McALLEN — Bill Schupp Park had truly gone to the dogs by the time Saturday afternoon rolled around.
Pets and their owners flocked there for Hidalgo County’s Paws in the Park, a sort of pet social for dog owners coupled with an awareness event on caring for a pet.
“It went amazingly well,” Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez said. “We were very concerned that the weather was going to be bad, but it turned out to be an absolutely gorgeous day.”
Some 500 pet owners had originally signed up to attend, Cortez said, and although he wasn’t sure how many of them actually showed, there was a steady stream of people and their pups coming through the park that afternoon.
And oh, what pups.
There were big dogs and small dogs, hirsute hounds frolicking in the cool weather and bundled up Chihuahuas that looked like they’d much rather be inside.
There was a beagle in a miniature Carhartt vest. A Boston Terrier in a fuzzy bear suit, a Labrador in a hoodie.
The sheriff brought a dog that — judging by his size — looked like it may very well have a pony or two buried somewhere back in his family tree.
The dogs and their people milled through tables set up at the park, the four-legged attendees sniffing and pulling at their leashes and emitting the occasional bark while their owners scooped up miniature Frisbees and dog treats.
“Everybody got to show off their pets,” Cortez said. “You know, we got to see a whole bunch of them. Different breeds, different sizes, different looks. A lot of them were dressed up.”
On one level, that was the point of the whole shebang: it was fun.
“We want to promote community,” Cortez said. “It’s like going to church; if you never see one another, if you never socialize with one another, you can’t build a relationship. So this way, having people meet in a very wholesome environment, produces community.”
There was, however, a little more serious medicine buried in the fun and games: resources and education.
The first hundred attendees were entitled to free microchips for their pets, a useful tool in reuniting a lost or stolen dog with its owner, and the McAllen Police Department had information on proper dog restraining techniques,
There was also, Cortez said, information at hand on spaying and neutering, something the county has a particular interest in promoting. Cortez said there are an estimated 40,000 unattended pets in the county, stray pets who reproduce and tax local infrastructure, including the county’s.
“Everyday the animal shelters are just at capacity, and we’re so lucky that we do have volunteers and we do have those shelters out there to help us with stuff like that,” he said. “And hopefully we can make it better, and part of that’s the educational process of getting people to be more responsible.”
Cortez says he hopes to see Paws in the Park become a regular annual or biannual event.
