ROSEBANK — An annual fundraiser paying homage to pugs is returning to Staten Island's Alice Austen House Museum Sunday.
The museum's annual "Pug Fun Day," a tribute to photographer Austen's pet dog Punch, will let owners bring their pooches to the home's lawn and participate in a pug show ring, a costume contest and obedience demos run by the Pug Dog Club of Greater New York.
"[They have] various things just for people to bring their dogs here and have fun on the lawn," said Shiloh Aderhold, operations manager for the museum. "The pugs are also for spectators too."
The fundraiser started five years ago when the museum partnered with the pug club. Aderhold said it was perfect for the museum because Austen — one of the earliest female photographers in America — had her pug Punch and Chihuahua Chico for nearly 15 years.
"He's featured in a lot of her photographs," she said of Punch. "She created these very elaborate stagings and there's several photos of her dog [in them]."
One photo included both dogs sitting in a bath tub on Austen's lawn.
"It's a very beautiful photograph," Aderhold said.
The annual Pug Fun Day will be on June 8 from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $5 at the gate and admission is free for children.
