Don’t call it a catwalk!
Canine and couture lovers hit Park Slope on July 15 to watch primped pooches take the runway at a local bar’s pup-ular dog fashion show, which organizers said was an unforgettable mix of camaraderie and costumes.
“My jaw still hurts from smiling,” said Freddy’s Bar co-owner Donald O’Finn. “You put dogs and beer together with food and live music — I don’t think anything is better.”
No less than 48 four-legged models strutted their stuff at the bar on Fifth Avenue between 17th and 18th streets as part of its fourth-annual Doggy Fashion Show, which attendees said was bigger and better than ever this year.
“It was amazing,” said Erik Satre, whose poodle-mix Harley modeled a glittering pride-inspired getup. “More dogs, more costumes, more fun — and better prizes!”
The competition’s judges — not restricted to deliberating on typical categories like best swimsuit or talent — are free to give pooches prizes for any reason they choose, according to O’Finn, who said this year an award for “Best Catholic” was created to recognize a French bulldog’s resplendent papal regalia.
“The dogs are so spectacular that we really try to base the winners on what we have in front of us,” he said.
Some owners begin planning for the event months in advance, but one Park Slope resident who dressed her golden-doodle, Moose, as a doctor said she waited until the last minute to put together the getup.
“I’ll be honest, it was very last minute,” said Kate Getzewich.
But Getzewich, an emergency room physician who said she frantically grabbed hospital paraphernalia for her pup’s costume mere hours before the event, planned well in a pinch, and Moose earned a “Best in Show” award for her impressive, if a bit clinical, look.
“It was great,” Getzewich said. “Although next year, we’ll have to step it up.”
