FOREST PARK (KTVI)-Thousands of people and their pooches enjoyed a day in Forest Park at the 21st annual Bark in the Park. The event features a pancake breakfast, a 5K run, 1 Mile walk, and a pet festival. Proceeds from the event benefit the Humane Society of Missouri’s Animal Cruelty Fund.

This year’s event mascot is Trooper, a dog who has made a miraculous recovery after being abused and dragged behind a truck last November.  He led the Walk for Animals with his entourage of rescue animals.

Trooper has come a long way from those days in November when many feared he wouldn’t survive.  Few could have looked ahead to Saturday, when he was pulling his handlers around the park.

ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI) – Singer Chaka Kahn was in St. Louis Friday.

She stopped by “The Upper Crust” in south St. Louis and was surprised with a birthday celebration.

After lunch she got to cut into a cake.

The surprise celebration will eventually be shown in the “Sweetie Pies” restaurant’s reality show on Oprah’s “OWN Network.”

ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI) – Friday, Washington University said goodbye to thousands of graduates, a med-school couple and the man behind decades worth of commencement ceremonies.

Students filed into their seats. Families craned over each other with digital cameras and cell phones. The band played.

“Really, this day is the result of a grand conspiracy of love,” said Newark, New Jersey Mayor Cory Booker on Commencement Day 2013 at Washington University.

“So many people came together to make this day so special for the graduates,” he announced at the podium.

On behalf of the 2,800 graduates, Booker thanked faculty, staff and others he said do not get thanked enough.

“So, I want to give my thanks to all the people at this university who served the food to our young people, who cleaned floors and bathrooms,” the crowd cheered.