Dozens of Adoptable Pups Starred in an Impromptu Doggie Gras Parade

OUR BELOVED PUPS? Let's be honest: They're always on the showier side. Whether they're showing off a favorite toy (with a request that we play tug-tug with them), or showing off some tricks, or showing us the way on a walk, our dogs do seem to love being in a showy spotlight. Sometimes that spotlight gets even more show-tastic in order to raise awareness around a bark-worthy cause. That cause is animal rescue, the critical mission of the Helen Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe. It's a place that's known for its playful fundraisers and people-pup events — this is the organization behind PAWmicon, the superhero-inspired pet parade each July — and the to-do that trots onto the center's winter calendar always has plenty of sparkle and spunk. It's Doggie Gras, of course, and the 2023 event was especially moving, even as it kept a merry outlook.

THE MARDI GRAS MERRIMENT... raised a happy howl ahead of the holiday, with some 60 "PAW-tiers" joining an impromptu parade helmed by staffers and volunteers. The puply participants, all adoptable residents of the center, were certainly cute in their beads and feathers, while the many issues surrounding abandoned animals, issues that have only grown more urgent since the beginning of the pandemic, stayed at the forefront of the festivity. "It's been years since we've seen anything quite like this," explained Helen Woodward Pet Acquisition Manager LaBeth Thompson. "Everyone I speak to is desperate for help. They just have too many animals and no place to put them. I've received thank you letters from shelter partners telling us that getting the pups to the Center is keeping them from being euthanized. It's heartbreaking and we're doing everything we can to help.”

FUN FOR A CAUSE: "We hope the community will consider checking out the pups on Helen Woodward Animal Center's BourBONE Street this weekend," continued Thompson. "Of course, they’ll just be waiting to meet you in the Center kennels, but don't tell them that. The pups seem to know they're at the festive first stop of their PAWrade, concluding in a home that will give them a lifetime of reasons to celebrate." For more information on the center, its many events, and how you help from afar, visit the Helen Woodward site now.