Winner, Winner, Kibble Dinner!

5/20/2013

I'm happy to say that Pepper and I recently partook in the apparent glut of worldwide dog costume contests at this year's The Whole Enchihuahua event in San Francisco's Mission Dolores Park. Sponsored by the SF SPCA and 7x7 Magazine, the open-air festival highlights the fantastic chihuahua, which is the most over-represented breed of dog in Bay Area animal shelters: more than half the dogs in our shelters are chihuahuas or chihuahua mixes!

Although the pint-sized pups from south of the border were the attendees of honor at The Whole Enchihuahua, enrollment in the costume contest was open to well-behaved dogs (and one dove in pants) of all breeds. And here's the exciting part: Pepper's NyanCat costume won first runner-up!

She has a First Place smile, though!

This was Pepper's Halloween costume from 2012. I was kind of amazed that even in the hipster petri dish that is Dolores Park, NyanPep only got about a 25% recognition rate. Most of the responses were along the lines of "... now, what is she, again?" or, "is that a Pop-Tart?" But even if you've never seen NyanCat, it's hard to not be endeared by a cute little dog wearing a Pop-Tart and a rainbow. Ultimately, though, I think it was the effort and attention to detail evident in Pepper's custom, home-crafted outfit that stood out in a sea of store-bought (albeit adorable) costumes. The judges awarded First Prize and Second Runner-up to pooches who also had custom-crafted ensembles. You can always pay for something ready-made, but us creative types know that quality craftsmanship wins every time.

*Wiiiink*

Pepper is honored to be runner-up to Ace, a handsome long-haired chihuahua who was dressed as... wait for it... an ace! As in a playing card, with a very stylish plumed hat featuring the whole suite of aces. Sharing Ace's court with Pepper was a chihuahua "Beef Taco!" I've never had a taco that's also wearing a sombrero, but I'm also vegan, so maybe it's just something that comes standard with beef tacos? At any rate, I think all tacos, including vegan ones, should come topped with a wee taco-shell sombrero from now on. Just hold the beef and the chihuahua on mine.

In addition to the Glory of Victory, Pepper also took home three (three!) swag bags filled with goodies and prizes from generous donors. Here's the little princess enjoying her spoils! She even got a cute new shirt from City Dog Share. I belong to City Car Share here in the Bay Area, so I was a little confused- is this an organization where you just "borrow" a dog for a couple of hours like you would a car? 'Cause that sounds messed up! But thankfully it's nothing of that sort- it's a San Francisco-based website where people can trade dog-sitting hours with other dog guardians! Sounds like a fun way to save money, build community, and make some buddies for your hound.

Being fabulous. is. EXHAUSTING.

I'm not sure yet how many lucky pups (and birds!) were adopted out at this year's The Whole Enchihuahua, but there were a number of wonderful organizations with adoptable friends enjoying the festivities. Thankfully, the weather was obliging and surprised us with a gloriously warm and sunny un-San Fransiscan day. As you can see, the whole process was exhilirating and tiring for Pepper, who conked out as soon as we got home.

Enjoy some more pictures from this and previous years' Whole Enchihuahua events below. This year's photos (the crappy ones) are by me, others are as attributed.