The proceeds of the third annual Puppy Prom, which was held Sunday, June 14 at Honda of Manhattan, went to Positive Tails, a nonprofit whose mission is to create a pain-free, healthy and loving existence for the animals of New York.
All photos by Dorri Olds.
Pups dolled up in their promwear to compete for King and Queen of the Prom 2015. This year’s theme was glitz and glam. Pups and their pawrents shook their tails to the fabulous lip synch contest.
As with every year, there were pugs-a-plenty. These curly-tailed squish-faced dogs wore some of the finest sequined, frilly get-ups this year.
I fell in love with this kid. Wide-eyed, he sat taking it all in. Above, dog fashion designer Kevin Ugarte’s Princess sat pretty as a, well, princess. She’s rockin’ a butterfly motif that her daddy made for her.
Morgan Williams was all smiles when her Leonberger named Hollywood asked her to dance. Williams has three more Leonbergers that sat this dance out, opting for a relaxing Sunday — most likely spent sans costumes i.e., in the nude. Ooh, kinky.
This drag queen impersonating Big Ang of Monaco from “Mob Wives” stole my attention. She sang it loud and proud while dancing like a gazelle on the boogie-oogie floor! I could’ve watched her twirl for hours. Oh, wait a minute — I did! The lovely Summer Strand is responsible for inviting this wonderful blonde-in-pink entertainer. Both Strand and Big Ang are members of the nonprofit, Imperial Court of New York. What sets this org apart from other nonprofits, you ask? Big hair and bigger jewels, with lots and lots of attitude. ICNY supports a wide range of charitable causes including but not limited to the LGBT community, HIV/AIDS services organizations, youth enrichment programs and animal rescue.
I’m fond of what it says on its website’s “Who We Are” page:
“Our members are people who have chosen to make a commitment, get involved and make a difference in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Our membership is broad and varied: lawyers, carpenters, therapists, ministers, stockbrokers, hairdressers, marketers, performers, accountants, teachers, florists, antique dealers, jewelers and more!”
A big thanks goes to Honda of Manhattan’s manager Joe Ciaccia for donating the 11th Avenue huge Honda space for free. “It’s a great cause,” Ciaccia told me. “These are all good people who do the right thing for animals. Me? I’ll do anything to help animals.” I asked him if he had any furry family members, and his face lit up. “I have a Savannah cat,” he said, “Oliver, from Texas. He’s 2-years-old, and he’s my best friend.”
Of all of the doggie fundraising events I’ve been to — and there have been many — this one seemed the most joyful. Lots of tearing up the dance floor, laughing, kissing, hugging and, yeah, licking.
Dorri Olds is a contributing journalist for TheBlot Magazine.
