Fashionable fundraiser
Davie hosts annual animal fashion show
Owners and their four-legged friends recently walked the proverbial catwalk for the second annual Animal Fashion Show and Open Horse Show.
The event, staged at the Bergeron Rodeo Grounds in Davie, raised money for Project Stable and the Friends of the Davie Farm Park, and Darlene Evans of KISS Country 99.9 FM and Broward County Farm Bureau president Fred Segal served as judges.
Mayor Judy Paul entered the matched pair competition with her 8-year-old yellow lab Daisy, which she rescued a few months ago through Pooches in Pines. The two cowgirls were pretty in pink and came in second.
“I don’t think there is anything like it in South Florida,” she said. “It’s a very unique way to bring people together with their animals and promote the Davie Farm Park and Project Stable.”
Madelaine Axler dressed Cheeks, an English bulldog rescue, up as a construction worker. The ensemble included toy tools, belt and a top hat.
“I’ve wanted to dress him up since I got him,” she said. “This is for such a good cause. We are very excited the farm park is opening up. Hopefully, it will be soon. My daughter Jennifer was involved with Project Stable when she was younger for many years. She would volunteer with the horseback riding for handicapped children and other therapy programs.”
Alice Arteaga, 3, and her miniature horse Ace also got in on the fun. She and her mother, Jessica Williamson, worked hard on the rescue’s piñata costume, which featured colored fabric strips, cardboard horns and, of course, candy. Their effort paid off with Alice and Saint Ace the Mini Man taking Best Matched Pair.
“[The] first horse show I came to 12 years ago … was a Project Stable event,” Williamson said. “Now it’s my daughter’s first show, so it’s extremely special to us. She was very excited and was waiting all morning for it.”
Among the other winners was Geri Castillo, who got Most Fashionable with her Chihuahua, Khloe. The therapy dog sported pink toenails and a miniskirt, as well as a personalized collar and accessories. Most Unusual went to Baylee Kennedy with her dwarf goat, Dice. The horse show division winners were Kira Moutal on Miss Laque for English, Lauren Newberg on Boston’s First Lady for Western and Taylor Irvin on Dixie for Timed Events.
“It’s great to be part of something like this,” said Sheldon McCartney, chairman of the board for the Project Stable Foundation. “We are bringing people and the community together, but it also raises money for two exceptionally great causes.”
For more information, visit Projectstable.org and Daviefarmpark.org.