Bring water for your dog even though there is plenty of water available. Autumn afternoons in Brisbane can still hit twenty-eight degrees, and the field gets full sun by 1pm. The shaded area is generous but it fills up. Bring a towel if your dog is going in the pools.
Dogs must be on lead outside the small-dog enclosure. The organisers are quite firm on this, more so this year than previously. Pick-up bags are provided in dispensers around the perimeter.
If your dog does not enjoy crowds, this is not the day to socialise them. The peak between noon and 2pm gets to roughly four hundred dogs across the site.
Getting there
Parking is limited to street parking on the surrounding blocks. The Bowen Hills train station is a fifteen-minute walk. Rideshare drop-off is on Bridge Street, not the main entrance, which is closed to traffic for the day.
Entry is free. The organisers run a donation tin for the local rescue group at the front gate. Last year they raised just over three thousand dollars.
Read next
If you are in the precinct for the long weekend, the what's on page has the rest of the calendar. For meals with the dog in tow, the Saturday food-truck roster is the dog-friendliest sitting. Want a vet, a dog walker, or a lawn crew that does not flinch at backyard mess? The Local List is where the recommendations live.