NORTH Palm Beach — Nico Marin cuddled his fuzzy tan puppy and smiled as passersby made their way past pricey Porsches and Lamborghini’s to “ooh” and “ah” at his pooch.
The 17-week-old Shibu Inu with the curly, wagging tail was drawing more attention than some of the high end rides at the Cars and Coffee Palm Beach auto meet where they were strolling and Marin was loving it.
Marin, who owns a stunning 2012 yellow Ford Mustang, loves his dog as much as he loves his cool car. He’s among dozens of auto enthusiasts
who bring their four-legged friends to the high end car meet every month to enjoy the cars, the crowds and the craziness.
Nico and his beloved Shibu Inu, Quavo.
“This is Quavo. I went to Mexico to get him,” explained Marin, 20, of West Palm Beach. “They are so loyal and their fur is so beautiful!”
“Oh my god, he’s so cute,” gushed a young woman as she reached out to pat Quavo’s head.
“Girls love him,” Marin confessed. “But I gotta make sure she likes ME and not him.”
A Perfect Combination
So what’s the link between cool canines and cool cars?
Florida Fine Cars spoke to Cars and Coffee organizer Lana Vegosen Galati find out more:
“It’s a very pet-friendly event,” Galati explained. “I can tell you that (founder) John Zeilinga’s whole vision was to have all makes models and vintages welcome — the original intention was CARS but we’ve also found that applies to people and pets who attend and we love it!”
A short distance away, Wellington Glenda Carseni pushed her West Highland Terrier Harley in a pert little doggy stroller. The pair weaved in and around the sea of parked cars, turning heads.
Derek & Glenda with Harley, the West Highland Terrier.
“Today is the first day we are using this stroller because he doesn’t like walking a long time and he gets heavy (to carry),” said Glenda, who attends the Cars and Coffee meets with her husband Derek.
The couple love their collectible cars almost as much as they love Harley: they own a 2018 white Porsche, a 2015 50th anniversary Wimbledon white Ford Mustang and a 1965 black Ford Mustang.
But Harley rides in the 2017 Mercedes E300. And why not? He doesn’t shed.
“He loves being with us,” Carseni said.
Nearby, West Palm Beach resident John Reinagel made his way through the crowd accompanied by Bella the laid back pit bull. Bella and John are inseparable and ride everywhere together in his 2014 BMW 335i.
The building engineer takes her wherever he’s allowed to bring a dog.
“She is super mellow. She is good with cats. If I move a piece of furniture in the house she runs and hides. She doesn’t like fireworks and thunder. She won’t even look at a ball,” John said.
John and his pit bull Bella enjoy the cars and crowds at Cars and Coffee.
Bella is a rescue dog whose ears were cropped before John owned her, giving her a falsely tough look.
To sweeten her up, Bella wears a pretty pink collar adorned with white and pink roses.
“Isn’t she adorable!” cooed a young girl, as she walked by.
Pets Promote Conversation
Salvatore Zuniga’s 1-year-old French bulldog Louis elicits similar responses.
“Everybody is, ‘oh, it’s so cute!’ Or they also own a French bulldog,” said Zuniga, of Hollywood.
But not every dog rides in the kind of style that Louis does: His perch is the passenger seat of a 2009 teal Porsche Cayman S.
Salvatore and his furry friend Louis were the focus of lots of attention.
“He sheds but he doesn’t chew it,” Zuniga said grinning.
Brandon Gasparini’s Black Mouth Curr Scooby-Doo was panting in the heat. The shade of his 1997 Jeep Cherokee cut the heat of the day, but the temperatures were rising.
The young jeep mechanic is a regular at Cars and Coffee and so is Scooby-Doo.
“Every month he’s here and everybody comes over to say ‘hi’ to him,” Brandon said. “I just feel like dogs are like the secondary attraction for the kids and the girlfriends who aren’t really interested in the cars and are bored.
Scooby-Doo is a big crowd pleaser and a regular at Cars and Coffee Palm Beach.
Dogs are definitely chick magnets, he conceded, but quickly pointed out that he is off the market.
“I have a girlfriend and she wouldn’t be too happy,” Brandon conceded. “But I met HER at a local dog park. (Scooby-Doo) was helpful.”
Ruff Ruff!
Mark Wetherington’s dog Dozer draws a lot of attention because he’s so cute. The Dachshund/Plott Hound mix goes wherever Mark goes and poses happily for photos next to his dad’s customized Ford F350 pickup truck.
The recently-divorced Royal Palm Beach resident said he got one dog, his wife the other, in the settlement.
“We split the dogs so I take him everywhere,” Mark said.
Mark takes his best friend Dozer everywhere he goes.
Cars and Coffee Palm Beach is now one of the largest and most prestigious monthly auto events in the country with 1500-3500+ unique show vehicles, 35+ sponsor/vendors, and up to 22,000 spectators every month at the Palm Beach Outlets Mall.
The event still meets one Sunday a month from 9am-12pm, and the main purpose continues to be that of bringing together the car community as one big family.
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#DogsofCarsandCoffee #barklife #mansbestfriend
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