Warm fur beneath rose-colored tutus and feather boas, floppy ears behind fuchsia shades and Mardi Gras beads, blockheads below pale pink bunny ears and sparkling cerise fedoras.
Pitties in Pink, a project of Multnomah County Animal Services, made its 2015 debut last week at the Portland Rose Festival Starlight Parade. It's the fifth year that owners of pit bulls joined together to show the softer side of a breed with a bad reputation. They dressed themselves and their pooches in pink from paw to ponytail.
“This is about showing a softer side of a dog that has a horrible history,” said Melinda Hickey, the volunteer coordinator at Animal Services. “This is just a dog. Not a weapon, not vicious."
Hickey said she didn’t trust them when she took the job at Animal Services in 2011. But then her daughter adopted a 9-week-old pit bull from their shelter.
“That dog was unbelievable as far as behavior,” she said. “It showed me a different side of the breed.”
Now they walk together in the summer parade circuit. Those who missed them in the Starlight Parade can still catch the Pitties in the following parades:
June 14: NW Pride
June 27: Good in the Hood
July 18: Troutdale Summerfest
Aug. 15: Multnomah Village Days
Sept. 26: Teddy Bear Parade
Nov. 11: Veterans’ Day
Want to get involved?
Become a volunteer with Multnomah County Animal Services.