Monday, October 31, 2005
Costumed canines parade in South End
Rhoda wore her devil horns this Sunday. She dressed in her best red sequin and church-white lace ensemble.
All decked-out, she joined a couple of Supermen, fairy princesses, a crew of bumblebees, a tiny cow and Yoda in Boston's South End.
But although Rhoda is described by those close to her as "a devil" who "terrorizes people," this Halloween weekend, she was more bark than bite.
A four-year-old Jack Russell Terrier, Rhoda won the Best Dressed competition at the first annual Divas Unleashed dog parade and costume competition. The event raised money for the Animal Care and Adoption Center run by the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
"She's a natural ... she's very pleased [with herself]," said Scott Martino, Rhoda's owner and an actor and theater-company owner from Dorchester.
Organizers said about 150 people registered their dogs for the parade and competition, which started on Tremont Street and wound through the South End to the South End Open Market. Registration alone raised more than $2,000 for the MSPCA. Proceeds from the silent auction had not yet been tallied on Sunday afternoon.
"Pets do really form a community," said Lou Whitney, co-owner of Doggie Day, the main organizer of the event. Whitney first came up with the idea for a parade.
"I don't even understand how you can have a community without pets," he said. "They're part of the way we live. ... This makes people aware of the work of organizations like the MSPCA. The real room for
improvement is getting more people out."
Winners of the Best Dressed, Most Original and Most Outrageous awards included a pug dressed as Yoda and a dog dressed as a Hasidic Jew wearing a yarmulke and curly black polyester beard. One dog appeared as Manny Ramirez, and two others were pirates. One man dressed as Santa Claus turned his dog into a reindeer.
Ginger, a five-month-old Vizsla, wore just two strung-together seashells, a grass skirt and rainbow-flowered lei around her neck.
"It's a little risqu�," said her owner Hamie Smith, 34, an ultrasound technician from Waltham. "But I was going to [dress her] without the shells, and I thought, 'that's even worse.'... But she seems very comfortable with it."
Serena came as a three-legged pirate and was accompanied by first mate Meeko and owners Amy and Joe Breton from Tewksbury, who also dressed as pirates. Serena lost her front right leg to cancer about six months ago, and the Bretons fashioned a wooden peg leg for her costume.
"The grandparents love the pictures," said Joe Breton, explaining why they dress their dogs.
Casper, a three-and-a-half-year-old Jack Russell Terrier, was dressed as a butterfly, with lavender wings flapping against his white body.
"I couldn't humiliate him by himself," said owner Rula Dawaher, who dressed in black and purple wings to match Casper.
Casper was Spiderman last year, Dawaher said, but he does not like costumes.
Eight-year-old Julia Weiss-Curry came dressed as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz to watch the parade. She brought her stuffed dog Toto as well.
Julia's mother, South End resident Kelley Curry, said her 17-month-old daughter Chloe adores dogs and likes to bark back.
Dabney Frake and Ann Manubay dressed their Springer Spaniel Fieldler up for the first time this Halloween. Fieldler was dressed as a sweet egg roll, Frake was shrimp and Manubay was salmon roe. Their costumes were homemade -- from spray painted foam, packing peanuts and actual seaweed.
"We love sushi," Frake said. "We eat it all the time. We don't give him the people food, although he did try to eat his costume earlier."
Frake said they came to the parade because they "love" the MSPCA and wanted to support the organization.
Cookie, a pug who turned one year old last week, came as Princess Leia, accompanying the dog dressed as Yoda. Tied into a polyester lavender ensemble, she wriggled out of Leia's classic bun wig.
Her owner, Suffolk University Law School student Katherine Hagman, 23, said it was hard to choose Cookie's outfit.
"It was between this one and a bikini, and I thought, 'That's too tacky for my girl,'" she said. "That's every male dog's fantasy."
The event was the first large collaboration between MSPCA and Doggie Day.
"I can't say I love this enough," said Laura Gretch, project coordinator for the MSPCA.
Holding Mr. Burns, her five-year-old Chihuahua who "thinks he's a Rotweiller," Gretch said the event would be held again next year.
"You can count on it," Gretch said. "Make it a Halloween tradition starting
now."
http://www.dailyfreepress.com/media/paper87/news/2005/10/31/News/Costumed.Canines.Parade.In.South.End-1039416.shtml
Rhoda wore her devil horns this Sunday. She dressed in her best red sequin and church-white lace ensemble.
All decked-out, she joined a couple of Supermen, fairy princesses, a crew of bumblebees, a tiny cow and Yoda in Boston's South End.
But although Rhoda is described by those close to her as "a devil" who "terrorizes people," this Halloween weekend, she was more bark than bite.
A four-year-old Jack Russell Terrier, Rhoda won the Best Dressed competition at the first annual Divas Unleashed dog parade and costume competition. The event raised money for the Animal Care and Adoption Center run by the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
"She's a natural ... she's very pleased [with herself]," said Scott Martino, Rhoda's owner and an actor and theater-company owner from Dorchester.
Organizers said about 150 people registered their dogs for the parade and competition, which started on Tremont Street and wound through the South End to the South End Open Market. Registration alone raised more than $2,000 for the MSPCA. Proceeds from the silent auction had not yet been tallied on Sunday afternoon.
"Pets do really form a community," said Lou Whitney, co-owner of Doggie Day, the main organizer of the event. Whitney first came up with the idea for a parade.
"I don't even understand how you can have a community without pets," he said. "They're part of the way we live. ... This makes people aware of the work of organizations like the MSPCA. The real room for
improvement is getting more people out."
Winners of the Best Dressed, Most Original and Most Outrageous awards included a pug dressed as Yoda and a dog dressed as a Hasidic Jew wearing a yarmulke and curly black polyester beard. One dog appeared as Manny Ramirez, and two others were pirates. One man dressed as Santa Claus turned his dog into a reindeer.
Ginger, a five-month-old Vizsla, wore just two strung-together seashells, a grass skirt and rainbow-flowered lei around her neck.
"It's a little risqu�," said her owner Hamie Smith, 34, an ultrasound technician from Waltham. "But I was going to [dress her] without the shells, and I thought, 'that's even worse.'... But she seems very comfortable with it."
Serena came as a three-legged pirate and was accompanied by first mate Meeko and owners Amy and Joe Breton from Tewksbury, who also dressed as pirates. Serena lost her front right leg to cancer about six months ago, and the Bretons fashioned a wooden peg leg for her costume.
"The grandparents love the pictures," said Joe Breton, explaining why they dress their dogs.
Casper, a three-and-a-half-year-old Jack Russell Terrier, was dressed as a butterfly, with lavender wings flapping against his white body.
"I couldn't humiliate him by himself," said owner Rula Dawaher, who dressed in black and purple wings to match Casper.
Casper was Spiderman last year, Dawaher said, but he does not like costumes.
Eight-year-old Julia Weiss-Curry came dressed as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz to watch the parade. She brought her stuffed dog Toto as well.
Julia's mother, South End resident Kelley Curry, said her 17-month-old daughter Chloe adores dogs and likes to bark back.
Dabney Frake and Ann Manubay dressed their Springer Spaniel Fieldler up for the first time this Halloween. Fieldler was dressed as a sweet egg roll, Frake was shrimp and Manubay was salmon roe. Their costumes were homemade -- from spray painted foam, packing peanuts and actual seaweed.
"We love sushi," Frake said. "We eat it all the time. We don't give him the people food, although he did try to eat his costume earlier."
Frake said they came to the parade because they "love" the MSPCA and wanted to support the organization.
Cookie, a pug who turned one year old last week, came as Princess Leia, accompanying the dog dressed as Yoda. Tied into a polyester lavender ensemble, she wriggled out of Leia's classic bun wig.
Her owner, Suffolk University Law School student Katherine Hagman, 23, said it was hard to choose Cookie's outfit.
"It was between this one and a bikini, and I thought, 'That's too tacky for my girl,'" she said. "That's every male dog's fantasy."
The event was the first large collaboration between MSPCA and Doggie Day.
"I can't say I love this enough," said Laura Gretch, project coordinator for the MSPCA.
Holding Mr. Burns, her five-year-old Chihuahua who "thinks he's a Rotweiller," Gretch said the event would be held again next year.
"You can count on it," Gretch said. "Make it a Halloween tradition starting
now."
http://www.dailyfreepress.com/media/paper87/news/2005/10/31/News/Costumed.Canines.Parade.In.South.End-1039416.shtml
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