Pet Parade?

Or was it a preschooler parade? And what exactly would the difference be? The preschoolers could have used some leashes...and some wagons to travel in too, just like the tortoises that people brought out for the event. Although tortoises might have made the route on foot faster than our Mam did.


Today was the Los Altos 60th (yes, 60!) Annual Pet Parade. I used to march in this parade when I was a kid. I took my dog. These days, actually having a pet doesn't seem to be a requirement. Every preschool and elementary school in the city seemed to have a contingent there. And those contingents were markedly light on pets. And Smunch wasn't really sure about the whole thing...except that he was sure he didn't want to walk down Main Street and up State Street on his own two feet, so Daddy got Smunch-toting duty. (Poor Daddy's shoulders!) Mommy got Mam toting duties for a while as well.

The best part of the whole thing, as far as Mam was concerned, was that she got to meet some new canines. Mam loves dogs and this one was one of her very favorites...an Australian shepard with a fondness for licking little girls who squeal with delight. Mam was thrilled. She also tried to pilfer someone else's beautiful white retriever-type dog on the way back to the car, but with no success.
My favorite entry in the parade was the Daschund Delegation. Daschunds are always funny, no matter what they're up to. So, the Pet Parade was far from devoid of pets, really. Pets spotted today included a parrots, rats, lizards, cats, dogs, ponies, horses, hamsters, goldfish, snakes, tortoises and a couple of chickens. It's pretty surprising what kinds of animals can be dragged along a parade route.
Mam complained a lot about her legs along the way. Poor little girl. It wasn't until we got home that I figured out she had her panties on sideways! "Daddy did it!" she repeated over and over as she sat on the potty and I righted her undies. As the English would say, "O.K., O.K., don't get your knickers in a twist!"