Grab your best friend’s best costume and prepare to show off. The Fido Fashion Show is coming to Pascagoula on March 21.
The family-friendly event features a costume contest, pet parade, and obedience demonstrations while raising funds for veterans and disadvantaged youth and taking in dog food for local shelters and dog rescue groups.
There are spots for 50 dogs to show off their best, and trophies will be given for first, second, and third place winners as well as people’s choice. People’s choice is decided by which dog receives the most monetary donations by the crowd.
The show is a family-friendly event open to the public to come watch for free. (Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs.)
“This is why Dimensions Ministries chose to do a doggie fashion show because it’s an event the entire family can enjoy, whether participating in the show or coming to watch. It’s impossible not to smile and feel good with all the cuteness,” said Wendy Arthur, director of Dimensions Ministries and the organizer of the Fido Fashion Show.
She started these shows in Florida to help residents of a senior center experience a fun night. The show has been held in Ocean Springs previously and is now coming to Karen’s K-9 Obedience in Pascagoula.
The cost to be a part of the fashion show is $10 and any size bag of dog food. Karen’s K-9 Obedience will be donating the dog food to local shelters and dog rescue groups, according to Arthur. The monetary funds go to Dimensions Ministries, which is a nonprofit whose mission is to provide art supplies and art therapy to disabled veterans and others suffering from PTSD and emotional disorders. Specifically the funds will be used to purchase art supplies and provide classrooms free of charge for those participating in art therapy through Dimensions Ministries.
Arthur said that art therapy can be a way for veterans to communicate the multitude of emotions that they face from their past experiences.
“The trauma they deal with in their minds and emotions are too much to deal with and they can’t see a way out,” she said. “They get overwhelmed and have no way to communicate everything they are feeling. This is where art therapy comes in.”
Arthur said that It is the policy of Dimensions Ministries that any fundraisers they do must benefit those who partner with them, not just their organization, so that’s why they are including the dog food in the registration fee. They have also invited Pascagoula High School’s Paws for a Cause Club to have a table at the event, and they are working to get a local shelter to have some dogs at the event that are available for adoption.
“This event will bring awareness of our mission and the need in our own communities,” Arthur said. “Residents may not be able to teach art therapy but they can help us to provide this necessary service by participating in our fun fundraisers throughout the year.”
They hope to make this an annual event, and other fundraisers are planned for 2020.
Just after the Fido Fashion Show, the Outrigger Bar and Grill, which operates next to Karen’s K-9 Obedience, will host a Chili Cook Off from noon to 3 p.m. The event will also be a fundraiser for Dimensions Ministries. The cost is $50 to enter and $5 to taste and judge. Learn more on Facebook or call 228-219-6889. Team competition is highly encouraged.
Fido Fashion Show Details
The Fido Fashion Show will be held on March 21 at Karen’s K-9 Obedience in Pascagoula. Check-in starts at 9 a.m. Bottled water, sodas and snacks will be available for $1 each. This is a family event so no alcohol or smoking on premises.
Those wanting to participate in the show can bring their dogs in purchased or homemade costumes. All dogs participating in the event need to be spayed or neutered and up to date on all shots. This is for the safety of all dogs and people at the event. Also, all dogs must be on a non-retractable leash 4-6 feet in length.
Space is limited to 50 participants so it’s best to pre-register. Those who have pre-registered will be guaranteed their space. To pre-register, email dimensionsgallery@yahoo.com or go to the Fido Fashion Show page on Facebook and click the Send Message button.