Olympia’s 86th Pet Parade features fur, scales, doggy tails

The streets between Heritage and Sylvester parks were filled with excitement Saturday as animal lovers and their furry friends gathered for the 86th annual Pet Parade. The week’s thunderstorms cleared away and the sun came out just in time for people to enjoy the traditional Olympia event.

Animals and humans alike embraced the “Under the Sea” theme, dressed as fish, crabs, lobsters, sharks, crcas, mermaids, sailors, jellyfish, starfish, sea turtles, pirates, eels, dolphins, lobsters, alligators, hula dancers, octopuses, swimmers, scuba-divers and beach-goers.

In reality, the animals present were cats, dogs, chickens, guinea pigs, ferrets, horses and rabbits. Many were adorned with fins, seaweed and Hawaiian leis. But not everyone stuck to the theme. The parade also included baton twirlers, fairies, cowboys, princesses, Seahawks, “Despicable Me” Minions, rabbits and a giant carrot, monsters, clowns, and aliens.

The Kim family — Olympia residents Ron and Amanda, and daughter Serean, 9 — walked the parade with their dog Ziggy for the third year in a row. They were decked out with Star Wars T-shirts and quotes.

Serean was dressed as Princess Leia and Ziggy was in a doggie Yoda costume.

“It’s awesome,” Serean said. “The best part is dressing up!”

Ron carried a sign that read, “I am your father!” He said the Pet Parade has become one of their family traditions.

“We look forward to it every year,” he said.

Floats included inner tubes, canoes, alligators, beds, castles, a giant jellyfish made out a rainbow umbrella, pirate ships, beach scenes, and tributes to “The Little Mermaid,” “Finding Nemo” and more.

A couple of floats, featuring chickens in cages, were even labeled “Chicken of the Sea.” Bagpipers and the American Legion band provided festive music for the occasion.

It was a seemingly crazy event, but on-site coordinator Billy Thomas, an advertising representative at The Olympian, called it, “controlled chaos” and “a lot of fun.”

“It’s so awesome to see the community come together like that,” Thomas said. “People in Olympia love their pets and having a day to celebrate that is just so fun.”

Aside from the parade itself, event also included an after party in Sylvester Park with free ice cream. Six grand prizes were given out to participants in various categories, as well as smaller prizes.

About 20 rescue animals — puppies, kittens, dogs and cats — were available for adoption at the Paws for a Purpose booth, all thanks to Lina Hoffman.

Hoffman, 17, dreams of someday becoming a veterinarian. The incoming senior at Northwest Christian High School wanted to do something with her senior project to help animals.

“We’re giving them a second chance and giving an owner a wonderful pet and a new companion,” Hoffman said. “I’ve always loved working with animals.”

There was fun to be had for spectators, such as Whitney Holm, who has lived in Olympia for many years but never attended before.

“This was my first pet parade. I thought it went really well and it was a lot longer than I anticipated,” Holm said.

She said her favorite part was the dog in a shark costume riding along in a fish tank.

This story was originally published August 15, 2015 at 5:13 PM with the headline "Olympia’s 86th Pet Parade features fur, scales, doggy tails."