SAN ANTONIO – Organizers are expecting more than 4,000 paws to pound the pavement for the 2026 Pooch Parade.
The “paw-ty” with a purpose benefits the Therapy Animals of San Antonio. The official Fiesta event starts at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, April 25, at the Alamo Heights Swimming Pool, 250 Viesca St.
KSAT will provide live coverage of the parade at the link here.
This year’s King Anbarkio is Teddy, a 7-year-old goldendoodle rescue.
Teddy and her handler, Brandy Lawson, know the weight of carrying this year’s crown and all the Fiesta medals that come with it.
“(Teddy) seems to really enjoy it,” Lawson said. “She loves attention. She loves meeting new people.”
Teddy, along with her furry friends Cameron, a 10-year-old German shepherd (who is King Anbarkio-in-waiting) and Apollo, a 6-year-old golden retriever, are all certified therapy dogs.
They visited with staff at KSAT on Thursday.
“Our teams are here to provide a stress break for the humans who are here,” said Aileen Holeman, an evaluator with Therapy Animals of San Antonio and Apollo’s handler.
Besides the training, Holeman said a good fit to become a therapy animal is their temperament and interest in people. She said cats, and even bunnies, can become therapy animals.
Barbara Abbey, who is Cameron’s handler, described their relationship as a partnership.
“One doesn’t go without the other,” said Abbey. “You have to pass as a partner, and you have to be a partner. He’s my best bud.”
Teddy, Cameron and Apollo know how to put people at ease. They make visits to schools, hospitals and workplaces to help boost spirits — including those who’ve seen the worst.
“I’ve seen it help, like in Kerrville,” recalled Holeman. “We were sitting visiting with some of the families and that gave the adults a minute to regroup and focus on what they needed to do while I was visiting with some of kids.”
Pooch Parade helps give volunteers more time to support the Therapy Animals of San Antonio’s mission of healing, and the spirit of Fiesta.
“The pooch parade pays our bills for the entire year,” said Lawson.
More Fiesta coverage on KSAT: