Weber State University’s annual Purple Paw Parade raised the ‘ruff’ by bringing the community together over two common interests: dogs and bleeding purple.

The parade began on 25th Street during the Ogden farmer’s market on Oct. 7. Cassidy Miller, alumni marketing coordinator for WSU, planned the event to unite the community with college students.

The annual parade has continued for three years since Amber Robson founded the event in hopes of growing a college town atmosphere in Ogden. Miller has continued the event to increase awareness of community service and its potential.

“I wanted to not only make it bigger and better, but also to leverage the event to be able to promote other developing components of the Alumni Relations’ strategic goals alongside it.” Miller said.

Community members of Ogden and current and past WSU students come together to walk dogs and share their sense of community in a fun stroll across Ogden.

Tim and Wendy Nagaw, Ogden community members, saw the event passing through the farmers market with their furry friend and came to show their support.

“I registered online and said, ‘We’re doing it,’” Wendy Nagaw said. “Our neighbor three doors up is a professor at Weber State, and so we are supporting Weber.”

Developing a close community in a college environment helps promote events like the parade. Celecia Peterson, a WSU student, expresses how they want to make Ogden more of a tight-knit community and more intertwined with WSU.

“I am on this personal quest to make Ogden more of a college town,” Peterson said. “I don’t understand because enrollment’s like 27,000 — that’s comparable to Utah State.”

The parade creates relationships with businesses in Ogden for WSU and the Alumni Association by encouraging communication opportunities.

“It’s so great to see how many organizations and individuals in the Ogden community are so willing to, and already consistently, bleed purple,” Miller said.