The rainy weather that passed over Bandera during the Fourth of July weekend caused the 29th annual Pet Parade to be delayed until Saturday, Oct. 11.
Parade volunteers along with honchos Karen Hensley and Carey Reed brought out all the decorations and fanfare that would have graced a July 4 parade.
The cooler weather made the morning an extremely pleasant outing for families and pets. Though small, everyone had fun.
Even though there were fewer competitors, the audience enjoyed the unique and cheerful costumes that owners and pets sported.
Each category was judged by enthusiastic judges, and pet parents stood together chatting about the various talents of their fur babies.
The table of baskets of pet treats was full of goodies for pets and owners. Each winner got a ribbon to commemorate the event.
Two representatives of the Hill Country Natural Area Junior Mounted Rangers posted the colors to begin the parade.
Each entry then walked the parade route by the river. Ribbons were presented and pet parents proudly displayed their honors.
In Storybook Characters, Winnie the Corgi won first prize dressed as a skunk. Winnie, who can sit, shake, roll over and be a diva, was shown by Anaka and Jon Doran of Bandera.
Most Original Pet went to a mixed breed dog named Daisy who came dressed as a “pup tart.” She was adopted from God’s Dog Rescue in San Antonio by Dawn Patterson of Dripping Strings.
Second place went to Lucille the Chow Chow dressed as a “hippy.” She was shown by Richard Hayes of Dripping Springs. Third place went to Pete the Porcupine, pulled in a little red wagon by Dorothy Walker of Bandera.
The Most Talented pet went to Moon Pie and Aggie, a goldendoodle shown by Leanne Beauxbeannes of Bandera. This angel jumps, sits, begs and rolls over to the delight of the crowd.
Second place went to Aries the chiweenie. This 2-year-old Chihuahua and dachshund mix was adopted from Lizzy’s Animal Hospice Rescue. She was shown by Karen Cole of Dripping Springs.
Third place went to Geraldine the Chow Chow from Dripping Springs shown by Joyce Hayes.
In the Look-A-Like category, a group of space aliens from Pipe Creek won first prize. This group contained Cooper, Penny, Reese, Rusty and Eddy.
This group of two labs, two mutts and one English sheepdog wowed the audience with their out-of-thisworld costumes. This was Reese’s first pet parade! These extraterrestrials were adopted from Houston’s BARC and various other shelters.
The Rainey family showed this group to “their leader.”
In second place, Riley the German shorthaired pointer was his rascally best as he matched his owner, Jalen Garcia of Bandera, in traditional hunting camo.
Third place was Boogie the Labrador. He is a therapy dog that enjoys cruising the car drop-off lane at Alkek Elementary for extra pets! He was shown by Makena Popovich of Bandera.
In the Star-Spangled category, a patriotic favorite, Willow the Great Dane and Aries the chiweenie shared the top honor. They were shown by Karen Cole of Dripping Springs.
The Most Creative award went to Floresville Anatolian shepherds Echo, Lucy, Sully and Neo. All were adopted from the Wilson County Shelter except for Sully, who is a foster.
They created an outstanding tableau from the movie Jaws. Echo is a therapy dog, which is fortunate since the entry was sure to scare everyone out of the water. They were shown by Greg and Amanda White of Floresville, annual participants in the parade.
The Special Recognition Award went to Dorothy Walker, who is one of the parade’s oldest and most supportive participants. This year she showed her metal porcupine, Pete.
“She is the biggest kid at heart, and we wanted to give her a special recognition this year,” said organizer Karen Hensley.
The Best in Show went to the Rainey family of Pipe Creek with their mob of alien-costumed canines. Cooper, Penny, Reese, Rusty and Eddy love to chase squirrels when not parading in fancy dress.
Next year will be the 30th anniversary of the Pet Parade in Bandera.
Traditionally, the parade is held during the morning of the July 4 holiday in Bandera City Park by the Medina River. Participation and entrance are free to all.
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