Part gathering, part rescue, Pug Sunday in Chico got its start in 2001 when local pug lover Sandi Castellano, who'd heard about the famed Pug Sunday in Alta Plaza in San Francisco, got together with another pug owner in the area and decided to see if there was any interest in a similar gathering. The first event drew 14 pugs and their owners; the second, a month later, brought in 45 pugs and 75 humans—many of whom admitted they didn't actually have a dog, they were just there to check out the pugs. Pug Sunday in Chico incorporated as a 501(c)3 organization a few months later, and in between the monthly fun of the First Sunday gatherings has been pitching in to rescue pugs in need ever since. Read more.