A dog dressed as a taco stand wins Morelia’s pre-Grito Patriotic Pup Contest

Pet owners and dog lovers in Michoacán’s state capital kicked off Independence Day festivities early last Sunday, taking part in a Most Patriotic Pup contest.

Morelia’s popular bakery and pastry shop Melón o Sandía sponsored the first-ever “Concurso de Perritos Patrióticos” (Patriotic Puppy Contest) at the city’s Parque Canino 1 on the grounds of the Convention Center in the southern part of the capital.

Around 40 dogs participated in the contest, which attracted over 100 onlookers who acted as the voting audience. No entry fee was needed, though owners were required to register their dogs in advance via an online sign-up form.

Dogs of all shapes and sizes showed up in patriotic outfits, ranging from tiny mariachi suits to rebozos and tricolor ribbons, while others were decorated with popular Mexican dishes. A few even were adorned with a food stand theme. 

Melón o Sandía hosted the event and offered gift vouchers for the winners, while PetFood Morelia and Maka Recetas — a Mexican pet food company — also supplied prizes for winners and participants. 

The top three “best-dressed” dogs won gift vouchers for Melón o Sandía, ranging from 500 pesos (US $29) to 1,000 pesos (US $58) to 1,500 pesos (US $87), and each of the three winners received prize packages from PetFood Morelia worth 1,300 pesos (US $75).

A dog named Maple, who sported an outfit designed to look like a complete taquitos al pastor “Alemán” food stand (a play on words linking the popular “tacos in the style of a shepherd” with the familiar dog breed), was declared “The Most Patriotic Dog.”

Also on offer at Maple’s food stand were “Guaguacoa” (a pun on the sound of a dog bark and barbacoa) and “Suaperro” (a portmanteau between “suadero” — a thin, fatty cut of beef — and the Spanish word for dog).

Second place went to Bebukis, who was adorned with a food tray featuring elotes y lomitos (corn kernels and pork loin) and a tiny cowboy hat, while the third-place prize was awarded to a little pup named Avenita, who carried a bowl of red pozole almost twice its size on its back.