Photo Caption: Pasadena Humane Society Float in 1926 Rose Parade | Photo credit: University of Southern California Libraries and California Historical Society

Pasadena Humane’s association with the Rose Parade is almost as old as our organization itself. In 1910, our “Animal Ambulance” rode in the parade, and five years later, we took home third place in the historical floats section for a four-horse team.

A historic photo of the 1926 Rose Parade shows a Pasadena Humane float moving down Colorado Boulevard with thousands of spectators crowded on the nearby sidewalk and street. The float was donated by actor Hobart Bosworth and featured a white horse symbolizing purity.

In 2003, Pasadena Humane’s,co-sponsored by Nutro Pet Food, featured large images made of flowers and natural materials highlighting the organization’s past and present. One of the images features Pasadena Humane’s longest-serving employee and 2023 float rider Lt. Nemesio Arteaga. He is depicted wearing an animal control officer uniform, holding a dog rescued out in the community.

After a 20-year break, Pasadena Humane returned to the Rose Parade in 2024, with a float sponsored by Hill’s Pet Nutrition. “Feed the Love,” designed by AES, won the Director’s Award for most outstanding artistic design and use of floral and non-floral materials. This year, our “Welcome Home” float continues the tradition of showcasing the profound impact of adoption and the role science-led pet nutrition plays in helping pets be happy and healthy, and in return, more adoptable.

Aside from having floats and vehicles in the parade, Pasadena Humane has provided services for the parade’s equine and other animal participants for decades.