Parade of disguised dogs at the Rio Carnival party

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — As Rio de Janeiro kicked off its carnival festivities on Saturday, about 100 dogs barked and waved their tails to the beat of samba as they paraded past animal lovers in a canine costume contest . .

The “Blocao” – a term that combines “bloco”, referring to Carnival street parties, and “cao”, or dog in Portuguese – drew some 300 people to Barra da Tijuca, a suburb of Rio de Janeiro. Dog costumes ranged from fairies and superheroes to clowns and cartoon characters.

Edson Chianca, 36, brought his 12-year-old dog, Saori, dressed as Minnie Mouse to the parade. He dressed as his pet to go together.

“It’s a great initiative, it’s a good opportunity for pets to socialize,” Chianca said.

Mari Jordão, 52, has been participating in the Blocao event since 2014. Owners “must be careful, bring water and carry their dog if the sidewalk is too hot,” she said.

El Blocao is one of the few events that challenged the municipal ban on street parties last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been celebrated for about 20 years.

Marco Antonio Vieira, the organizer of the event, stressed that the intention is not to humanize pets with the parade and the contest that chooses the five dogs with the best costumes.

“30 years ago they lived in our yard, now they live in our beds. It’s good for them to be with their owner. When the dog sees its owner happy, it is also happy,” Vieira said.

“Some people worked on their dog costumes for three months,” he said. “There are only happy people here.”