A California woman’s wish to have friends and neighbors bring their dogs to visit her father, a dog-lover, to celebrate his 100th birthday exceeded her wildest expectations.
Dr. Robert Moore’s family asked people through the Nextdoor app to dress up their dogs and parade them in front of their house to help celebrate his century of life.
The response, described by NBC Bay Area, was way more than 60-year-old Alison Moore of San Jose dreamed of.
Moore explained her expectation was that about 20 to 30 dogs might show up for her dad’s June 17 party. Approximately 200 dogs brought their owners by to wish Dr. Moore a happy birthday, the report noted.
“It gives me chills just thinking about it,” the daughter said in an interview with Fox News.
“To think that about 160 dogs I’d never met before, and then their owners — sometimes it was a couple or sometimes it was a family of five — is just wild to me. It was so heartwarming that these strangers would take part of their day to come to my house to bring their dog to greet my dad.”
The dogs, dressed in costumes, sunglasses and party hats, arrived in various modes of transportation, from classic cars to wagons. Some even brought treats for both their fellow canines and the human attendees.
Surrounded by family and friends, the centenarian was visibly moved by the gesture, according to the Fox report.
“It was surprising and thrilling to see so many people and dogs who came out just to wish me a ‘happy birthday,’” he said. “I’ve never seen so many wagging tails.”
His daughter, Alison, initially anticipated a simple walk-by greeting from neighbors but the turnout exceeded expectations.
“It was so much better than I ever could have imagined,” she remarked, noting her father petted every single dog.
Moore is a retired dean of Science and Applied Arts at San Jose State University and resides in a Palo Alto, Calif., assisted living center.
“Most of his friends are gone and my mom is gone,” Alison Moore explained. “A big party didn’t make sense — and since he’s been in assisted living the last number of years, the highlight is always when we would bring our dog to visit. And when we lost our dog in 2020, I would borrow my friends’ dogs. He just adores dogs.”
The idea of a dog parade seemed fitting for Robert Moore’s love for dogs so the daughter reached out to her community through neighborhood websites, inviting them to join the celebration.
Granddaughter Emma Moore, 25, who lives in New York City, was among the family members who traveled to attended the milestone event.
“When I saw the swarm of people coming from every direction at 11:05, I got tears in my eyes,” she said. “The line included many people of all ages with cards, posters and small gifts for Pop, as well as people with and without dogs who just wanted to wish him a happy birthday.”
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