The winners of ICNY's Doggie Drag pageant. Photo by Sandi Schiffman_________
With Halloween approaching there are hundreds of events that can give you a great excuse to dress up your pets. One that I found particularly interesting took place in Manhattan last weekend. Since no one offered to fly me there, our East Coast pet lover and shelter volunteer extraordinaire Sandi Schiffman was on the scene. Here is her report.
To kick off the Halloween season, The Imperial Court of New York ( ICNY ) presented Doggie Drag, a costume contest to benefit Animal Haven ( AH ) , a no kill shelter in NY. The ICNY is a not-for-profit organization that has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Children's Hope Foundation, Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project, Gay Games, GMHC, Gilda's Club, Harvey Milk School, Momentum AIDS and numerous other organizations.
The event was held at the newly built AH adoption center in Manhattan. The emcee, Empress Sybil Bruncheon, a cable TV star, introduced the contestants with hilarious commentary. She praised AH for being a no-kill shelter.
The categories included owner/dog look-alike, won by Ada Nieves and her two Chihuahuas, all dressed as witches. ( Actually, Vanilla ended up wearing her pointy hat more as a pointy 'beard!' )
The next category was celebrity/dog look-alike in which two Paris Hiltons competed. Both were male dogs ( Eli and Tequila ) , causing the Empress to remark 'we've got the studs, and we've turned them into bitches - which, believe me, can happen!' Although both Parises looked great, the winning prize went to Clark Kent and his boxer Superdog.
The final category was most creative. A quick change by one Paris and voila - Eli the Chihuahua became Liberace, complete with diamond rings around his ankles and a piano with a candelabra. Paws down, the winner.
All in all, it was a fun day for the dogs and owners and it helped out a wonderful organization. And since no one really had any idea how long it takes for a 100 cup coffee maker to perk, we all had coffee to go.
Events:
Red Dog House Boutique, Howl-oween Haunt & Great Pup-kin
Polaroid Pop-In
Sat., Oct. 28, 11-6 p.m. , 2031 N Damen Ave., Chicago.
Proceeds benefit PAWS Chicago, Info: 773-227-7341
Chicago Dachshund Lovers' Halloweenie Gala
Sun., Oct. 29, 1-4 p.m., Mars Gallery, 1139 W. Fulton Market,
Chicago.
Costume contest at 3 p.m. www.chicagodachshundlovers.com
Send your Halloween pics to: WCTPets@aol.com