Animals Strut Their Stuff at Kids' Pet Parade and Expo

Brodie the Chihuahua dressed in traditional Huichol clothing. (Photo by Olivia Morales)

     Pets and their proud owners gathered on Los Rios Street in San Juan Capistrano, California on February 18, 2023, for the city's first annual Kids' Pet Parade and Expo since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This event is hosted by the San Juan Capistrano Fiesta Association.

    This event not only held a parade for kids ages 5-12 years old to show off their pets, but there were also multiple animal rescues showing off pets available for fostering and/or adoption.

    Multiple pets and their families showed up for the event but only the winners of each category would be eligible to walk in this year's Swallow's Day Parade. This event kicks off a series of events through the months of February and March 2023. The next upcoming events are the El Presidenté Ball on March 11, Fiesta Grandé on March 22, a series of contests on March 24, and the Swallows Day Parade on March 25.

Miniature cows from Mini Madness. (Photo by Olivia Morales)

    San Juan Capistrano resident Jim Taylor was this year's host and lawyers Michael and Courtney Cefali paid for and sponsored this event.

    All walks of life - both human and animal, came to have fun and meet new friends at this year's event. The animals varied from domestic, farm, and exotic. This included dogs, cats, ducks, miniature cows and horses, and even snakes!

                        Here are the names of the winners of the parade decided by the judges:

                                              Domestic Pet: Lily Brazil and her dog Tilly

                                        Exotic Pet: James Glynn and his banana ball python Split

                                Bird: Lily and Beatrice Marquina with their ducks Waddles and JoJo

                                             Team Costume: Dominc Pule and his dog Zeus

                                            Kid At Heart: Margo Kutner and her dog Skylar

Zeus and his owners were the winners for team costume. (Photo by Olivia Morales)

Split the Banana Ball Python and his owner James Glynn win for exotic pet. (Photo by Olivia Morales)

                    And here are the names of some of the rescue organizations that came to the event:

                                                                  Promise 4 Paws

                                                                Compassion Works

                                                                   Doggie Bonez

                                                                   Mini Madness

                                                              Dream Animal Rescue

 

Rescue dog from Doggie Bonez rescue hops up to investigate the camera. (Photo by Olivia Morales)

      Pateau from Promise 4 Paws looking dapper in a hot dog costume. (Photo by Olivia Morales)

Two cats from Dream Animal Rescue have staring contest with camera lens. (Photo by Olivia Morales)

      An elderly rescue dog from Promise 4 Paws smiles for the camera. (Photo by Olivia Morales)

JoJo the duck strolls on over to get a closer look at the camera and then sits in the photographer's lap. (Photo by Olivia Morales)

                 French Bulldog rescue from Promise 4 Paws strikes a pose. (Photo by Olivia Morales)

** A special thank you to everyone who made this year's Kids' Pet Parade and Expo possible! **

Who Do You Celebrate With?

The Holiday season is a time to celebrate with those closest to you. It’s a time to get together and eat, talk and spend time with your family. For many college students who attend college out of state or away from their family though, it may be a lonely day, or one that does not have the same meaning to those who have family close by.

For people who do not have any immediate family in the southern California area, the holidays are often a time to see who your true family is. It may be your closest friends who invite you to their house, a boyfriend or girlfriend or someone you never expected to extend an invitation to ensure you are not alone during the Holiday season.

From first-hand experience, it is a great feeling when people take the time to invite you to a gathering and make you feel welcome. It can really make the difference between a good and bad day.

If you are one of those people who get invited to someone else’s house for the holidays, make sure you are polite and grateful. Always RSVP ahead time and express your gratitude for the invitation, whether you decide to go or not. It is also always polite to ask if there is anything you can bring or contribute. No one likes a moocher.

Remember to dress nice and try to talk to everyone. If someone was nice enough to invite you to share the holidays with them and their family, the least you can do is be polite and get to know people at the party or gathering you attend.

For those of you who have a lot of family that live close by, and are lucky enough to spend every holiday with them, remember to not forget about your friends, co-workers or classmates who may not have anything to do.

For the upcoming holidays, I hope everyone has people around them to celebrate with and enjoy a great end to 2011!