Angelena Fair was one of this year’s event organizers and participated in the K9 Catwalk with her dog Clyde dressed as a monarch butterfly.
The annual Midland County Pit Stop K9 Catwalk fundraiser brought people to the Midland Curling Center on Saturday for auctions, games and a fashion show where dogs showed off their best costumes.
This year’s show featured dogs dressed as Baby Yoda from The Mandalorian, a farm cow, Lilo and Stitch and other characters.
Article continues below this ad
Attendees could place a vote for Best Dog for a $1 donation, with the eventual winner being Benny, dressed as Superman.
Midland County Pit Stop helps rescue animals and sets them up with foster homes as they await their “fur-ever” home. As a part of the process, they get all veterinary care, such as spaying/neutering and vaccinations.
In 2018, Gwen Drake founded the rescue. Since then, the K9 Catwalk has become the Pit Stop’s biggest annual fundraiser. Between a silent auction, Best Dog donations and a paddle auction, everything goes back into helping the rescue animals.
“I feel like tonight went pretty good. We’re having fun here,” Drake said. “I don’t have any idea how much we made yet, but I appreciate every penny we get.”
Article continues below this ad
During the paddle auction, Drake told the story of a litter of puppies that the rescue saved in early August. The Pit Stop described the litter as the sickest they had ever seen, losing all but two of them within a week. However, through fundraising and support, they were able to get the remaining ones the care needed to survive, including through blood transfusions.
“I will always have hope,” Drake said.
Some dogs and their owners have made the catwalk a tradition over the years. For Melissa Hilliker and her dog Ziva, this was their third time.
Ziva participated as a Love Dog, complete with sparkling fairy wings.
Article continues below this ad
“Pit Stop and Gwen are amazing. I’m always sharing their stuff, and if I had more opportunities to volunteer, I would,” Hilliker said. “I’ve worked with a lot of rescues and this is a good one. They’re one of my top five rescues.”
For Laryssa Cesar, it was her first time at the event. Her pup Sushi is a Pit Stop alumnus, and Cesar learned about the event through Muddy Pups.
“We adopted her when we officially could, when she was about three months,” Cesar said. “She’s been with us for three months now and has been doing great. She spoiled all puppies for us because she’s so well-behaved.”
Sushi’s time on the catwalk was spent dressed as her namesake food.
Article continues below this ad
Months of work goes into planning the event, with Angelena Fair being one of this year’s organizers. Having participated since 2021, she had the idea to bring carnival games to the event as a way to get attending kids more involved.
“The Pit Stop means a lot to me. I help run Muddy Pups and we help the nonprofit,” Fair said. “So if the dogs (at Pit Stop) ever need a groom or a bath, we help them. We just want to help the community. There’s always a need for help, especially in this situation.”
More information on Midland County Pit Stop and how to get involved can be found on their Facebook page.
Article continues below this ad
