Since 2005, Barkitecture has given Austinites who love dogs a chance to show off their pooches and support local animal rescue groups.  It’s also a great opportunity for local architects, builders and designers to show their stuff as by creating new twists on the idea of a dog house.

Attendees get to bid on the creative houses, see their dog walk the red carpet, learn about area pet-focused businesses and services and meet pets available for adoption from regional and breed-specific dog rescue groups

That’s the official line….my take on it was a great autumn day downtown with my family and my dog,  Maya (the one hamming it up on the red carpet above) loved meeting the other dogs, And yes, there was a significant amount of tush-sniffing.  But I loved hanging out with a few hundred other dog lovers in a pretty place, while helping rescue groups raise money and awareness.