Nigerian dog owners gather for 4th Lagos Dog Carnival

Border Collies, Pugs, and richly covered Lhasa Apsos, dogs were the stars during the latest Lagos Dog carnival.

Hundreds of pets and their owners came together Saturday (Dec.10) for the fourth edition of the festival.

Aside from the celebrations, the organizer wanted dog welfare to receive more widespread attention, send a strong message to support, promote, and adopt dogs.

"Why Lagos Dog Carnival, because we have to celebrate pet parents, we have to celebrate the humans that take care of dogs tirelessly," Jackie Idimogu said.

"Since the dogs cannot express themselves vocally by saying thank you, we created Lagos Dog Carnival to create the humans that take care of these dogs, and also give awards to these dogs, it’s a way of appreciating people for the love they show to their animals," the animal rights activist added.

Pets were seen dressed in colourful costumes, and accessories, and in some cases and in some cases, sported quirky sunglasses. Some dog-owners had coordinated their outfits with those worn by their furry friend.

"I would say we are like veterans because this is our fourth edition, so we’ve been coming to the carnival since 2019 and it feels really good and we look forward to it because it’s an opportunity for us to interact with other dogs, for me to meet other dog lovers and for him to get to socialize, so, I always look forward to it," Hadiza Seidu explained.

Along with their owners, the pets adorned the runway. The dog community is expanding in Nigeria and that people are becoming more aware of how to treat them.