Dachshunds parade in Key West's 'Wienerpalooza'
KEY WEST - About 150 pooches and their people had a doggone good time Sunday, when the Wienerpalooza dachshund parade was staged in Key West's historic downtown.
Participants in the tail-wagging procession, a fundraiser for a local nonprofit that benefits animals in need, included longhaired and shorthaired dachshunds as well as some "wiener-dog wannabes" representing other breeds.
Canine costumes and accessories were common. Dachshunds were dressed as everything from hot dogs in buns to pastel-tailed mermaids and a unicorn with a silver horn.
"Grand marshal" Chester, a dapper 12-year-old rescue dachshund, even sported a tux and a top hat. And a costumed Golden Doodle puppy wore a sign declaring him a "dachshund in training."
The walking route, deliberately kept brief to cater to the dachshunds' short legs, began at Key West's red-brick Custom House Museum.
Participants promenaded along a downtown avenue to legendary Duval Street as spectators snapped "pupparazzi" photos and applauded their favorite pooches.