Overcast weather doesn't dampen marchers' spirits at 59th Kiwanis event

By Eliza Ridgeway, Town Crier Staff Writer

The 59th annual Kiwanis Pet Parade defied the threatening rain this past Saturday to slither, hop and canter down Main and State streets in downtown Los Altos without a single whiff of wet dog.

The atmosphere of the parade was relaxed and comfortable. Marching groups were joined by enthusiastic onlookers with dogs to walk.

Panda the Dalmatian lent a special dignity to the Los Altos Fire Department’s historical fire engine, which dates back to 1928. She perched placidly atop the engine amid cacophony and exhaust fumes, seeming to enjoy her time in the catbird seat.

“She’s got a thing for firemen, I guess,” speculated fire engineer Don Carlson, who helped restore the engine in 1992 and runs it in the parades with Panda’s assistance (she is lent by a local family).

Rich Fischer, superintendent of the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District, served as grand marshal of the parade, topped by a salmon hat. “A miracle of modern taxidermy,” he said of the (fabric) contraption. “I only hope all the waving doesn’t affect my fly-fishing arm.”

Breene Kerr and Curtis Cole represented the political end of Los Altos Hills and Los Altos, respectively, waving with their families from historical cars. Superintendent Tim Justus, Assistant Superintendent Patty Boettcher and Board of Trustees President Margot Harrigan represented the administrative wing of the Los Altos School District, while student groups from Covington, Loyola, Almond, Santa Rita, Springer, Oak and Bullis Charter School marched behind.

Children’s House, a preschool and after-school care center at Loyola school, celebrated its 29th anniversary at the parade this year. Founder Ella Mayon launched the school in 1978 when she marched in the parade with her 2-year-old son dressed as a clown. They pulled a wagon of the school’s first stuffed animals. “Our students at that point were my son and a neighbor’s daughter,” Mayon said. “Now we have 450 children.”

Studio Kicks Palo Alto brought the most mythological animal, a brilliant red and gold dancing lion animated by two of its students. Sarah Debs, a teen who practices WuShu (based traditional Chinese martial arts) at the studio, strategically avoided the costume this year: “I don’t want to be the butt!”

“Alpha Dog” Terri Festa of Society Dog, a local social group dedicated to dog-friendly activities, said that this was their first real showing in the parade. They have just acquired a bus and are open to new members. “All breeds, all creeds, all sizes,” Festa said. “We accept all kinds.”

Four-year-old Charlie Kinne of Los Altos and his rats, Sugar and Ice Tea, were the most diminutive supporters of Los Altos Relay For Life marching in the parade (the rats “marched” via wagon). Canine Companions for Independence, which raises working dogs to assist people with disabilities, featured several puppy raisers (with puppies) and a working dog with his wheel-chair-user companion.

The South Bay Traditional Jazz Society did several loops of the parade course. Ye Olde Towne Band, a parade stalwart, represented the only real float of the parade atop their mobile bandstand. The Los Trancos Woods Community Marching Band, led by a very pert long-haired Chihuahua, featured a bunny-eared, saxophone-playing drum major, several banjos and singing.

Bullis Charter School featured the most notorious pet. Butter the Gopher Murderer, an orange-striped feline, rolled along in a barred cage reminiscent of Hannibal Lecter. “Five gophers killed this week!” said Nancy Kelem, Butter’s keeper.

A near-silent clicking of nails on pavement accompanied the quietest group of the day, Adopt a Greyhound, which featured 30 dogs rescued from racetracks. The Dachshund Delegation of Los Altos demonstrated the huge range of the breed, including long-haired, piggish, grizzled and classic wiener dogs. A student walking behind the Egan Vikings orchestra/band toted the only goat spotted on the parade route. Perhaps the low goat attendance this year was due to previous mishaps. The only parade injury recorded in Town Crier records was a goat with heat exhaustion (successfully revived).

Bullis-Purissima Kinder Clubs towed two chickens under chicken wire, some of the few avian participants, and a young man walked the parade route with two huge snakes hanging, twined in braids, from his hands. Outside knitting shop Full Thread Ahead, Victoria Pettigrew of VIP (Very Important Pet) Fibers demonstrated her craft on a spinning wheel: she spins pet fur (collected from brushing) into yarn for devoted owners. On display were a Pomeranian tote, a Poodle beret and a Golden Retriever scarf. A single brushing from Pettigrew’s Samoyed provided enough fiber for panels and trim on a full-size tan-and-white sweater.

Adobe Animal Hospital was represented in the parade by Mandi Browning, who brought her Bengal cat, Kainalu, on a leash. The wide-eyed working cat (he goes to the hospital every day) demonstrated feline acrobatics when Browning tossed him head over heels in the air and he landed draped across her shoulder.

The Los Altos Horsemen’s Association featured two-and-a-half-year-old Jack of Hearts, a flower-wreathed Arabian youngster still in training. The association’s poop-scooping brigade closed the parade, alongside a spandex-clad trio on a three-person bike, pulling two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels in a chariot - a very Los Altos ending.

Following the parade, the Town Crier held its annual pet parade contest, with Co-publisher Liz Nyberg, Ad Manager Tom Zahiralis and Editor Bruce Barton. Tatianna Boulankina, new owner of Pet’s Delight at 390 State St., provided the first prize in the best overall category, a one-month supply of food, treats, toys and accessories valued at $100. The best overall prize went to the Harley family of Los Altos and their Golden Retrievers, Riley and Ruskin, for their “California Dudes” entry. Kevin and Lee Harley, along with children Will, Andrew and Tyler, moved to Los Altos from Colorado last year.

Other contest winners were:

• “Jailbird” dogs, featuring Hunter Coffman’s Irish Setters Roxy and Nelly, winning second prize for best overall. Second prize was a free physical exam and any needed vaccinations, a cash value of $100, courtesy of Miramonte Veterinary Hospital, 1766 Miramonte Ave. in Mountain View.

• “Western dog,” featuring Sweetie, a terrier mix, won the “Most Creative” category and a 20-pound bag of dog food from Pet’s Delight. Tara Swan of Los Altos Hills is Sweetie’s owner.

• Savannah Swan’s “Cat on a leash” won for “Most Unusual,” receiving a coupon for 50 percent off on a grooming, courtesy of Critter Clippers, 1350 Grant Road in Los Altos.

• “Beach dog on a wagon,” featuring the Warren family’s 12 ½-year-old Labrador Retriever Bentley, won “Honorable Mention” and a 6-pound bag of Royal Canin dog (or cat) food from Pet’s Delight. The Warren family of Los Altos includes Mark, Tracy, Alexandria and Ashley.