Hooch — the sturdy, tough-looking brown dog from Central Oregon Brakes for Less — wore his thick lion’s mane wig well enough to fool small children.

“Little kids cry and grumpy men smile,” Kathy Southwick said of people’s reactions to the family dog at Bend’s annual pet parade Monday.

Sure enough, a sturdy, tough-looking guy on a bike stopped to pet him.

Tumalo resident Kirstin VanderHoek brought Frank, her 30-year-old horse who showed off red “toenail polish” on his hooves, shiny star-shaped ribbons around his ankles and glitter sprinkled on his back.

“We didn’t bring the cows this year,” VanderHoek said.

But Frank got to enjoy a rare day away from the farm.

“He raised my kids,” VanderHoek said, adding that Frank had earned his retirement. “I thought, ‘It’s your day, buddy.’ So he got a bath and got all dressed up.”

The Bend Park & Recreation District event draws about 8,000 people each year — those taking part in the parade and those lining the route that loops around downtown streets. It started in 1932, and the Oregon Heritage Commission designated it an Oregon Heritage Tradition in 2014.

At this year’s Fourth of July event, a big golden retriever sat and grinned as his group of people posed for a picture, surrounding him with bikes and small flags.

A hefty lizard, cradled in a woman’s arms, looked over her shoulder and flicked its tongue.

Long, fat snakes looped around the limbs and necks of several parade marchers, stretching their heads out into the air — and gaining a wide berth from people standing nearby.

Bend resident Raelynn Dawley, 11, attached ribbons to the umbrella covering her two turkeys, Thanksgiving and Christmas, from the sun. The birds watched the crowd from their cage set atop a red wagon and didn’t seem to mind the steady stream of dogs that stopped by to peer in at them. Raelynn’s grandfather, Greg Dawley, noted how the birds like to climb lawn chairs when they go out in the yard in the evenings.

“They’re very curious,” he said.

Michelle Shackleford, decked out in a red tutu and flag-patterned feather earrings, attends every year.

“It’s a great family thing. It’s a great community thing. Bend’s very unique,” she said.

Adrian Brunette added that the annual parade offers a great way to socialize dogs. The two Bend residents brought Rolo, a valley bulldog, and Levi, a white boxer painted with stars of red and blue hairspray.

The scene made for great pet- and people-watching.

Another dog with white fur got painted as a full flag. Baby goats head-butted each other, delighting passers-by. A Doberman stood nearly as tall as the tiny horse beside him on the street. City Councilman Doug Knight walked the crowd with his dog Willow. A 5-year-old sulcata tortoise kept his head out of his shell, checking out his surroundings from a red wagon. A tiny 9-year-old white horse named Mini Cooper morphed into a unicorn for his first parade, wearing a toy horn on his forehead and flowers in his mane and tail. A man carried a tuckered-out golden retriever puppy down the parade route’s home stretch. The Humane Society of Central Oregon offered water and treats for dogs and heat and fireworks safety tips to their owners.

Matt Mercer, recreation director at the park district, noted that there is no registration and he expects the event draws so many “partly because it’s simple and easy and laid-back and just fun.”

At least a few out-of-towners find it worth their effort to attend. Linda Bardon, of Kettering, Ohio, and her daughter Diana Bardon, of Corvallis, attended three years ago. They timed their visit to Bend this year to coincide with the event and this time, they took part in it with Tikki, a teacup chihuahua.

“We jumped in” partway along the parade route, said Diana.

“I’m glad we did,” said Linda.

Libby Hedeman and her boyfriend Nick Lazenby, from Kansas City, Missouri, also planned their visit with Bruce and Amy Hedeman in Sunriver to include the pet parade. The group walked with Bachelor, a puli known for dreadlocklike fur.

“He sat real still for Libby while she put all those stars on him,” said Libby’s mom, Amy, of the decorations pinned to the friendly, long-furred dog.

Patches of horse manure marked the street in front of the Deschutes Public Library. On the grassy area across the street, children ate ice pops and dogs lounged in the shade.

A woman squealed as a black and white dog passed by.

“Did he bite you?” asked the boy holding the dog’s leash.

“No, he (peed) on me,” said the woman, looking at her sneaker.

Over the loudspeakers, a voice asked the crowd to bring Tyler, wearing a black T-shirt and R2-D2 tennis shoes, to the information booth. About a minute later, the voice returned: “Thank you, everyone, we found Tyler.”

The crowd cheered.

Bend residents Lena Santana and Madison Laymon completed the parade route on unicycles that they learned to ride through a Pine Ridge Elementary School program.

“It’s fantastic,” Lena’s dad, Lars Santana, said of the pet parade that his family, including dogs, regularly attends. “We always run into friends we haven’t seen in a while.”

— Reporter: 541-617-7812,

hcorrigan@bendbulletin.com