By Jessica Dillon
The Town of Ridgeway invited the Henry County Animal Shelter to serve as grand marshals for its annual Christmas Parade, bringing four-legged participants, and plenty of holiday spirit, to the streets.
Shelter manager Dakota Cassell, rescue coordinator Esme Golden and Henry County Sheriff Wayne Davis walked alongside the group, which included several dogs and a small tripod goat named Banana Split.
“We really had a really good time doing the parade as grand marshals,” Cassell said. “Patsy enjoyed the sirens the most — she howled with them. The goat was obviously the biggest attraction. Everyone loved her.”
Cassell said the shelter was honored during the event and also received donations, including food. Deputies who participated in the parade also enjoyed the experience — and some free hot chocolate along the way.
Many of the dogs who walked in the parade had never been in that type of environment before.
“Everyone did really well,” Cassell said. “Bob was the one we thought was going to freak out the most because he came from a big hoarding case, but he was wonderful with one of our deputies there.”
Banana Split proved to be the most energetic participant. Cassell said the goat has deformities in three legs and rode in a stroller during the parade.
“At times she would kind of push her little legs out, so we had a hard time keeping her in the stroller,” Cassell said.
Cassell said all of the animals handled the event well, including Pretzel, who enjoyed interacting with children along the parade route.
“He would just sit and let all the kids love on him, then try to eat candy off the ground,” she said. “That was probably the hardest part — keeping him from eating candy.”
Pretzel was later taken in by a Richmond shelter after staff there were impressed with his behavior.
Banana Split has since been adopted by a veterinarian at the local SPCA and is now undergoing rehabilitation.
“She’s been vetted, and they’re going to try and splint her so she can start walking again,” Cassell said. “Right now, she’s in her own little room going through rehabilitation.”
Cassell said events like the parade are important for building connections between the shelter and the community.
“I think it was a great time for the dogs and for us to be out there interacting with the community,” she said. “We’re trying to get more involved and shine a more positive light on the shelter.”
The shelter would like to participate in future parades with a float and is open to sponsorship opportunities.
“That would be really cool,” Cassell said. “We’ve talked about it and thought it would be fun to have a float for events like this.”
The Henry County Animal Shelter is always seeking fosters and adopters. The shelter is located at 140 Jack Dalton Road in Martinsville and is open Monday through Saturday from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. More information is available on the shelter’s Facebook page.
