Win #4 - Costumes on the Woof

As Seen in Atlanta Magazine.com

Four Words: Dogs in Halloween Costumes

Posted By: Richard Eldredge · 10/31/2012 9:10:00 AM

As one first-time Costumes on the Woof attendee observed as he scurried back to the bar Tuesday night, "My God, it looks like 'Best in Show' had a head-on collision with 'Toddlers & Tiaras' in here." Welcome to the third annual Halloween pet costume contest and benefit for Canine Assistants at the Loews hotel in Midtown where festively outfitted pooches and their owners try to outdo each other with a sea of sequins, flocks of feathers or a glitzy YouTube channel dedicated to their dog's accomplishments.

In my role as an Atlanta magazine columnist, I presided at the Costumes on the Woof judge's table, along with Q100's The Bert Show co-host Kristin Klingshirn and AJC Peach Buzz columnist Jennifer Brett.

With 21 costumed canines and their owners (often in matching attire) marching toward us amidst a drool-inducing smorgasbord of doggie treats lined up to tempt the contestants, our task was onerous. Assisting us in our endeavors? An incredibly intuitive Loews waiter with close proximity to the bar.
Among the more creative costumes on the, um, catwalk? A dog named Otis arrived wearing an Elvis jumpsuit, tiny contestant Lovely was dressed as a Pam Am stewardess, complete with tiny passport and tickets and Coco, the vampire terrier with bloody whiskers who thoughtfully deposited a tiny leg from his mouth in front of us on cue.

After a lengthy debate between the judges and what appeared to a be a 12-minute dance remix of Baha Men's "Who Let the Dogs Out?" (the delay inspired one anxious attendee to inform me, "I'm having 'Glee' Regionals deliberation flashbacks!"), we had arrived at our winners. In a tie for third place: Dachshunds and Dragons and Cornbread the Circus Weiner; second place: Mimi the Peacock and in first place: Chloe as a "Dancing with the Stars" contestant. Did I mention that her costume came complete with a human dance partner, a miniature dance floor, mirror ball, mirror ball trophy, the reality show's theme music on an iPod and that she cha-cha-ed on command?
Chloe and owners won a weekend stay at the pet-friendly Midtown Loews.

Flanked in real peacock feathers, Mimi, a long-haired chihuahua was savoring her win with owners Benson Nanag and Jason Non. "I made Mimi's costume and I had it planned for a year now," Nanag told me afterward. "I made her costume last year as well. She was an angel. Her birthday was on the 16th. She just turned two. It probably took me two weeks to put the costume all together."

The evening's winner, Chloe, a tiny five-pound Pomeranian, was greeting fans, still perched on her dance floor. It was her third year in Costumes on the Woof competition but her first win (in 2011 she came in a "Black Swan"-inspired ensemble and in 2010 she arrived as a peacock). Smyrna resident and Chloe's mom Karen Lee-Christian says winning didn't matter to her or Chloe. "This event is so much fun it didn't really matter. This is my creative outlet. I love doing this. This is fun for me. It's gravy on top if she wins. Believe it or not, I started working on her costume last Halloween. I found the mirror ball down in Beau Rivage in Biloxi. I design all her clothes and a found a gentleman who builds doll furniture and he did the dance stage for me. It just kind of came together." For more information on Chloe, you can visit her blog at Chloe Princess Pom or her YouTube channel.

Win #3

HARVEST SQUARE ARTS FESTIVAL IN MARIETTA

     According to the Marietta website, "Harvest Square is an annual arts and crafts festival held each October. In addition to a wide variety of arts and crafts items, the festival includes Halloween Happenings for children and pets. Carnival games and lots of prizes which thrill the little ones.
     The show setting is at Glover Park in the historic Marietta Square. The Square is the home of many antique and specialty stores, excellent restaurants and interesting things to do." 

This year I took top prize in the Dog Halloween Costume Contest, with my "Dancing with the Dogs" costume.  I am really enjoying my mobile dance floor. I would like to give special thanks to the nice gentleman who built it, Bill Smith.  If anyone needs a beautiful piece of furniture, he is the man to contact.  You can reach him at 770-641-9829 or email him at smithbillf@gmail.com.  DJ Dano Blankowski was the host and he especially liked my mirror ball.

The best part of the day was getting to meet really nice people like Stephanie and Molly who are awesome volunteers with the Humane Society of Cobb County.

Chattapoochee Pet Fest - Win #2

Pets Overrun Rogers Bridge Park

BY:  Faye Edmunson (As seen in the DuluthPatch)

"Rogers Bridge Park in Duluth was overrun with pets and their people Sunday (Oct. 7) for the Chattapoochee Pet Fest. Chattapoochee Dog Park was busy as dogs exercised their owners in fenced area for large and small canines. The adjacent field was overflowing with 46 booths offering pet food samples, promoting pet services and displaying pet clothing and accessories for sale. People food was also available.
Chattapoochee Dog Park’s Mayor “Shiner” welcomed visitors, and real Duluth Mayor Nancy Harris joined in the fun activities at the day-long festival presented by the Duluth Historical Society. The society operates the Duluth History Museum in the Strickland House, founding site of the Gwinnett Humane Society.
"Shiner" also spent some time dispensing doggie kisses to festival visitors at his "Kissing Booth."
Sponsors were the Duluth Parks and Recreation Department, Duluth Animal Hospital, and Gwinnett Medical Center. Several rescue groups brought dogs and cats for adoption. Volunteers with the Southeastern Railway Museum displayed an engine that had been used to pull cars carrying visitors at the Birmingham, AL, Zoo. Children and pets posed for photos on the engine. The nearby museum has started running a Park Train ride.  Owners paraded their creatively costumed dogs in front of judges to compete for prize bags. Some of the owners wore complementary costumes.

The winner in the small dog category (under 30 pounds) was "Chloe," owned by Karen Lee-Christian. Attired in a glittery blue ball gown, pawlets and a tiara, Chloe posed on miniature “Dancing with the Dogs” stage decorated with a mirror ball overhead, trophy, along with cutouts of the announcers and the celebrity judges displaying scores of “10.”

Diana Taylor transformed “Ari” into a realistic looking camel to take the prize in the over 30-pounds category.  Dr. Gina Alexander conducted a pet blessing. Each pet participating in the ceremony received a ribbon for owners to tie to their collars.  Other activities included pet training demonstrations and a silent auction."

"Best of Show"

2012 Kiwanis Pet Parade at the Sandy Springs Festival

"Dancing with the Dogs"

Saturday. September 22nd was the date of the Sandy Springs Festival and the 25th Anniversary of the Kiwanis Club sponsered Pet Parade.  It was also my first opportunity to wear my new Halloween costume that Mom designed for me.  In case you can't tell, I am a Ballroom Dancer complete with my own dance floor, with the theme "Dancing with the Dogs".

The dance floor was built by an amazing woodworker named Bill Smith and it featured a mirror ball, the 3 judges from "Dancing with the Stars" (each one giving me a "10" score), Brook Burke and Tom Burcheron, and of course my very own mirror ball trophy.  My dress was cobalt blue with rinestones and a long skirt.  I also wore gloves and a tiara.  I did my version of the "Fox Trot"  while the theme music from "Dancing with the Stars" played in a continuous loop.
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We even won "Best of Show"  and I got a blue ribbon, a trophy with a dog on top and one free bath a month for a whole year (OK, so I'm not so excited about that.)

Doggie Engagement Party

On Saturday, August 18th, I attended the Engagement Party for my Doggie friends, Boomer, Jr. a Beagle, and Gretchen, a Dachshund.  Sarah Segal, the owner of "Atlanta Dog Spa" and the mom of Boomer, Jr.  orchestrated the event.  Not only was the celebration fun and festive, but it was being filmed for a pilot TV show called, "Petrimony - With This Paw" about Doggie "Puptuals".  I'm not sure when it will air, but it should be fun to watch. 

Mom and I wore matching outfits with matching Fascinator hats.  It was a little over the top, but Mom said that I looked stunning.

New Orleans

According to Wicopedia, "New Orleans is a major United States port and largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana.  The population of the city proper was 343,829 as of the 2010 U.S. Census.  The city is named after Philippe d'Orleans, Duke of Orleans, Regent of France and is well known for its distinct French Creole architecture, as well as its cross-cultural and multilingual heritage.  New Orleans is also famous for its cuisine, music ( birthplace of jazz) and its annual celebrations and festivals, most notably Mardi Gras.  The city is often referred to as the "most unique" in America."  On Saturday, June 16, my Mom, Dad and I got to spend the day in this great city.

  

I got to meet so many wonderful people and have my picture taken with them. 





My new friends from Texas



At Pat O'Brien's




This place was creepy!



Out on the beautiful patio at Pat O'Brien's



Bourbon Street



My First Movie Role in "Madea's Witness Protection"

I am excited to announce that I finally got an extra part on the new Tyler Perry movie "Madea's Witness Protection".  Actually, Mom and I both got to be in a scene with Tyler Perry, Eugene Levy and Romeo.  Denise Richards, Doris Roberts and Tom Arnold are also in the film. We are hoping that our part doesn't end up on the cutting room floor.  Anyway, it was a fabulous experience and if we make the final cut, I can finally say that I have been in a movie.  How exciting is that??

Unfortunately, Mom wasn't able to take any photos on set, but here are a couple of us in the extra waiting area and at the Georgian Terrace Hotel where we were filming.

Waiting patiently is the hardest part on the road to stardom.

                                            

Savannah

Last weekend, Mom, Dad and I went to Savannah.  It was so much fun walking down River Street.  We even went on a Ghost Tour of the city.  Here are a few stats from Wikkopedia:

Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia.^[3] Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important Atlantic seaport. It is Georgia's fourth largest city and third largest metropolitan area.