'Pooper Scoopers' - the unsung heroes of Rose Parade

PASADENA, Calif. (KABC) -- As dozens of floats, marching bands and equestrian units go down the Rose Parade route, a dozen volunteers are doing some dirty, behind-the-scenes work.

"We watch horses come, and if they leave us something, we dash out," said volunteer Peggy O'Leary.

They proudly call themselves the pooper scoopers because, well, that's what they do.

O'Leary started volunteering in 1990, and she says she's been having fun every year since then. She even recruited her friend Barbara Marshall about four years ago.

"We all look forward to it, and we all just have a great time being together," Marshall said.

The volunteers are at what's known as the TV corner, and they clear any horse debris before the floats make their way onto Colorado Boulevard so that none of it gets dragged along and ends up on your TV screen.

"All we're doing is making sure that the world does not see that horses poop in Pasadena," O'Leary said.

Make no mistake, it's a responsibility the volunteers take seriously. But it seems the friendships and experiences lived along the way are what keeps them coming back.