Holiday hounds
PHOTOS: Pet parade brings ‘pawsitive’ holiday cheer to Quinpool Road
Dogs dressed in Christmas costumes parade down business district
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Julia Bagnell and Tori Wilson hold chihuahuas in their arms as they wait in line to take pictures with Santa.It’s a cold November afternoon, but there is no stopping the annual pet parade on Quinpool Road.
Around 40-50 dogs and at least one cat were dressed up in their cozy Christmas outfits on Saturday.
“This typically attracts crazy dog people,” said Karla Nicholson, executive director of the Quinpool Road Mainstreet District Association.
The pet parade kicked off at 11 a.m. behind the Oxford Taproom. After the parade, the Nova Scotia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty (SPCA) held photo sessions with Santa Claus for all the animals and their owners as a fundraiser for the society.
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Odin is a blue heeler mutt rescued from Texas last year. His owner dressed him up as the Grinch for the parade.
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Christen Ferrer and her dog Possum participated in the pet parade for the first time.Around 10 years ago, Nicholson and the owner of the Halifax Veterinarian Hospital, brainstormed ideas to highlight Quinpool Road as a dog-friendly street and came up with the idea of a pet parade.
“We saw that the SPCA Santa pics were taking place in other parts of the city,” says Nicholson. “We already had a Santa hired for the day for the pet parade, we already had a professional photographer hired for the pet parade, so we’re like, well, this is just a no-brainer.” That’s when they joined the two concepts together: a pet parade followed by professional Santa pet pictures.
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The parade lasted about 30 minutes, all the way down the Quinpool business area and back.
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Cheech the chihuahua is almost eight years old.
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Chong the chihuahua is almost one year old. He’s Cheech’s son.
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Tracy Oldham gives Lovely a big kiss. The six-month-old french bulldog recently had eye surgery.“They were really good for them being just puppies,” says Tracy Oldham talking about the parade walk. One of her three french bulldogs just had surgery.
“It’s about celebrating Christmas and bringing our animals in to celebrate with us. They’re part of our family,” says Sonia Landry, a volunteer with the SPCA. “It spreads a lot of positivity and a lot of laughter.”
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French bulldogs Bella, dressed in plaid and Addy, dressed in a multicolour sweater, are sisters to Lovely.
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After the parade, people and their pets lined up behind The Oxford Taproom to get their pictures taken with Santa.
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Santa takes pictures with the owner and their dogs behind The Oxford Taproom after the parade.
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Toblerone, the dachshund in the blue jacket, is held back by his owner,. Alex Donohoe, as he barks at Lovely the french bulldog,
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Two women pet a dog dressed in a red tutu in front of the Oxford Taproom on Quinpool Road.
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Charlie, a mixed breed from a farm in Saskatchewan, is a little more than seven years old. He side-eyes a treat given to him in a goodie bag provided by Pet Value after the photos.About the author
Molly MacNaughton
Molly is originally from Digby, N.S. She's in her fourth year of the BJH program. She once covered a story about a murder; a murder of crows...