Really Putting On the Dog

Exactly how many people would, if given the chance, dress their dogs in costumes and parade them through town in front of friends and strangers?

A lot, as was vividly demonstrated in the annual dog parade through downtown Saturday morning. There were about 1,800 dogs, some dressed as sumo wrestlers, Julius Caesar, Indian chiefs and Carmen Miranda.

Several thousand people turned out to cheer on the pooches and their owners as they strolled down the main drag.

One yellow Labrador retriever drew praise from the crowd for its portrayal of actor Keanu Reeves’ character Neo in the “Matrix” movies. The dog wore dark glasses and a cape bearing the words “The Matrix Unleashed,” a play on the title of the second film -- “The Matrix Reloaded” -- in the series.

Santa Barbara resident Bill Sargent, 40, owner of two small pugs disguised as dinosaurs, said: “If they could dress up like this every day, they would.”

Sargent’s “deeply psychological explanation” for the parade was that people like it when their dogs are the center of attention.

Demetra Briscoe, 49, a local nurse, dressed herself up as a Dalmatian and her husky mix, Ginny, as a surgeon. Her observation: “There are more people like me who are single and who have pets as their children.”

The parade was begun nine years ago and is sponsored by the clothes retailer Big Dog. Proceeds from this year’s event will go to a variety of charities, including the National Childhood Cancer Foundation and the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.

Big Dog officials said the parade gets a little bigger each year, as word spreads throughout California of an event that not only allows, but encourages, dog owners to put wigs and bikinis on their pets.

The only rules: no mean dogs and no dogs in heat. The unofficial motto of the day: “Watch your step.”

Many of the dogs were dressed as other animals. There were pooches costumed as lobsters, butterflies, ladybugs and rabbits.

Interestingly, there were no dogs dressed as house cats.

“I think the dogs represent the inner person the owners wish they could be,” said Nora Julian, 35, of Santa Barbara, who thought it was amazing that thousands of people would turn out to watch other people walk their dogs.

“Like this guy,” she added, pointing to a man whose mutt was bedecked in a dress. “He could never dress up like a fairy and wear a tutu normally, but he could do it today.”

A little farther down the parade route, an English mastiff named Gatsby proudly marched, dressed as a lion. Gatsby, at 200 pounds, was crowned the largest dog in the parade.

His owners, Alex and Lori Weathers of Santa Barbara, both 29, said Gatsby had already collapsed their couch once and crushed a coffee table three times. He consumes nearly a 40-pound bag of dog food each week.

But the cost and battered furniture are all worth it, the couple said.

Gatsby, in their opinion, is the best dog in the whole world, and they can’t wait to get another one just like him.