Philly’s Betsy Ross House celebrates the Fourth of July with Patriotic Pets Parade
The third year of the parade and costume competition saw three noncanine contestants, including a snake and a giant rabbit.
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The Betsy Ross House kicked off its Fourth of July celebrations with its Patriotic Pet Parade, inviting Old City and Philly residents to show off their furry — and some scaly — friends.
Nearly 30 pets took over the Betsy Ross Courtyard to compete in categories such as “best dressed,” “crowd favorite” and “most patriotic pet.”
“Of course Flag Day is important to us, but this truly is my favorite day of the year, because it’s so much fun,” said Lisa Acker Moulder, director of the Betsy Ross House.

The judges donned costumes, posing as Betsy Ross herself, music and film producer Jeff Winner and Old City street saxophonist David Puryear.
Last year, there was only one contestant that wasn’t a dog: a turtle. This year, there were three noncanine contestants: Ozzy the bearded dragon, Ophelia the giant Flemish rabbit and Wadsworth Longfellow the ball python.


Claire Khoury, who brought Wadsworth — and her sister Jenny, a chihuahua mix — said it was important to show everyone at the event that snakes can be friendly too.
“She’s so sweet and relaxed and I think she really changes people’s minds about snakes,” she said. “They think that they’re aggressive and scary, but then they look at her and they’re like, ‘Oh my god, she’s like a puppy dog.’”

Among the winners were Yorkshire Terrier twins Lilo and Stitch, who won Best in Show. Their owner, Jacqueline, is a fashion designer and said that the pair were already well-prepared for the competition.
“The X-factor’s definitely that they’re very calm, collected, and used to being doggy models,” she said.




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