Oakland dog show helps raise money for community

On Saturday afternoon in Oakland, a small group of dedicated dog owners got together to show off their primped pups for a good cause.

Participants in the Do You Look Like Your Dog? Fashion Show brought their holiday adorned pooches to Pride and Pedigree, a dog academy that can house as many as 40 canines located at 437 25th St., to try and take home bragging rights in categories that included Best Look-A-Like, Most Original Costume and Audience Favorite. Competitors paid a nominal entry fee to have their dogs judged, and proceeds from the event benefit several local community projects, including a summer youth sports camp, sponsorship of the RYSE community center in Richmond and some documentary films that highlight some bright spots in the Bay Area.

Partnered with Gini Graham Scott of Changemakers Productions, an Oakland resident and founder of the Do You Look Like Your Dog? concept, Stephanie Slade, president of United Media Productions, organized the event with the collaboration of Pride and Pedigree owner Kelli Danielsen, who volunteered her space. Their hope was to bring local residents together to support other members of the community, and to create a few laughs along the way, with each of the seven dogs entered into the contest receiving at least an honorable mention award.

“We thought we’d do something really fun,” said Slade, “and really cute and highly marketable so that all the disenfranchised and underserved communities that are suffering right now can have the resources needed.”

For more information about any of the organizations that put the dog show on, visit their websites: Pride and Pedigree, Changemakers Productions, United Media Productions.