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Kaizer, a German shepherd, came painted in a "Captain America" theme for the 2019 Do Dah Day parade and festival in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019. He came with Gisselle Colin of the McCalla community in western Jefferson County.
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Ryder cools off and gets some water at a hydration station at the 2019 Do Dah Day parade and festival in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019. He came with Bob And Tracy Duncan of the Oak Mountain communty in Shelby County, Alabama.
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Dogs and people make their way along Highland Avenue as part of the 2019 Do Dah Day parade in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019. The Irish wolf hounds in the middle won the award for the largest pets in the parade.
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People and dogs fill Rhodes Park in Birmingham, Alabama, for the 2019 Do Dah Day parade and festival on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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Michal Hirtl-Quinn of the Roebuck Springs community in Birmingham, Alabama, at right, pets Duke and holds Ellie Marie at the 2019 Do Dah Day festival in Rhodes Park in Birmingham on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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Sally Russell Baio, the lead singer for The Starlings, sings with her band in Rhodes Park at the 2019 Do Dah Day parade and festival in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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Representatives for the Greater Birmingham Humane Society make their way along Highland Avenue as part of the 2019 Do Dah Day parade in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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The Disco Amigos make their way along Highland Avenue as part of the 2019 Do Dah Day parade in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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The Disco Amigos make their way along Highland Avenue as part of the 2019 Do Dah Day parade in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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A dog makes its way along Highland Avenue as part of the 2019 Do Dah Day parade in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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The Crestwood Community Band makes its way along Highland Avenue as part of the 2019 Do Dah Day parade in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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People and dogs in the 2019 Do Dah Day parade make their way along Highland Avenue in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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People and dogs watch the 2019 Do Dah Day parade along Highland Avenue in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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People and dogs in the 2019 Do Dah Day parade make their way along Highland Avenue in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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Dogs make their way along Highland Avenue as part of the 2019 Do Dah Day parade in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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This is the official T-shirt design for the 2019 Do Dah Day parade and festival in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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People and dogs in the 2019 Do Dah Day parade make their way along Highland Avenue in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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People and dogs in the 2019 Do Dah Day parade make their way along Highland Avenue in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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People in the 2019 Do Dah Day parade make their way along Highland Avenue in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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People and dogs in the 2019 Do Dah Day parade make their way along Highland Avenue in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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People and dogs in the 2019 Do Dah Day parade make their way along Highland Avenue in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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People and dogs in the 2019 Do Dah Day parade make their way along Highland Avenue in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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People and dogs in the 2019 Do Dah Day parade make their way along Highland Avenue in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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Dogs make their way along Highland Avenue as part of the 2019 Do Dah Day parade in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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A dog makes its way along Highland Avenue as part of the 2019 Do Dah Day parade in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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Madelyn Grace Hosey, 7, of Vestavia Hills, Alabama, gets her face painted by Elaine Tindill-Rohr at the 2019 Do Dah Day festival in Rhodes Park Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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The Starlings play at the 2019 Do Dah Day festival in Rhodes Park in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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People visit food trucks at the 2019 Do Dah Day parade and festival in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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Liam Crenshaw of Homewood, Alabama, jumps at the 2019 Do Dah Day festival in Rhodes Park in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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Members of the Disco Amigos dance with the crowd at the 2019 Do Dah Day festival in Rhodes Park in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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The Roots Posse band plays at the 2019 Do Dah Day festival in Rhodes Park in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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Aubrie came with Tiffaney Sosebee of Vestavia Hills, Alabama, to the 2019 Do Dah Day parade and festival in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019. Sosebee works as a groomer at Standifer's Animal Clinic in Homewood, Alabama.
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People and dogs fill Rhodes Park in Birmingham, Alabama, for the 2019 Do Dah Day parade and festival on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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Marionette pets hang on display at J.K.'s booth at the 2019 Do Dah Day festival in Rhodes Park in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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The lead singer of the Roots Posse band sings at the 2019 Do Dah Day festival in Rhodes Park in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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Dogs make their way along Highland Avenue as part of the 2019 Do Dah Day parade in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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People and dogs take a seat in the shade at the 2019 Do Dah Day parade and festival in Rhodes Park in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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People and dogs fill Rhodes Park in Birmingham, Alabama, for the 2019 Do Dah Day parade and festival on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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Kids participate in the kid T-shirt art contest at the 2019 Do Dah Day festival in Rhodes Park in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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Members of the Mountain Brook High School marching band entertain the crowd at the 2019 Do Dah Day parade and festival in Rhodes Park in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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Members of the Mountain Brook High School marching band entertain the crowd at the 2019 Do Dah Day parade and festival in Rhodes Park in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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A man and his dog make their way along Highland Avenue as part of the 2019 Do Dah Day parade in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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Lisa Nelems of Northport, Alabama, (in purple) walks with her Harlequin Great Dane, Piper, at the 2019 Do Dah Day festival in Rhodes Park in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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Representatives for the Friends of Cats and Dogs Foundation make their way along Highland Avenue as part of the 2019 Do Dah Day parade in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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Rachel Daniel of the Highland Park community in Birmingham, Alabama, (in red) and Delaine Green of the Crestwood community sit with Britain (in the Scooby Doo mystery machine outfit) at the 2019 Do Dah Day parade and festival in Rhodes Park in Birmingham on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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Dogs make their way along Highland Avenue as part of the 2019 Do Dah Day parade in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
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Gisselle Colin of the McCalla community in western Jefferson County brought Kaiser painted in a "Captain America" theme at the 2019 Do Dah Day parade and festival in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
Thousands of people and dogs flooded Rhodes Park in Birmingham on Saturday for the 2019 Do Dah Day festival.
The day began at 11 a.m. with the annual parade along Highland Avenue. It started at the Highland Park Golf Course and wound past Rushton Park and Rhodes Park before concluding at Caldwell Park.
Dogs of all kinds participated in the parade, and many were dressed in costumes ranging from Wonder Woman and Captain America to a princess and a peacock. The best-dressed award went to a pet dressed as Yoda from the Star Wars movies. The best movie-themed pet was one in Harry Potter attire.
Two Irish wolfhounds took the largest pet award, while the best float went to a float with a Mexican fiesta theme. The “best team” in the parade went to the Disco Amigos, a dance group that entertained the crowd with groovy moves and costumes from the 1970s.
After the parade, the festival continued in Rhodes Park with musical acts on a stage, dancing, food trucks, a children’s art contest, face painting and bungee jumping.
And given that the parade and festival are fundraisers for the Greater Birmingham Humane Society and Friends of Cats and Dogs Foundation, there were lots of dogs being led around on leashes — and a whole lot of sniffing going on.
Musical acts that participated in the festival included The Starlings, Roots Posse, Nikki McCleod, Taylor Hunnitcutt, The Stink and Holiday Gunfire.
Rusty Russell, president of the Do Day Day board of directors, said he was very pleased with the turnout for this year, the 41st year for the event. With a blue sky hanging overhead, he said he couldn’t have asked for better weather, which always has a huge impact on attendance.
An attendance estimate was not yet available, but Russell said the festival and parade typically draw anywhere from 7,500 to 10,000 people. The event typically raises about $30,000 to $40,000 for pet-related charities, he said.
Because admission to the festival is free, the money comes from the sale of drinks, T-shirts, hats and coozies, parade entry fees and fees paid by vendors and food trucks, Russell said. There also was a crawfish boil on April 28, and several restaurants held fundraiser days where they gave 10 percent of their proceeds to Do Dah Day.
Additional proceeds came from the pet royalty competition. People can register their pets to be considered for pet king and pet queen, and the male and female pet that raises the most money are crowned king and queen.
This year’s king was Banksy, a 7-year-old orange tabby who, as a kitten, was found in downtown Birmingham under the hood of a truck. He found a home in Highland Park.
This year’s queen was Bebe, a 5-pound Pomeranian dog found a few years ago wandering on the side of a road. She has a heart murmur, collapsing trachea, severe arthritis and dislocated kneecaps and is believed to have been completely blind since birth, according to her bio on the Do Dah Day page.
This year’s Do Dah Day festival was consolidated into just one park — Rhodes Park. Over time, it had expanded to Rhodes and Caldwell parks, but organizers switched back to one park this year to help trim expenses, Russell said. Doing so likely saved about $10,000, which is more money that can go to the charities, he said.
