Saint Louis Mardi Gras Pet Parade

As many of you know, Mardi Gras is a HUGE deal in New Orleans, LA. But the celebration that takes place in St. Louis, MO is considered the second largest one in the country! One of the favorite events took place this weekend - the “Beggin Strips Barkus Pet Parade” today I am going to share with you some of the details about the event!

The 15th annual parade kicked off Saturday afternoon at 1pm and the talk of the town was the costumes and outfits! One poodle was dyed purple, while another mixed breed dog was dyed yellow. Still another owner had her Newfoundland all decked out in Mardi Gras green, yellow, and purple! She had beads and a hat on - her owner said she absolutely loves getting dressed up! For them, this was a great time to get their dog out of the house, get some exercise and have fun doing something they both enjoy!! Dogs of every size, breed, and owner were on-hand for the festivities. It was a wonderful sight!

Following the parade, there was coronation at 2pm where 5 dogs were crowned: King, Queen, Prince, Princess, and Jester of the parade. If any of you out there follow Mardi Gras and the different opportunities for you to show off your pet……this is one of the biggest events of the year!!

Posted below are several pictures taken at the event by photographer Tom Gannam, they feature the court as well as pictures of different dolled up dogs! I would like to thank Nestle Purina for supplying me with them! Please enjoy!!

Pictured above are Bitsy and Dyllan….two fun-loving Dachshunds!!

Hakuna Matata!! Watch out for this sharp looking dog…….looks like he has some company on his back!!

Norman the Boston Terrier is dressed to impress!! His neck wear is traditional Mardi Gras colors!!

I see Piglet and Tigger……..but where’s Pooh?? This cute Chihuahua makes an absolutely adorable Piglet!

This picture will help give you a little bit of insight as to how many people were actually n attendance for the pet parade!!

We had a pretty nice day for the parade, and the best thing about it is the participants had to pay a $10 entrance fee. 100% of the proceeds went to the Open Door Animal Sanctuary, which is a no-kill animal shelter in the Saint Louis area. There were about 8,000 four-legged participants in the parade, I was glad to see such a great turnout!!

I think parades and events that are so popular and highly attended do great things for the community. They are able to raise money for a no-kill animal shelter. This is something that is very close to my heart - I feel very strongly that all animal shelters should be no-kill. Participating in parades and other similar functions with your pet is a great way to maintain your strong bond and dress your pet up for a great time!

I am still on the lookout for pictures of the event! If you went to the Saint Louis pet parade and dressed your pooch up, send me your picture and I will add it to this post!

Please send all pictures to: dsheffler@petstrong.com

Your picture will be added to this post after it is approved, send in as many as you like and watch for frequent updates to this post!!

Thanks for reading! As always your participation in comments and discussions are encouraged and greatly appreciated!!