Who let the dogs in?

The City of Auburn, that’s who, opening up Game Farm Park last Saturday to the third invasion of Petpalooza, a popular event made for animal lovers.

With so many dogs and critters in one sunny place, the estimated 12,000 animal lovers who showed up would have to have been barking mad not to have a good time.

There was plenty to grin at, what with pooches running about like Dakota, a 4-year-old, long-haired, shade-wearing chihuahua in a lobster suit and a set of tiny tennis shoes. Ray Sandt’s dog lapped up her newfound celebrity, then, cool-as-you please, trotted off with the best-dressed dog award.

Then there were entertaining extremes,from Camile, a Great Dane nearly as tall as her owner, to Sparkles Bellaby Bug, a pint-sized, 7-week-old pug trembling in her new, heart-shaped suit.

And who could forget Mikey, a sportin’, 4-year-old Jack Russell terrier with a quasi-patriotic pink, white, blue coiffure.

“It was supposed to be red,” said the dog’s owner, Brad Swensen, as Mikey’s energetic, short pink tail swished back and forth.

City officials counted 271 participants in the Dog Trot and 148 vendors, 58 more than last year. The City had to open up an additional field to accommodate all those vendors and was happy to do so.

“It’s totally growing,” Kristy Pachciarz, special events coordinator for the City of Auburn Parks, Arts and Recreation Department, said of Petpalooza. “We had a nice array of vendors, and we brought in a bunch of new activities. There were three agility areas, two more than in the past. We had the K9 Kings Hi-Flying Dog Show from Bend, Ore., which put on three 40-minute shows throughout the day. Hopefully, they’ll be able to come back in the future. The Seattle FlyDogs were new this year, and they had great energy.

“We were also very fortunate with the weather. We were very pleased — everything went relatively smoothly, apart from difficulties getting the vendors in because of their sheer numbers and the time it took to get everyone into the right spot and to find them parking,” Pachciarz added.

If there was a complaint it might have come from the unfortunates who primed their taste buds for chocolately treats in the dish at vendor Nicker Stickers, maker of custom decals of horses, dogs, cats and other beasts.

“It’s liver,” co-owner Josie Cullinae laughed of the suspect treats. “And yes, several people did that.”