It’s called the Tucson Pet Parade, but mostly it is a dog parade and this year it seemed a little blah. The last time I went to it, there was more a sense of fun — both in costumes the dogs wore and costumes the dog owners wore. Nonetheless, since every year can’t be a 5-star year, here are photos of highlights of the parade in the West University District on Sunday.
Before the parade started the honor guard and Tucson High Magnet School band waited. Not far away on 1st St., crowds of dog owners, including these hound owners also waited. Not much barking but a lot of sniffing among the dogs lined up on the pre-parade block.
Two suggestions: More music! More dog owners in costumes, even if it is just a pair of pink ears like this cat lady was wearing!
And here we have the two cats in the parade. I forgot to mention–and didn’t take photos–there were also 2 snakes being carried in the parade by a reptile rescue organization.
And the goat and two of the four ponies.
And now for the dogs!
I like the guy wearing a big blue dog costume. Kids loved it, too. The women in this photo, left, are dressed in rockabilly costumes as representatives of the Friends of PACC. Then there was a great looking white dog (I don’t know the breed) dressed in a Love is Love outfit.
And the sports groups on parade
What’s this?? Jump rope competitive team? I didn’t know such a thing existed. And on the right is a karate guy. And what would any parade be without an Elvis?!
It’s interesting the groups of people that have little or no direct connection to dogs or pets participate in the Pet Parade. Usually at least one member of the group brings a dog, however. Even the instructor for the karate group was leading a dog on a leash.
No photos but there were also a bunch of big and tall young men who someone said were the Arizona football team. They followed a marching band that seemed to be made up of a mish-mash of musicians of various ages. Several people dressed in Star Wars costumes marched along the parade route, as they did last year, and Tucson’s Comic-Con was represented. Again, no photos.
Cane’s Fried Chicken brought along their huge inflatable dog keeping in the spirit of the event. And, right, Trail Dust Town representatives came in western costumes and carried a sign supporting dog adoption, an important mission of PACC.
Of course, there was a mariachi band marching near the end of the parade. Can’t have a parade or any public event in Tucson without a mariachi band. They were pretty darned good!
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