Pets fill Village during parade, festival

La Jolla went to the dogs on May 16--and the guinea pigs and a miniature horse.

Merchants, participants and spectators seemed pleased with the La Jolla Pet Parade and Festival, said those from Promote La Jolla, the Village business district, who organized the event.

“It was fabulous,” chairwoman Nancy Warwick said. “It exceeded my expectations--and I had high expectations.”

Warwick said the event drew a large and happy crowd of people and their pets. Eight dogs and three guinea pigs were adopted, she added.

The event, a benefit for the Spay and Neuter Assistance Program and the first of its kind in La Jolla since the 1930s, included a sidewalk pet parade around the village and and judging for the “best” in several categories:

-Best trick category: Oreo, a dog owned by Tamiko.

-Most unusual dog: Lucia, a Chinese-crested dog owned by Victoria Trepaldi.

-Best ‘bovine impression” (a nod to CowParade La Jolla): Two white Great Danes with black spots

“One of the Great Danes had three balloons tied under her belly to make her look like she had udders,” noted emcee Ron Jones, who added, “Everybody thought their dog was the cutest.”

The ugliest dog was a pug and the smallest, a Chihuahua. There was also a “guess the mix” contest.

“I never saw so many smiling faces,” said Daisy Fitzgerald of Ark Antiques for Animals, who was also on PLJ’s organizing committee. “The parade with the dogs was so uplifting.

The merchants came out. Customers on the sidewalks were laughing and clapping. The tourist were taking pictures and asking, ‘What’s this all about?’ It was fun and good for the whole community. The (dog) walk through the Village was a real plus.”

“I know the community would love to have this event again next year,” Warwick concluded. “We had tremendous feedback that it was the perfect event for La Jolla.”