Return of the Reindogs!

by Mary Jo

What would Christmastide be without enjoying some pictures of the Cincinnati SPCA’s annual Reindog Parade?  Once again, my friend Laura Resnick sent me some very entertaining pictures of parade attendees.  

 

Sadly, there were few Hanukkah Hounds in this year’s parade since it took place on December 8^th, the first day of the (very early) Hanukkah celebration.  I expect the Hounds were all at home getting under the family’s feet while a feast was prepared.

On to the parade! First, the eager crowd gathers: 

Wise dogs come from afar:

 

 

Angel dogs are heard on high: 

 

 

 

 

Look, it's Santa's Sleigh!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even short reindogs want to help pull the sleigh:

And here's the Santa Dog himself, bringing lots of goodies!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting one's elf hat straight isn't easy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm particularly fond of the Poinsettia Pooch:

I hope you've enjoyed the reindogs, but if you're in the mood for a change of species, my sister sent me this link for Jingle Goats.

 

Mary Jo, who thinks the internet runs on cute critter photos.

Comments

[Dee]

Too cute...Dee

[Anne Gracie]

They always give me a smile, Mary Jo. I swear my dog used to love dressing up. No other dog I'd owned liked it, but Chloe really did.

I would get an even bigger smile, though, by watching videos of people trying to dress up their cats. A series of heroic failures, I expect, but mighty entertaining.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Dee--

Aren't they delightful? A holiday hoot. I'd really miss them if Laura stopped attending and taking pictures.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Anne--

I remember how pleased with herself Chloe looked in her dress up clothes! As you say, trying to dress a cat would be--entertaining. *g* We couldn't even keep an ID collar on Reggie the Rascal. He'd shed himself of it every time.

[Laura Resnick]

Alas there were no Jewish dogs this year. (We usually see several contestants in prayer shawls and yarmulkes.) Then we realized that due to the clash of timing between the solar and lunar calendars, this year's ReinDog Parade took place about 2 hours before Hanukkah started--so Jewish dogs were probably all at home with their families, getting ready for the festival at sundown.

[Laura Resnick]

Chloe, some of the dogs we see obviously enjoy their costumes. Some appear to be HUMILIATED by them (few things are sadder than seeing a grizzled, tough-looking Akita or German Shepherd looking deeply embarrassed by his sugarplum-fairy outfit ). And some (mostly the Labradors) eat their costumes about halfway through the parade. What's obvious about all of them, though, is that the contestants' temperaments all are well suited to the occasion--they obviously LOVE coming out to see people, greeting strangers all along the way, getting attention, meeting other dogs, trotting around in the streets for the parade and in the local bars and cafes (which allow dogs to enter on that day) afterwards, meeting other dogs, etc.

Laura

[Mary Jo Putney]

***some (mostly the Labradors) eat their costumes about halfway through the parade.**

ROFL! So do the Labradors like the taste of costumes, or do they feel the humiliation most? *G* Nice that the dogs are the socialized sorts that love the people, and that they get to go into the cafes and bars that day. What a great event this is!

[theo]

ROFL on the Lab comment too! Too funny!

I love looking at them all dressed up even if some of them do find it a bit humiliating. It's the thought that counts, right?

[Mary Jo Putney]

Theo--

I suspect that for even the most embarrassed dogs, the attention is sufficient counter-balance. It would never work with cats, though!

[Laura Resnick]

MJ, Labradors are known for eating everything in sight, whether or not the item in question is food. My friend Val has a friend who's a vet, and whenever he gets a panicky call from someone who says, "My dog just ate [insert something unthinkable here]!" he always responds, "And how old is your Labrador?" So eating their costumes is... just what labradors DO.