^{One pit bull and her person share their favorite San Francisco spots}

Fate is an amazing thing. Nine months ago, I was grieving the loss of my beloved orange tabby, Steven, while at the Fairmont Animal Shelter in Hayward, a five-month-old pit bull terrier mix they called “Blue” was being confiscated from a rotten owner who wanted to use the blue-eyed beauty as a breeding machine.

After Steven’s death, I knew I wanted to adopt another animal companion, but I also knew that I wasn’t ready for a cat – not even another orange tabby. As amazing as orange tabby boys are, Steven was more amazing even by those standards, and it wouldn’t be fair.

I hadn’t had a dog since I was a kid, and I’d never had a dog of my own. Growing up, we had a pit bull-collie mix named Chipper, and he was the sweetest dog I ever knew. My aunt in Rhode Island also rescued pit bulls (her sons were in the Hell’s Angels, so they weren’t in short supply). Pit bulls have always been my favorite breed – I love their loyalty and their clownish nature – the way they smile with their big mouths, and think they’re lap dogs, despite the fact they are forty-plus pounds of muscle.

All the myths about locking jaws and inherent viciousness are just that – myths. I’m not saying pit bulls don’t have their issues – they need a lot of time, attention, structure, and training – but I own a house and I work at home a good percentage of each month, so I knew that if I wanted to adopt a pit bull, this was the perfect time.

I started perusing PetFinder.com, a wonderful Web site that allows you to search shelters and rescue groups all over the country, and you can narrow your search by breed and sex. I put in “female pit bull” and searched within a hundred mile radius. Not surprisingly, there were more available pit bulls and pit mixes – over 6,000 – than any other breed. All of them were adorable, but when I saw Blue, I just knew she was my dog. I immediately filled out the application and just over a week later, after visiting her in a foster home and submitting to a home check by Friends of the Fairmont Animal Shelter, Blue came to live with me forever. Because pit bulls have a certain reputation, I wanted her to have a feminine name, so I named her Jasmine after a dear friend, and left “Blue” as her middle name so she would always remember where she came from. We became inseparable – Jasmine Blue didn’t replace Steven, but she found a new place in my heart. She accompanied me everywhere from business meetings held at outdoor cafés to romps on the beach to Corona dog park near our house. We made a new circle of friends – dog parents and dog walkers – and I discovered a wonderful new world.

Little did I know when I adopted Jazzy that dogs had become the hot new accessory. Paris Hilton started carrying a Chihuahua in her Fendi and everyone wanted to do the same. Purse dogs became all the rage, and even big dogs like Jazz benefited from a slew of boutique pet stores featuring designer couture. To continue the feminine theme, I began dressing my pretty pittie in pink, usually sparkly collars with crystals and rhinestones. She wore it well.

For our 2006 “Northside Best of Food and Wine” issue last November, I wrote a section called “Best Places to Dine with Your Dog,” and I was amazed at the response from readers as well as dog friendly restaurants – and hotels. I had always assumed that boutique and upscale hotels wouldn’t be dog friendly, but it turns out they don’t just welcome your dogs, they pamper them. I started discovering special pet packages all over town, and I decided to check them out with Jasmine. It was a fun journey, watching a pound puppy who had never slept on a sofa prior to living with me become a diva of the highest order with rooms full of swag and staff catering to her every whim. After staying in nearly two-dozen hotels over the past five months, I found that booking a wonderful place with my pet was a great overnight vacation even if I never left The City. So, after careful consideration of people perks and pet perks, we compiled a list of our eight favorite hotels in the Northside and one wine country getaway. 

With the help of Marina Times Pet Page editor Cindy Beckman, we’ll also share our favorite places to shop, dine and play, and introduce you to a fancy hotel that doesn’t allow people.

Most important, we’ll help you find places where you can adopt a Jasmine Blue of your own. According to the Humane Society of the United States, every year six to eight million dogs and cats wind up in shelters – and nearly half of them don’t make it out. Jasmine’s fate would have been the same had Friends of the Fairmont Animal Shelter not rescued her. As I watch her sleep peacefully on my bed this rainy night, I know she is one of the lucky few; from pound puppy to diva dog … it doesn’t get better than that.