More than two dozen dogs and a bearded dragon came through the Southfield assisted-living facility for its Pet Parade and Blessing on Oct. 10, giving residents time to see, pet and talk with animals. Detroit News reporter Anne Snabes reported on the event that day.
Some dogs wore Detroit Lions jerseys; others had tutus. Two were working dogs with the Southfield Police Department. One at a time, the animals entered a hallway where residents had gathered and walked past people seated along the corridor. The Rev. Chris Yaw of St. David’s Episcopal Church asked handlers about their pets and blessed each animal, The Detroit News reported.
St. Anne’s Mead listed the event from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10. The facility described it as its 2026 Pet Parade and Blessing and invited people to bring joy to residents. The Detroit News reported that this was the third annual parade, a tradition timed around the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals.
The event’s appeal showed up in ordinary exchanges. Resident Marti Alston told the newspaper she liked seeing, petting and talking to the dogs. The report also described one dog in a Lions jersey and others in costumes, giving residents a string of small introductions rather than one large performance.
Stacy Gober brought Oreo, a four-year-old Yorkshire terrier mix wearing a denim jacket and gold chain. Gober told the reporter that one resident especially liked Oreo. As the visit ended, she brought the dog back to that same person so she could spend more time petting him. Gober said some residents could not easily reach dogs at floor level; Oreo jumped up to make the contact easier.
Resident Barbara Zeichner said she liked this year’s parade better than last year’s and got to hold one of the dogs. Her reason was simple: there were new dogs she had not seen before. The event gave residents a chance to meet each animal in turn, while handlers shared a little about the pets they brought.
Peggy Goodwin, St. Anne’s Mead’s community engagement and development director, told The Detroit News that residents may receive visiting pets, even though they cannot have an animal with them all the time. The parade offers a planned way for pets and residents to spend time together in the facility.
The blessing was part of the event’s purpose, not just a ceremonial finish. Goodwin said the gathering honors the feast day of St. Francis, which fell on Oct. 4. During the Oct. 10 event, Yaw served as emcee, asked owners about their animals and blessed them before handlers walked them by the residents.
This year’s invitation also connected the parade with a practical donation request. St. Anne’s Mead asked guests to bring cans or bags of dog or cat food for St. David’s Food Pantry. Before the event, the listing advertised cider, treats and goody bags with snacks for people and pets. The sources do not report how much food was collected, so the request should not be mistaken for a donation total.
St. Anne’s Mead describes itself as a Southfield nonprofit providing assisted living, memory care and extended care. The parade brought people from outside the facility into a shared indoor space, with residents, handlers, church clergy and police dogs all taking part. Detroit News also reported that a bearded dragon joined the lineup, offering a change of pace from the dogs.
That mix made the event feel both familiar and open-ended: residents could recognize a favorite kind of visitor, while each animal had its own look and personality. The dogs’ jerseys and tutus gave people an easy way to start a conversation. Oreo’s return for another round of pets showed how a visit could slow down for one resident instead of moving everyone through at the same pace.
The parade was brief, but its design gave the hour several purposes. It brought animals into the residents’ hallway, made room for conversation between residents and visitors, marked a day associated with care for animals, and asked guests to support a local pantry. No grand claim is needed to explain why it mattered: the report records residents meeting animals, talking with handlers and spending time with pets they could not keep beside them every day.
For the people who brought the animals, the parade offered a way to share them with neighbors. For residents, it created a new set of faces and paws to greet. And for guests who followed the organizer’s request, it also provided a reason to bring pet food for another community organization. The gathering joined those small acts in one place, one hallway and one October afternoon.
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