Dogs in costumes take over at Rio Carnival street party

By DIARLEI RODRIGUES
Associated Press

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — As Rio de Janeiro kicks off its Carnival, about 100 dogs are barking and wagging their tails to the tune of samba music as they parade in front of pet lovers in a canine costume competition. The “Blocao” — a mixture of “bloco” which refers to Carnival street parties and “cao,” or dog in Portuguese — brought about 300 people to Rio’s Barra da Tijuca. Edson Chianca, 36, brought his 12-year-old Saori to the parade in a Minnie Mouse costume. He dressed the same way so the pair matched. “It is a great initiative, this is a good moment for pets to socialize,” said Chianca.