Dogs Dressed in Their Best for Doggies and Tiaras Pageant

The Doggies and Tiaras pageant saw 20 well-dressed dogs competing for the honor of king and queen as they helped raise funds for Yorkie911 Rescue. (Photo by Dorri Olds)

The NYC Doggies and Tiaras Pageant 2015 was a hoot and howl — and, more importantly, it benefited the non-profit organization Yorkie911 Rescue.

The shindig took place on Friday the 13^th, but luck was on their side. Twenty canines came dressed to the K-nines and competed in categories including Active Wear, Talent and Glamour. By the end of the evening, a new King and Queen were crowned.

The Queen of 2015 is ZZ Zeins. Her mom Ilene Zeins said, “It was great fun and I never expected it!” Pet stylist and pet fashion designer Ruben Santana left a proud papa — his funky little Pomeranian, already named King Tut, was crowned King.

All photos by Dorri Olds.

maltipoo — Maltipoo ZZ Zeins was crowned Queen this year and also won for Glamour Wear.

Ruben Santana’s Pomeranian named King Tut was crowned King and also won for Most Entertaining.

Karen Sanabria’s Chihuahua Chai Latte won for Active Wear, and the Talent award went to Theresa Wong’s Poodle, Bee Bee. The Most Entertaining award went to Santana’s King Tut. And Queen ZZ Zeins was also a double-winner with her award for Glamour Wear. The first runner-up to the queen was Marie Rumpza’s Yorkie Teenie Paris Hilton, and first runner-up to the king was Mr. Hollywood, one of four gorgeous — and huge — Leonbergers owned by Morgan Williams Avila. The names of her others Leonbergers are Mr. America, who won last year as runner-up, Zanzibar and a puppy named Magneto; three of the dogs went to Westminster this year.

The Doggies and Tiaras event began with a red carpet and “step and repeat” photo op. Next came food by celebrity chef Mimi of Mimi’s Fusion of Flavors Catering. She’s famous for her pesto crostini, mini beef tacos, mini crab rolls, pork loin with guava sauce, strawberry cucumber salad cups, grilled hanger steak skewers, mini empanadas and veggie rolls. Along with the chow, came drinks, and lots of ’em. It was so freakin’ cold that night, so it didn’t hurt that one of the sponsors was Tito’s Handmade Vodka.

Then it was time for full-tilt entertainment. Talents of the evening included Pug Kismet playing piano, Bee Bee the Poodle sailing by on a surfboard and Shih Tzu Gianna Souza doing the Tango a la “Scent of a Woman.” Don’t feel bad that you missed everything. The event is annual, so I’ll see you next year!

Credit for the joyful event goes to host Roberto Negrin, a pet fashion designer and owner of the company Hec-lin Couture for Dogs, and his side-kick, Bobbi Mitchell, a devoted animal activist and fundraiser for rescues. Yorkie911 Rescue, Inc is a 501(c)(3) that rescues, protects and raises awareness about the Yorkshire Terrier breed. Its goal is to find the best homes for small dogs — especially Yorkies.