Culture

Sarah Wolf wears a headscarf, while holding her dog Rufus and a fan against an outdoor background.

Sarah and her dog, Rufus, are making the world a more spiritual place for dogs, one card at a time. | Photo via Lucky Dog Tarot

You may have had your own tarot cards read, but have you ever shared the spiritual practice with your dog?

A lifelong animal lover, dog foster mom, and charity event planner, you might catch Sarah Wolf donning a fortune teller’s outfit at an animal shelter benefit event. Through Lucky Dog Tarot, Sarah is doing her part to gather local canines + their caretakers to make Austin the Dog Tarot Capital of the World.

Using a tarot deck made just for dogs, Sarah will tell you about your pup’s innermost feelings in the boop of a snoot, all while raising funds for local animal rescues. We spoke with Sarah about her cute new venture.

This interview has been edited for clarity + brevity.

Holding a fan and card, Sarah sits behind a brown and white dog wearing a red bandana. — Sarah no longer does human readings, so animals only.

When did you start reading tarot, and did it start with dogs?

A few years ago, 2019 or so, we were having a New Year’s Eve party with friends. I’ve always had affirmation cards and I thought it’d be fun to do that and add in tarot readings for the New Year.

I greatly underestimated how long it can take to learn tarot. It recommended bonding with the cards before you do anything and, trying to do everything correctly, I slept with the cards under my pillow that night. I woke up on New Year’s Eve, and no joke, I had an eye infection and strep throat starting. I was so sick, it hurt to like see and to talk, so I took that as a clear sign that tarot was not for me, or something was amiss.

Since then I’ve stayed away from Tarot readings for people, but I’ve been involved in the animal community here in Austin for years and years. I foster, I have a dog, I’ve had a cat, and I also am involved in the events community. A friend had given me some dog tarot cards. I was like, “I don’t think the powers that be want me to do people tarot, but I will give it a shot with dog tarot,” and it was a big hit. That’s how Lucky Dog Tarot started.

Click below to read more about the dog tarot realm. Remember, fortune knocks once at every dog’s door.

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EVENTS

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Today

Ephraim Owens Quartet | Thu., Oct. 13 | 9 p.m. | Elephant Room, Swift Building, 315 Congress Ave. | $7 | Often likened to Miles Davis, trumpet icon and Austin Music Award winner Ephraim Owens is bringing the jazz. 🎺
Craig Robinson | Now-Sun., Oct. 16 | Times vary | Cap City Comedy Club, 11506 Century Oaks Terrace, Bldg. B, Unit 100 | $40+ | Expect Emmy-winning “The Office” actor and longtime comedian Craig Robinson to put on a musical show full of laughs. 🎹

Friday

Music Mixer ATX | Fri., Oct. 14 | 7 p.m. | The Highball, 1120 S. Lamar Blvd. | Free | This event brings a group of solo artists together at random for a jam session on stage to see if chemistry strikes.
Cinema Under the Stars | Fri., Oct. 14 | 7:30 p.m. | Hotel Granduca Austin, 320 S. Capital of Texas Hwy. | $80 | Kick off the fall season with a screening of “Friday Night Lights” and a beautiful evening in the Texas Hill Country. 🍿

Saturday

Adoptober Fest | Sat., Oct. 15 | 11 a.m.-2 p.m. | Austin Animal Center, 7201 Levander Loop | Free | Find your furrever friend at the second annual Adoptober, featuring a runway adoption event + local vendors. 🐶

Monday

The Black Keys | Mon., Oct. 17 | 7 p.m. | Moody Center, 2001 Robert Dedman Dr., Austin | $39.50+ | The rock band will be joined by Band of Horses and The Velveteers on their “Dropout Boogie” tour.

We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

100+ MORE EVENTS

NEWS NOTES

Weather

93º | Sunny | 0% chance of rain
After a month-long dry spell, forecasts predict Austin will get some much-needed rain early next week from an incoming mild cold front on Sunday evening. ☔️ (KVUE)

Opening

Here’s the skinny: East Austin is getting a new 1970s-inspired bar at 1806 E. 12th St. called Skinny’s Off Track. The bar, which opens on Friday, will serve comfort food from its own food truck. 🥃 (Eater Austin)

Sports

A group including NFL quarterback Tom Brady and former professional tennis player Kim Clijsters has purchased an expansion team for the 2023 season of Major League Pickleball. The new team is part of a growth plan to expand MLP — which is headquartered in Austin — from 12 to 16 teams. (Austin Business Journal)

Community

LGBTQ+ bar Oilcan Harry’s is temporarily setting up shop just a few doors down from its original location, in preparation to be displaced for construction of The Riley Building at 315 Lavaca St. Construction on the new building begins in November. (KXAN)

Outdoors

As temperatures drop in the north, thousands of birds are migrating to Central Texas to find warmth. Tonight is projected to be the best night for birdwatching, and you can track their migration through BirdCast. 🪶(KXAN)

Giveaway

Austin City Limits is giving away a limited number of tickets to its live taping of Austin band Spoon on Wed., Oct. 19. Sign up here by Mon., Oct. 17 at 2 p.m. to enter the free sweepstakes.

Edu

In honor of homecoming, a group of floral design students at Stony Point High School debuted a 15-ft tall mum made by the class. Now that’s Texas-sized. (KXAN)

Ranked

Believe it or not, a new study from WalletHub ranked Austin the 11th best US city to drive in due to the city’s comparatively low cost of ownership and easy access to maintenance. 🚗

Shop

Taco Tuesday just got an upgrade. The popular Austin foodie brand Siete Foods offers grain-free Mexican American products like cassava flour tortillas and lime tortilla chips that are a delicious and healthy alternative to the typical wheat and corn varieties. Bonus: Siete even makes vegan refried black beans. 🌮*

Biz

Did you know it’s important to set communication boundaries at work? Scott Friesen, founder of Simpletivity, chats with Trainual CEO Chris Ronzio about the communication tactic you should be doing to get things done effectively during the work day. Listen to their conversation. 🎧 *

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Food

Everyone please ramen calm 🍜

Don’t miss out on the unique sake experience at Marufuku Ramen. | Photos by ATXtoday

Use your noodle and plan a trip to Marufuku Ramen, a brand new ramen restaurant all the way from... San Francisco.

Open now in Mueller, Marukfuku provides what co-founder Eiichi Mochizuki calls a “truly authentic ramen.”

Your ATXtoday City Editors tried the new restaurant out for ourselves.

🪑 The space | The interior is sleek + modern, well-lit with glass walls and muted colors. A partially open kitchen allows guests at the bar to peek at the chefs and dishes in progress.

🍜 Food | For your entrée, Marufuku specializes in Hakata-style Tonkotsu and Chicken Paitan ramens, with a standard and deluxe version each.

🍶 Drinks | If you try nothing else at Marufuku, get some sake. Our sake was served in a cedar box to aerate and develop a smooth flavor— plus, it was really fun to pour back and forth.

The restaurant is open for dine-in and takeout Monday-Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at 1900 Aldrich St.

MORE APPS + MATCHA BEER

THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by Figi.

Editor’s pick: Ever since I wrote about haunted houses in Austin, I’ve been considering going to the House of Torment for the first time, but I think I might be too chicken to go through with it. For those of you that have been, tell me, just how scary is it?

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? We’ve got an inside look at Vintage Bookstore and Wine Bar.

Connect with us.

Editorial: Laura Figi, London Gibson, Dayten Rose, Ashlea Hearn, Emily Shea, Josh Kranzberg | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

Sales: Camille McLeod | Advertise with us.

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