It was a day of canine cuteness as attendees applauded for pups decked out in creative costumes at the Dogs For Life 14th annual Canine Howl-O-Ween Pawrade, held at the organization’s Off-Leash Dog Park last Saturday afternoon.
As the 72 entrants strutted their stuff in front of the crowd, many of whom came dressed in costumes themselves, DFL founder and CEO Shelly Ferger offered funny tidbits about each dog and its festive finery.
Dogs were dressed in all sorts of great creations – as lions, princesses, scarecrows, a skunk and even as Little Red Riding Hood’s grandma in her bed. The largest in the pawrade was a huge white and black spotted Great Dane, which got a laugh from the crowd for its Chick-fil-a cow outfit.
Prizes were not awarded to individual dogs but each received a participation chew toy courtesy of Kathi Schumann and her bulldog Henry IX Schumann, who underwrote the event.
“It was so wonderful that after 14 years people are still showing up and having fun here with their dogs,” said Ferger. “We received lots of support from the sponsors and the volunteers. I am absolutely in awe of the people that came to help us. We are just so happy to be able to bring this event to Indian River County and I know a lot of people enjoyed it. We did, too.”
Denise Heneger and Patricia Conde, whose dogs Penny and Maxie are now best friends, said the park is their dogs’ favorite place to go.
“They love the park! They love each other and on the way to the dog park they are just crazy to get here. Then when they get to the park they rumble and box and finally lie down and sleep next to each other,” said Conde.
The Excel Club, the Exchange Club’s junior division, offered hot dogs (the culinary kind), brownies, drinks and doggie snacks, and other vendors offered information, pet items and services at the Pet Expo. Visitors also enjoyed a demonstration by Indian River Sheriff’s Office K-9s.
The DFL Off-Leash Dog Park offers members a place to socialize and run their dogs in a safe atmosphere, where they have peace of mind knowing that dogs are registered and evaluated and that entry to the fenced park is with a security code. The DFL non-profit mission is to train and pair assistance dogs with individuals who need help with issues such as hearing, health, anxiety and comfort. It is also one of only of a handful of dog trainers certified in Florida to work alongside veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and mobility issues.
“Their dogs are all rescues and they are trained to save lives,” said Schumann, who sat alongside the first veteran/dog team trained at DFL, Jim Taylor and his service dog Pia Pia.
