Photo courtesy of the Yu family.

On the corner of Park Street and Central Avenue, The Pampered Pup has been offering up hot dogs to hungry Alamedans since 1967. With its iconic sign of a reclining, diamond-studded pooch holding aloft a hotdog on a fork, and an interior in vintage orange and yellow, it is one of Alameda’s unofficial landmarks.

Since the 1990s, the Yu family has operated the Pup, and it rarely closed - even on holidays like Christmas and New Year’s Day, one could find Pak or Kit behind the counter. But in early May, Pak died after a difficult battle with cancer.

According to the couples’ son Sam, Pak had wanted to implement changes to the menu and décor, but his illness forced him to put these changes on the back burner.

“We are doing some light remodeling, redoing the flooring, tables and windows,” he said. “We’ll be adding murals and historical photos of Alameda in the 1960s to the walls.”

As for the menu, “There will be healthier dogs along with a specialty dog my father was designing right before he was diagnosed with cancer.”

The Pampered Pup will re-open today.