JOSEPHINE, Ala. — Dogs with a need for speed, a flair for tricks or a bottomless appetite will get their shot at glory Saturday, Oct. 3, when the Pirates Cove Dog Olympics take over the waterfront bar and grill on Roberts Bayou in Josephine.
The daylong competition doubles as a fundraiser for Future Homes Animal Rescue and Wags & Whiskers and is directed by Hillary Ducote Sansone. Adoptable dogs will be on hand for anyone looking to bring home a new companion, and event T-shirts, Frisbees and koozies will be for sale along with raffle tickets. Musician W.B. Sims will provide entertainment throughout the day.
The schedule of events
Registration opens at 10 a.m., and the games begin an hour later. Here is the lineup for the day:
- 10 a.m.: Registration
- 11 a.m.: Water sprint
- Noon: Plato’s Best Trick Contest
- 1 p.m.: Dock diving
- 2 p.m.: Seattle Fetch
- 3 p.m.: Hamburger eating contest
The events are designed to showcase different canine talents. The water sprint and dock diving put the bayou to use for dogs that love to swim and leap, while the trick contest rewards the performers and the fetch competition tests retrieving skills. The finale is the event with the most famous history at the Cove.
A record that still stands
The hamburger eating contest has been a highlight of the Dog Olympics for years, and it carries a legend of its own. In 2011, a Mastiff named Tiki wolfed down a burger in 1.84 seconds — a mark organizers call the world record for the event. Tiki has since died, but the record lives on, and each year’s field of hungry contenders takes aim at it.
Tiki’s name is woven into the lore of Pirates Cove itself. The bar’s history, as regulars tell it, runs through a Confederate naval officer, a determined widow known as Miss Kitty and a dog named Tiki — the kind of cast of characters the place has always seemed to attract.
Dogs have always been welcome at the Cove
Few places on the Alabama coast are as closely associated with dogs as Pirates Cove. The weathered bar and grill on Roberts Bayou, off County Road 95 on the Baldwin County side of Perdido Bay, welcomes dogs of all sizes and breeds, and its four-legged regulars have become local celebrities in their own right. Some longtime patrons have been known to bring their late dogs’ ashes back to scatter at the place the animals loved most.
The Cove has long channeled that affection into charity. A 2023 profile in Scenic 98 Coastal magazine noted that the restaurant holds annual events benefiting causes close to its heart, including a dog-centered gathering with a hamburger-eating contest that raises money for no-kill animal shelters.
A slice of Baldwin County history
Pirates Cove is older than it looks. The building was erected in the early 1930s as a general store serving Civilian Conservation Corps crews who were helping to carve out the Intracoastal Waterway; a bunkhouse for the workers stood nearby.
The restaurant traces its roots to Paul and Elsa Mueller, German immigrants who moved to the area from Chicago in 1956. Paul Mueller died unexpectedly just weeks after the family relocated, and Elsa — known to everyone as “Miss Kitty” — ran the business for decades. Her nickname lives on in the Miss Kitty’s sauce served on the Cove’s famous cheeseburgers. The business remains in the Mueller family today.
Legend also surrounds the bayou behind the building. Local lore holds that Confederate Adm. Raphael Semmes hid his ship in the shallow waters of Roberts Bayou during the Civil War, where larger pursuing Union vessels could not follow, and that treasure may be buried or sunk somewhere nearby. Nothing has ever been found.
Today the Cove is known for cheeseburgers, Bushwackers, live music and a crowd that arrives by car, motorcycle and boat. The dock is as much a front door as the parking lot, which makes the water sprint and dock diving a natural fit for the setting. For more on the bar’s history and character, see our earlier feature, “Pirates Cove: The Least Pretentious, Best Dive Beach Bar on the Alabama Coast.”
Adopt, shop and support rescue
Beyond the competition, the Dog Olympics serve a practical purpose: helping homeless dogs find families. Rescue dogs will be available for adoption at the event, giving visitors a chance to meet animals in a relaxed, outdoor setting.
Proceeds from merchandise and raffle sales support the rescue fundraiser. Animal rescue groups across coastal Alabama rely heavily on community events and donations to cover the costs of veterinary care, food and foster placement, and fall is a busy time for adoption events around Baldwin County.
Tips for competitors and spectators
- Arrive early: Registration opens at 10 a.m., and the first event starts at 11 a.m.
- Plan for water: Several events take place on or in the bayou, so bring towels for wet dogs.
- Keep dogs comfortable: Early October on the Gulf Coast can still be warm. Bring fresh water and a bowl, and give dogs shade and rest between events.
- Mind the crowd: Keep dogs leashed and under control when they are not competing, especially around other animals and children.
- Bring cash or a card: T-shirts, Frisbees, koozies and raffle tickets will be sold to support the rescue fundraiser.
Getting there
Pirates Cove is located at 6664 County Road 95 in the Josephine community near Elberta, a short drive from Orange Beach and Lillian and across the water from Perdido Key. The Cove can also be reached by boat via Roberts Bayou off Perdido Bay.
Whether a dog goes home with a medal or simply a full belly and a wet coat, the Dog Olympics offer one of the more memorable ways to spend an early October Saturday on the water in South Baldwin County — and perhaps a chance to witness a new challenger come for Tiki’s record.