You could say that this dachshund is cute as a pumpkin.
The weather couldn’t have been finer for Saturday’s 24th annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade. The event is held in Tompkins Square Park at East 9th Street and Avenue A in New York.
It was so crazy crowded this year even members of the press had to fight their way in and were charged the entry fee. Sheesh. But it was only $5 dollars and for a good cause, so I dug into my pocket and forked it over.
I saw a forlorn reporter with her camera crew being held behind the gate. I heard her say, “But I’m from ‘Good Morning America.’” In New York City, it’s always who you know — but not this time. Judging by the security measures, you’d think it was the Academy Awards. I’m surprised the crowd didn’t do a stampede.
There are plusses and minuses to being 5’2”. The plus is I can shimmy through any crowd. The minus is when I’m blocked from the front — if that happens I can’t see bupkis. So, once inside the fenced in dog run, I bee-lined for a spot. I’d scoped the setup and squinched in to nab a prime patch of land. It was facing the red carpet — actually it was green AstroTurf, but why quibble? I wriggled into position right across the stage. Score! One grumpy cameraman came over and said, “That’s my spot.” In all the frenetic fuss, I overheard an Australian accent. It was coming from a woman with a small digital camera.
“Are you press?” I asked. The friendly tourist shook her head, no. Then she moved to the left, motioning me to scooch in next to her. She and her husband were obviously tourists. I thanked them profusely. When they had to scurry off to catch their plane, I asked for the woman’s email so I could send her some pics. I wonder if they were startled to see how nice us native New Yorkers really are. Here’s a shoutout to you, Virginia Johnstone! New York loves you!
As claustrophobic as it was, the dogs made every second worth it. Let’s pause for a disclaimer: Before someone from PETA gets their panties in a twist, none of the dogs looked miserable. This was not animal abuse — in fact it was the opposite. There were dogs with orange and black “Adopt Me” signs and representatives from a number of rescue groups handing out flyers. The sponsor, Beggin Strips Dog Treats, let everyone know that it’d donate one bag of Beggin’ food every time a dog owner tweets a photo of their costumed dog. That applies to all dog owners, not just the attendees at the parade. The hashtag is #Howloween, and be sure to share your photo with @beggin. The food will go to an adoptable dog at Petfinder animal shelter.
And now without further ado, I present to you the Halloween dogs!
Dorri Olds is a contributing journalist for TheBlot Magazine.
