Pasadena Humane Returns to Rose Parade With Original Song by Local Student

After a 20-year hiatus, Pasadena Humane is making a comeback to the 2024 Rose Parade with a float sponsored by Hill’s Pet Nutrition. The float will be accompanied by an original song, “Feed the Love,” written by Ella Beyer, a 20-year-old songwriting student at the Los Angeles College of Music (LACM) in Pasadena. 

The song was chosen through a competition held by Pasadena Humane and LACM, where students and alumni were given the opportunity to compose a song in line with this year’s parade theme, “Celebrating a World of Music: The Universal Language”.

Beyer’s song, which touches on themes of pet adoption, the human-animal bond, and the love pets bring to our lives, resonated with the Pasadena Humane and Hill’s Pet Nutrition teams. 

“Nothing brings people together more than pets and music,” Beyer said. “Our pets are members of the family. I wanted to write a song that was upbeat and positive, and that would inspire people to sing along, and to get behind the cause of helping animals”.

Erin Workman, LACM Executive Vice President and Department Head for Songwriting & Music Business, said she is excited about the collaboration. 

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Pasadena Humane and Hill’s Pet Nutrition by highlighting one of our many talented students and producing the song for their float in this year’s Rose Parade,” she said. “Many of our students and faculty volunteer at Pasadena Humane which is right next door to our college, so we are honored to collaborate with them and convey our commitment to animals in need while celebrating the unifying force and power of music”.

The float, a 55-foot spectacle, will make its way down Colorado Blvd on January 1. Dia DuVernet, president and CEO of Pasadena Humane, encouraged viewers to tune in. 

“We hope you tune into the Rose Parade on January 1 to hear Ella’s song and watch our spectacular ‘Feed the Love’ float,” DuVernet said. “We want to motivate viewers on the parade route in Pasadena and those watching throughout the world to adopt, foster, volunteer or donate to their favorite shelter”.

The float will also feature DuVernet’s adopted dog, Sueshi, along with other dogs, Pasadena Humane staff and volunteers, Pasadena Humane’s long-time partner Hill’s Pet Nutrition and veterinary partners Doctors Vernard Hodges and Terrence Ferguson, stars of National Geo Wild’s “Critter Fixers: Country Vets.” 

For more information about the collaboration between Pasadena Humane and the Los Angeles College of Music, visit www.pasadenahumane.org/roseparade.