Pooches Get Ready To Prance In Oak Lawn Pet Parade

Caption: Perennial ‘Best Dressed Pet’ winner Shadow the poodle and her new little friend in their “Duck Dynasty” ensemble.

The Oak Lawn Chamber’s annual Pet Parade will march on as planned but with some adjustments to reduce the potential for your pooch picking up canine influenza.

Residents and their pets will start gathering at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, June 13, at Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School at 54th Avenue and 99th Street. Owners wishing to enter the “Best Dressed Pet” and “Pet/Owner Look-Alike” contests can also enter at this time.

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The pet parade will step off at 10 a.m. and proceeds north on 54th Avenue, eastbound on 96th Street/Yourell Avenue, north on Cook across 95th Street, ending on Oak Lawn’s Village Green at Cook and Dumke.

After the parade, stick around for the fun family activities, petting zoo, magician, live music and vendor fair featuring local businesses.

Although Chicago area veterinarians are reporting a drop in cases of canine influenza, dog owners are still advised to take precautions when socializing their dogs with others, particularly at large gatherings where there are other dogs.

To help minimize the risk and spread or of the H3N2 virus, the dog watering troughs are being eliminated along the pet parade route. Owners are asked to bring their own water to hydrate their pets during the parade.

Owners will also want to avoid their dogs having nose-to-nose contact with other dogs, which is how the virus has mainly spread.

As in the past, all pets should have all of their shots. All pet owners must sign a waiver. Pets must also be on a leash or contained in some manner. Dog owners must also have proof of vaccination for their dogs.