One paw in front of the other, a stream of stylish canines strutted down the runway dressed to the nines on June 22, sporting peony pink-patterned jumpers, chin-strapped sun hats and even papal regalia to support local puppy rescue AjK Family Rescue.
As the main attraction of the nonprofit’s inaugural “Sip, Sit, Stay” event, the doggy fashion show drew over 300 people and dozens of dashingly dressed dogs to local bar and restaurant Kinda Tropical for live music, local vendors and canine camaraderie. But for the models, it was something of a family reunion, said Whitney Kral, AjK’s founder and director. As the rescue’s past adopters gathered for the event, many pups reconnected with their foster parents and littermates, she said.
“It’s really neat to see, just because they’ve come from such horrible situations,” Kral said. “They are like rags to riches because they’re just living great lives.”
A foster-based organization, the rescue pulls from kill shelters in surrounding areas and primarily serves puppies and pregnant dogs, who shelters often avoid due to their care expenses and disease susceptibility. Founded 15 years ago, they now adopt out about 500 puppies a year, Kral said.
Their involvement doesn’t end after a puppy gets adopted, said Maya Williams, event organizer and AjK adopter. When her 8-month-old puppy Iggy was diagnosed with congenital heart failure, Kral offered to raise funds for his heart surgery, walked Williams through the tough decision to euthanize and checked in for months after to offer support. Eventually, the rescue paired Williams with her Chihuahua mix, Ripley, whom she adopted last year.
“Just how thorough, compassionate and caring they are is something that we don’t always see, not just (with) adoptions, but people in general,” Williams said.
As a bartender at Kinda Tropical, Williams saw the perfect opportunity to give back.
“People want to donate, but they don’t (always) know where to donate or what to do,” Williams said. “I thought a fashion show (would be) such a perfect way (to bring) people together because it’s fun (and) easy.”
For foster volunteer Bea Smith, the event meant a reunion with a particularly meaningful pup. After two months fostering Polaris, a blind and deaf Australian Shepherd puppy, she knew he couldn’t go to just any adopter — until Summer Spisak and her wife, who had previously owned two special needs dogs, walked into the picture.
“It was magic that they just had this great big heart and (were) ready to take on a dog with special needs and challenges,” Smith said. “I picked the right people. They’ve been absolutely fabulous.”
Since the pair adopted him over two years ago, Polaris has thrived in adapting to his disabilities and is now the “prince” of the household, Spisak said. Now, Spisak and her wife are writing a children’s book series about life through his perspective, which will come out this August and feature both Smith and AjK as part of his journey.
“They brought us to him and him to us, so we’re lifers,” Spisak said of the rescue. “Even if we’re not able to always donate when need be, we’ll always support as much as possible.”
In addition to monetary donations, the event brought in several interested foster families, over 1,000 new Instagram followers and eight adoption applications and counting, Kral said. The event’s success demonstrated to Williams that even a small idea can make a big impact, she said.
“Ultimately, it’s just a good reminder (that) we don’t necessarily all know how to save the world, but there are things that we do have control of and things that we do have a platform for,” Williams said. “We can do more for our community.”
