Weber State University kicked off its homecoming week with the Purple Paw Parade on Oct. 1. WSU alumni gathered at the Municipal Garden with their dogs to show off their Wildcat pride.

The parade was hosted by the WSU Alumni Relations Office and was the second event of the day of WSU’s homecoming week celebrations, following the Homecoming Recycling Race that occured that morning on campus.

The parade started a little after 9:30 a.m. at the Ogden Municipal Garden, right next to the 25th Street farmers market, then headed down Grant Avenue until they turned onto 22nd Street and finally headed down Washington Avenue to end at WSU’s Downtown Bookstore, where the dogs were greeted with “pup cups” of whipped cream and dog treats while their owners were greeted with 30% off on all WSU merchandise.

The streets of Ogden were full of people in purple WSU gear and several breeds and sizes of dogs making their way through the parade. Those who entered the parade with their dogs were given “swag bags” containing sunglasses, a purple tote bag and other purple merchandise to promote the parade to further “paint Ogden purple.”

Megan Buchanan, a 2017 WSU graduate, walked in the parade with her dog Maverick, a Pembrooke-Welsh Corgi.

Another participant named Julia Hoying was there with her husband, her grandson and their Goldendoodle, Charlie.

“This is our second year doing this parade, and [Charlie] loves it,” Hoying said. “He loves to interact with other dogs and walk in new places.”

Check-in for the event began at 9:00 a.m. with the race starting a little over half an hour later, with the dogs playing in the park while waiting for the parade to begin. The parade itself lasted around 20 minutes before participants reached the Ogden Bookstore.

In addition to 30% off of all Wildcat gear at the bookstore, the Ogden-based brand Ogden Made also had discounts up to 40% off this weekend. The Daily Rise also had coffee and crepes ready for participants to purchase once the parade had ended.

Weber State’s homecoming week will have events up until the homecoming football game on Saturday night against Eastern Washington University. These events include lighting the “W,” a masquerade dance, a silent disco dance and a tailgate before the football game.