Photos
It was the 82nd year of Pet Parade, an hourlong march through downtown that begins at Heritage Park and ends at Sylvester Park.
Pets of all shapes and sizes took part in the parade, including dogs, horses, a turtle, chickens and a duck pulled in a wagon and wearing a cape. There also was a guinea pig called “guineazilla.”
Melissa Shawe’s two children rode their two horses in the parade; Kelsey was dressed as an American Indian and Klayden as a cowboy. Shawe, of Olympia, said her children enjoy Pet Parade because they get to pick out their costumes and also get to see many others dressed up as well.
“It’s the Halloween before Halloween, and who doesn’t like Halloween?” she said.
This year’s theme was superheroes vs. villains. Bruce Bowers of Lacey, who watched the parade from Fifth Avenue with his son, Nathan, said his son’s favorite animal is an elephant and his favorite superhero is Batman. No elephants appeared in Saturday’s parade, but there were a few Batman-themed participants.
Miranda Tiede, 13, of Tumwater, who said it was her sixth Pet Parade, dressed up as Catwoman and pulled a wagon through the parade that had been transformed into the batmobile. Inside the batmobile were her two dogs: Paco, a chihuahua, dressed as Batman; and Memphis, a Pekingese, dressed as Batman’s sidekick, Robin (Holy Pet Parade!).
Another show-stopper was Corrina Carras, 5, of Olympia, dressed as Super Chicken, pulling a wagon with chickens. On her feet were two yellow rubber gloves, the spitting image of chicken feet.
“I like to be in it because it’s so much fun,” Carras said about the parade.
The basset hound, too, with its long, floppy ears and deep, all-knowing, soulful eyes, was well-represented at the parade.
Bruce Price, 7, of Olympia, dressed as a hobo clown, and next to him was Milo, his hard-working basset hound. Milo wore a cardboard sandwich board that said, “Will sniff 4 food.”
Another basset hound, Angel, returned to the Pet Parade for his third year and was joined by “Trd,” a turtle making his second appearance in the parade, owner Cindy Tobeck of Littlerock said.
They entered the float category and recreated a scene from Clifford, the Big Red Dog.
Cindy towed a platform through the parade that carried her daughter Rosalyn, Angel and the turtle. Rosalyn played the character Emily Elizabeth, and Angel was Clifford’s best friend.
“We wouldn’t miss it because it’s the last big thing before the end of summer,” Cindy Tobeck said about Pet Parade.
Rolf Boone: 360-754-5403
rboone@theolympian.com
www.theolympian.com/bizblog
• MORE PHOTOS: Click here for images from the parade
• RESULTS: Click here for a list of winners in the parade's 7 divisions
