Presbyterian Village North (PVN) hosted their 16th annual Patriotic Dog Parade on July 4 at 9 a.m. to celebrate Independence Day. Nearly 100 Independent Living residents, teammates, their families and approximately 40 pups gathered to parade through the PVN campus. The patriotic brigade, decked out in red, white and blue, began their walk at the entrance of Martins Landing, making stops to visit with Assisted Living residents, families and teammates along the way. The parade and ended at Gruchalla Pavilion where donuts, root beer floats and dog treats were waiting for the participants.

“Bark bark bark bark bark! Bark bark bark bark, bark bark bark bark bark bark bark!” Birdie Van Bemmel, teammate Wendy Van Bemmel’s furry friend, quipped

Translation: I am so glad my mom brought me to walk in this parade. It was my second time strutting my stuff across the PVN campus and I don’t think I’ve ever kissed so many people in my life! There are also a lot of good looking dogs in this community and it was fun to watch them wag their way through the route. I loved every second of it, and I’m excited to return again next year!

This parade provides a sense of community and a fun social interaction between the various residents on PVN’s campus.

For more information on events at PVN, visit presvillagenorth.org/news.