SUN 7/17
Dogs have always enjoyed an exalted status in the animal-loving East Bay (did you ever hear of a cat-walking park?), but Sunday’s Bay to Barkers Dog Walk and Festival at the Berkeley Marina takes the Milk Bone for canine-centric carnivalia. The Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society’s eighth annual event, sponsored by a pack of pet suppliers and the like, offers a relaxed 1.3-mile bayside stroll for mutts and masters, plus a few more challenging activities for active dogs and their jockish owners: an agility course, a K-9 Olympiad, and even a pet talent show. Officers Bear and Morgan from the UC Berkeley Bomb Squad’s Canine Corps will show us how they sniff out trouble. And the Humane Society can microchip your pet at reasonable rates — as long as there’s no doggy protest march against police-state animal-control methods. The fun begins at 8:30 a.m. Registration is $30 at the gate, or $25 preregistration from BerkeleyHumane.org or 510-845-7735. Proceeds go to the Humane Society’s animal shelters. — Kelly Vance
Bay to Barkers Credits: Al Cameron
7/9-8/13
Wet and Mild
Wade in the Water
Talk about low impact. Spirit Walking Aqua Chi , developed by phys-ed trainer Bett Martinez, is a form of submerged aquatic tai chi that uses stressless stretching to aid mobility and help relieve pain, all in the comfort of Berkeley High School’s Warm Pool (2246 Milvia St. at Durant Ave., Berkeley). It’s a new type of mind-body water fitness, with Saturday morning classes (10-11 a.m.) taught by Lovey (just plain Lovey, thank you), now through August 13 ($5.50 per class, $3.50 disabled and seniors). And … there is free parking. For more information, e-mail [email protected] — Kelly Vance
SUN 7/17
Get Out of Jail for $25
Years after Thin Lizzy sang: Tonight there’s gonna be a jailbreak, who knew it would become a fund-raiser for the Alameda County Deputy Sheriffs Association? Out of the Strange but True file comes the third annual Jail Break Run — which begins at the County Sheriff’s Training Center adjacent to Santa Rita Jail (6289 Madigan Blvd., Dublin) and features cops helping runners instead of gunning them down. The event, benefiting Special Olympics, sports a 5K run or walk, a 10K run, a kids’ half-mile run, and a kids’ one-mile run. Incidentally, the hill on the 10K is the same one that prospective members of the Alameda County SWAT team must conquer. $25 race-day entry fee. OnYourMarkEvents.com or 209-795-7832. — Kelly Vance
