Beggin’ Pet Parade: The Eighth Wonder Of The World

This is how I imagine the conversation went when the founders of the Beggin Pet Parade first met: A: Hey, I love St. Louis Mardi Gras and everything, but I’m just not sure it’s crazy enough for my tastes. B: Well what if we added about ten thousand dogs to the mix? A: You’re getting warmer, but I don’t know if I’m sold yet. B: OK, what if we have all the dogs wear costumes too? A: Better, but I still feel like something’s missing… B: We’ll have them parade around the city AND we’ll have a guy in a giant dog costume throw out Beggin’ Strips to the crowd while Who Let The Dogs Out  blasts on repeat. A: THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!

And so, the Beggin’ Pet Parade was born

Eko certainly looked quite dashing in his outfit, but as you know, we do everything as a team:

All for one

When Eko and I hopped out of the car, we entered a world entirely unlike our own.  It was a world in which there was no point in saying, “That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever seen,” because before you could even finish your sentence you would see something four times as crazy as that.

Case in point: a poodle styled as a Peacock was the LEAST crazy thing we saw

 

I had so many questions that I wanted to ask this lady

Your classic “Two Dobermans riding a tandem bike with an attached vaudville music box”

And in what may be the all-time most incredible feat of coordination, these dogs and their people line up and parade through the city while a roaring crowd cheers them on.  The crowd then jostles for position to catch beads and Beggin’ Treats that are tossed out by people in the parade.  And just when you thought things couldn’t get any crazier, the dog who was supposed to act as king of the parade didn’t show up.  So for some strange reason they decided to let the jester fill in.

The usurper

Let them eat cake treats!

After the parade there are games and awards, and the streets are filled with revelers and vendors the whole day through.  The Beggin’ Pet Parade is one of those events that no photos or videos can fully capture – you just have to experience it yourself.  If you ever have the chance to go to the parade, you absolutely have to do it.  Trust me – everyone goes home smiling.

 

🙂