Several dogs from Oregon sported yellow rain slickers, others wore Western garb and some were dressed for Mardi Gras. The animals strutted their stuff down Center Street during the Greyhound Gathering, the largest of its kind in the country.
Kanab resident Claudia Presto operates the Greyhound Gang dog rescue and organized the event for the seventh time in a decade. She said most of the roughly 360 animals that attended are former racing dogs, saved from tracks and adopted by people who care about the sleek, docile hounds.
"The dogs . . . rarely bark, don't fight, are easy to clean up after and are the only dog mentioned in the Bible," Presto said as the parade of leashed hounds slowly made their way past about 500 people lining the curbs.
The event, which began Friday and concludes today, also featured activities and talks on communication techniques, training methods, acupuncture for dogs and more.
After the parade, the dogs and their humans strolled to Frontier Town, a tourist attraction made to look like an Old West town, for a lunch of hot dogs, chili dogs and an auction that Presto hoped would raise $20,000 for supporting adoption programs around the country.
John Bright made his fourth trip to the event from the south coast of England. He's on the board of directors of the Celia Cross Greyhound Trust, which plans this year to adopt out more than 100 dogs rescued from British tracks.
"My wife and I like to come here [Kanab] and make it part of a holiday," said Bright. "We usually rent a car, use the credit card and spend the kids' money, taking in other sights like the Grand Canyon."
He described the dogs as wonderful pets and said they are much less expensive than children.
"They don't drink your beer, ask for the car keys or want to go to college," joked Bright.
