The Fur Ball comes to St James Park

If you happened to walk through St. James Park last Saturday October 29^th, you might have gotten tied up in a few fur balls as over a hundred dogs and their owners gathered at the Michael Comstock Pavilion for Fur Ball ’22, a Howl-a-ween Dog Costume Competition and Charity Raffle.

There have been doggie costume gatherings in the park before, but nothing on this scale. Fur Ball ’22 was conceived when the Friends of St. James Park suggested the idea to Chelsea, the moderator of the Facebook group Dogs of St James Park. The local dog-friendly AAA Bar was approached and brought on as event sponsor. Just like that, three newly-met community members joined together to start the fur ball rolling. 

Chelsea, who was the MC, deserves a huge round of a-paws. The main driver behind Fur Ball ’22, her vision inspired everything about this ulti-mutt event—the runway, judges, decorations, trophies and prizes for the best-dressed dogs, and a raffle to raise money for the charity Through Ruff Times. She is obviously mal-tese talented!

As the fur-st ever Fur Ball, we had no idea how many paw-rents would register their pups. Initially, we hoped for at least 20. The night before the event, 40 had registered, and by the time registration closed the next day, 72 dogs were ready to compete!

Even before the event, competition among our puppy neighbours grew fierce! Check out some of these Instagram posts by @dogsofstjamespark. Not a lot of pugs and kisses among these contenders.

And no wonder! The top 3 best-dressed dogs competed for bark-tastic prizes. We can’t thank enough the local pet businesses who generously donated the prizes that made this event paw-sible. They were: @globalpetfoodslowerjarvis @kurik9massage @petland_spa  @petcuisine.ca  @petvalutoronto @sherbourneanimalhospital @tidbitsfordogs and @urban_animal_photographer Woof, woof!

To the beat of 90’s club hits, each dog and their handler strutted their stuff in front of the judges. The spectators ooh-ed and aah-ed. Some dogs knew the score, like seasoned runway contestants, they turned up their noses to sniff out the competition and confidently flaunted their adorableness. Like Stella, a Havanese, who was disappointed there was no Beyonce hair fan on the runway to show off her locks, and social butterfly Harmony, so labra-dorable. Winnie, sporting a jockey on her back, raced through her circuit. Others were a bit shy or downright reluctant. A Frenchie named Guinness waddled over to the judges’ table, sat down and would not budge. Samson, a King Charles Cavalier, dressed as a hot dog, and was accompanied by his paw-rents, mustard and ketchup! Tiny Chihuahua Phyllis was shy, but she wooed the crowd in a very creative costume as the Ikea monkey. Who will lap from the cup of victory? Who will taste the kibble of triumph? Who will chew the bone of conquest?!

Let’s check out some of the contestants shall we?

Our three judges had their work cut out for them rating 72 costumed dogs for the best among them! In the end, the winning Fur Ball ’22 su-paw-stars were:

First Place: Bogey the Pizza Maker (Jessica Tomarchio)
Second Place: Trip the Eeyore (Mikayla Ozorio)
Third Place: Muppet the Cow (Gabriel Pirvu and Amanda Wong)

Congratulations winners! You were terrier-ific!

First place winner Bogey is a 9-month-old goldendoodle who owns humans Jessica and Graham and graciously takes them on frequent walks to the park. Bogey enjoys swimming, sniffing butts, and being the little spoon. He hates buses, trucks, and streetcars and his recent failed mayoral bid was, as anticipated, mostly about pedestrianizing Toronto. His ‘Pupperoni Pizza Maker’ costume melted the hearts of judges and spectators alike. Bogey is super glad to have won all those gift cards – he really kneaded the dough! If you see Bogey in the park, make sure to throw his ball with extra bounce! This pizza afficionadough thinks it’s the yeast you could do!

The raffle raised $3,335 for Through Ruff Times, a non-profit organization that supports under-resourced people-pet families through their RUFF Pet Food program and access to spay/neuter services. They also offer temporary pet care when “pawrents” need to access support services and do not have options for their cat or dog. 

Our raffle tickets were a hot item because local businesses stepped up and donated over 50 superb prizes. We give a bark-felt thank you to the following supporters: @tripleabar @aaamazingsalad @ardorestaurant @bahnthaispa @bettys_onking @cestwhatto @cafeorodinapoli @chatimecanada @cityoasisdental @thecornerplace @creameryx @evokeyewear @theflatironandfirkin @gbcollege @imaginecinemasca @liftsalontoronto  @nebulanailsspa @pearldiverto @pjobrienpub @robsbestfootforward @scoreonking  @spiritleaf_adelaidejarvis @stokfloral @sukhothaifood @tos1stpo @worldsalon @xobisous

Here are just some of the winners… enjoy your raffle prizes! Thanks everyone for buying tickets and supporting Through Ruff Times.

It takes a team to pull off an event like the Fur Ball ’22 and when we asked for help our community answered the call. Thanks to volunteers Laura (aka cookie monster), Dale, Cathy, Shermit, Marcus, Vicky and Asha. Huge shout out to the judges: Julie, committee member of Friends of St James Park; Tiz, co-owner of AAA Bar; and Mella and Sasha from Through Ruff Times. We are also grateful to Old Town Toronto BIA, Qprint, and Lisa Luanne Wiebe from Urban Animal Photography. We had poodles of fun and hope that you did too!

A final word from Through Ruff Times:
To say we’re blown away and very grateful is an understatement; I know this was a huge amount of effort. We’re bringing a little Chihuahua named Dennis (in our care) to the vet this morning because of an eye ulcer. It’s situations like these where these funds will be tremendously helpful. Just to say, Dennis and many other little companions will greatly benefit, thanks to you.

~ Mella Brown, Program Coordinator, Through Ruff Times

Actually, Milo, a sharpaniel and local busybody, wants the final word. “Puns are lazy humour,” he says “Whoever writes these things is a pizza work.”

See you again for Fur Ball ’23!

Images by Urban Animal Photography and Vicky Ilgacs