"Furry Kings and Queens" met up at the Lagos Dog Carnival over the weekend, countering the common perception that Nigerians don't like dogs and giving dog owners a chance to show off their beloved pets.

Lagos

A carnival held in Lagos, Nigeria, provided a platform for dog owners to showcase their pets and build a supportive community. The event, themed 'furry kings and queens,' featured dogs dressed in costumes and walking the runway, drawing applause from attendees.

Organizers and participants emphasized the importance of challenging stereotypes about pet ownership in Africa and highlighted the need for responsible care and socialization of dogs. The movement aims to improve animal welfare and promote Nigeria as a country of dog lovers.

Putting Nigeria on the map as a country of dog-lovers

Networking the canine way. This carnival in Lagos, Nigeria is giving dog owners a possum chance to step out, show off and build a community. My dog's name is Bion. If you've watched Vikings you know Bion from Vikings. Strangely he's restless today but he's a gentle guy. Very loving, very sweet, very endearing. And this is Tommy. She's a chihuahua and she's a year and a half. She's the sweetest, sweetest dog. She's super intelligent. She knows a lot of tricks but will never show them to people outside. This is the height of Nigeria's festive season known as Dirty December and the dogs are joining in. This year's carnival theme is furry kings and queens. These little monarchs came to slay and stole many hearts. And the canine royalty dressed to impress as they walked the runway getting a round of a pause from everyone. Look at this beautiful furry kings and queens and I wonder if the dogs here could speak. What will they say? There we go. I am sure they would say they are happy to be here to socialize with other dogs and also for their pet owners to build a bigger community to exchange ideas on how to better take care of them. Beyond the fashion the aim is to encourage humans to think differently about their furry neighbors. It is important to create a community and initiatives like this in Lagos Nigeria because there is a false narrative that you know goes around that Africans don't like pets, Africans don't like animals but we keep doing this show to show the world to put Lagos Nigeria on the world map as a country of dog lovers. Many dog owners in attendance believe the carnival is a four tastic idea. In Nigeria we do not appreciate dogs we often feel like they are just for security purposes right and having her I realized that they are good companions. I'm really glad that there's an opportunity like this for dog lovers to come together and celebrate dogs. Dogs will love you unconditionally like no matter what you do to them they would always come back to you. They are living things if you have taken it upon yourself to buy a pet it's up to you to care for that pet you cannot buy a dog and not care for them. I can't stand people who buy dogs and keep them in cages like no just don't buy the dog. I'm happy that I'm getting to see his behavior when he's amongst other dogs it helps the owner to learn how their dog behaves you know when they're in the crowd. I've never seen my dog like this before so I guess this is new to me and I'm learning that okay I should teach my dog to socialize more. With every wagon tail the hope is that these growing movements leads to better welfare for these and other animals across the country.

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