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player ready...Jessicca Foody of Sugar Grove looks forward to going to the annual Pooch Parade at Wilder Park in Aurora.
“I’ve been here three times. My dog is a little bit shy and afraid of other dogs but I love coming,” Foody said while awaiting the start of the eighth annual parade Sunday that featured dozens of dogs.
For two hours at the event, participants were able to visit various pet vendors, get a coffee from vendor Dapper Brews or grab as snack from DillaDawgs before the parade where dogs competed for prizes as well as the right to own titles such as largest and smallest dog, best costume, best twins (owner and dog), most energetic and fan favorite.
In a press release from the city, director of community events Mike Nelson said that the parade “has become a beloved annual tradition.”
“Each year we are excited to offer a fun-filled morning for dogs and their owners to dress up, enjoy the park and socialize with the community,” Nelson said in the release.
Community events coordinator Felicia Freitag said that nearly a decade ago the event was organized “as an initiative to help get some homes for some of the dogs that were at Aurora Animal Care and Control.”
Freitag said that today, the annual event has become “a celebration of dogs and people who really want to celebrate their animals.”
“Now we have nine vendors and we also offer activities now,” she said before Sunday’s event. “We are doing a photo op where people can take photos with a fall background and take them home with them.”
Freitag said the event is “more a celebration of dogs. Hang out with other dogs, have them wear their costume and have fun.”
Janie Yanez of Aurora said she had come to the event before and that she wanted to return on Sunday because “I love the morale, the costumes, the smiles, everything. It’s just such a fun thing.”
“I feel that this is something held early in the day – people come out … and it’s something for the dogs to get out and for the people to come to,” she said. “The city of Aurora does a real awesome job. I wasn’t going to miss this.”
Brayan Tinoco of Aurora was dressed as a tiger as well as his dog. He said this was his third year at the parade.
“The first time we came we won something. We had another dog that won first place as the smallest dog,” he said.
Yuta Howard of Aurora said this was her first time coming to the event with her miniature pinscher Rex and that she “read about it and it looks like fun.”
“I think something like this gets people talking to each other and I get to meet people. Where I live, I know people but when we go outside we have to go in the car,” she said. “You don’t really meet people when you’re in the car and this a good way to do that.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.