10 of the cutest pictures of pooches in fancy dress at Rio de Janeiro's carnival of dogs

Some dressed-up pooches at the Blocao dog carnival.REUTERS/Lucas Landau

• For the first time since the outbreak of COVID-19, the famous Rio de Janeiro carnival has returned.
• The festival traditionally happens every year in February to mark the start of Lent.

For the first time since the outbreak of COVID-19, the famous Rio de Janeiro carnival has returned.

The carnival happens every year to mark the start of Lent, and is considered one of the biggest festivals in the world.

Saturday marked a very special element of the carnival: the Blocao dog parade. Hundreds of dogs descended onto the lively streets of Brazil's most famous city dressed in fancy costumes.

Here are ten of the cutest photos from this paw-fect day.