The Fourth of July can include fireworks, barbecues and American flags. For Bendites, it also means thousands of pets take to the streets for a beloved community event.

On the holiday last Friday, energy was buzzing at Harmon Park as animals and their humans lined up to take part in this year’s July Fourth Pet Parade.

“We’ve got four sections. We have wagons and wheels, big dogs, little dogs, and odds and ends,” said parade organizer Katy Aceto.

She is the rental and event supervisor at Bend Park and Recreation District. On parade day, she was wearing Corgi-themed socks and glittery makeup while she checked in to prepare groups from the sea of fur, wagging tails and smiles.

“There’s no registration required — people just show up. And we always have a really good turnout of parade participants,” Aceto said.

Bend Park and Recreation estimated the parade attracted more than 8,000 participants and spectators in the city of just over 100,000 residents.

The Bend pet parade is one of nearly 30 heritage traditions in Oregon. The designation applies to events that have been ongoing for more than 50 years, which “represent what it means to be an Oregonian,” according to the State Historic Preservation Office. Other heritage traditions include the Portland Rose Festival, the Oregon Country Fair and the Aumsville Corn Festival.

For decades, the pet parade was open to any kind of animal. And it still draws some unexpected creatures. But over the years, organizers have changed the rules and limited the types of animals allowed to march.

This year, those prohibitions sparked a light-hearted protest movement, with demonstrators adding yet another quirky layer to the century-old Bend tradition.

The parade has become the largest parade of any kind in the city, and it’s one of the oldest parades of its kind in the country, said Deschutes County Historical Society Executive Director Kelly Cannon-Miller.

“In 1924 is when we first see it show up in the newspaper,” she said. “And in 1932 is when we see it become attached to the Fourth of July.”

The parade began as “a marketing gimmick” to draw potential shoppers to downtown Bend, according to Cannon-Miller. But in more recent years it’s become a bigger, favorite event in the famously pet-friendly town.

“Over the years, you name it, it’s been in the pet parade,” she said.

Dogs were overwhelmingly represented at the pet parade. The event’s “odd and ends” section was for non-dogs and their humans. It was like a furry, feathered and scaled game of I Spy.

Rachel Shaver owns Aarya, a Argentine black and white tegu lizard. Aarya was calm and collected, perched on Shaver’s shoulder and occasionally flicking her long pink tongue.

“I just love giving people an opportunity to see and interact with a lizard that they normally wouldn’t see,” Shaver said.

There were guinea pigs, a turtle, a tortoise, a pig, a chicken, a snake and even a baby kangaroo.

Spring Still brought Adelaide, a joey just shy of her first birthday, in a sling to carry in the parade. Still adopted Adelaide and her brother, who stayed at home, from a Prineville petting zoo.

In Oregon it’s legal to own kangaroos, which are considered a “noncontrolled species.”

As far as Still knows, Adelaide and her brother are the first kangaroos to ever be in the parade. The male joey attended last year. This year, Adelaide didn’t seem phased at all by the activity around her.

“She’s used to crowds,” Still said. “We take them to schools and memory care facilities, things like that.”

(Watch the video above to see Adelaide)

While a kangaroo is a welcome sight, some more common types of pets are not allowed to participate.

In its earlier years, the Bend pet parade was much more of a plethora of companions, according to historical photos. It was common to see livestock, birds and cats. But now, there are a few more rules, and in many ways, it’s a dog’s world.

Per Bend Park and Recreation, “aggressive” animals, cats and rabbits are not allowed in the parade.

“That’s just because those are animals that are harder to secure and they are pretty quick moving and they also can rile dogs up, so typically, it’s best for those types of animals to stay home,” Aceto said.

Some people disagree with that policy.

About a dozen self-described “cat rights” protesters gathered at the parade route, chanting “let them march.” Among them was Zoie Meyers. She held a sign with a picture of her cat, Onion.

“We’re fighting for Onion’s rights,” Meyers said with a smile. “I think he would enjoy the right to at least have the option to be in the parade.”

Even with good-spirited controversy, the day all comes down to one thing — how much Bendites love their pets.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/07/12/bend-pet-parade-oregon/