If you're like most loyal dog owners, the worst part of your day is ditching the pooch back at the homestead while you go out to work or play. Dogs, if they could talk, would rail against the segregated conditions they must face every day. But while you dwell for a moment on the utter cuteness of a group of pugs chanting "Pug Power!" we'll report that some barriers are coming down -- at least temporarily. At the Parrot Main Street Café (3148 NE 12th Ave., Oakland Park) at 7:30 p.m., dogs and their owners can go to the movies together to see A.J.'s Dogumentary, a film about pets and the people they drag behind them. Proceeds for this first film in Central Bark's SunDawg Film Festival benefit Allen Babcock Rescue. Tickets cost $6 per human, $1 per dog. All dogs must be on a leash and have vaccinations. Call 954-568-DOGS. -- Dan Sweeney
FRI 10/10
OOK PHANSA
Step out of your Judeo-Christian culture for a moment and explore one of the important holidays of Buddhism as the Mahadhatujetiyaram Temple presents Ook Phansa at Morikami Museum (4000 Morikami Rd., Delray Beach). The Thai monks of the temple, whose name we refuse to try to spell again, arrive at the Morikami at 10 a.m. to celebrate the end of Buddhist Lent. Per tradition, as of Ook Phansa, the monks can stop spending all their time fasting and praying and resume their regular schedules. They celebrate this as only riotous Buddhist monks can -- by teaching, chanting, and leading group meditation. Call 561-254-1136. -- Dan Sweeney
FRI 10/10
Mama Mia!
Back in the age of unenlightenment, people believed that the bite of a tarantula spider was poisonous and that the cure was to leap about until a profusion of perspiration drained the poison from the system. In medieval times, this behavior was called St. Vitus Dance; in the 19th Century, it metamorphosed into the Italian folk dance the tarantella. The St. Petersburg Tarantella Dancers will show you how it's done when they highlight the Viva Italia! Festival in Hollywood this weekend.
If you don't think you're up to the tarantella, you'll have other options, from doo-wop to easy listening and from '60s rock to the crooning of Italian tenor Adolfo Litrenta. Amusement rides for the kids, bocce games for the oldsters, and, of course, plenty of the three P's: pizza, pasta, and Pepsi.
Viva Italia! takes place from Friday, October 10, through Sunday, October 12, at Young Circle Park (Hollywood Boulevard and Federal Highway). Hours are 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, 1 to 11 p.m. Saturday, and 1 to 8 p.m. Sunday. -- Tomi Curtis