Puptown

Halloween Photo Contest: Looking for Chicago's "Most Creative Pet & Owner"

Here's a news release we received about a pet photo search. Good luck!

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Think your pet is a star? Sutton Studios is looking for Chicagoland’s "Most Creative Pet & Owner" team for their 1st annual Halloween photo search. 

A panel of judges will decide which dynamic duo will be crowned Chicagoland’s "Most Creative Pet & Owner," with the winner being awarded a grand prize -- a portrait sitting with highly acclaimed pet photographer David Sutton, including a signed exhibition print (prize valued at over $700).

The grand prize winner will be announced on Oct. 31 on the Sutton Studios blog, Pith & Vinegar (www.suttonstudios.com/pith).

"Sutton Studios sees so many off the wall photos of pets in hilarious costumes that we thought an event celebrating their creativity would be a match for one of my favorite holidays, Halloween," said David Sutton, owner of Sutton Studios. 

The studio will team up with Evanston C.A.R.E. and Chicago Canine Rescue to host a pre-Halloween social at Sutton Studios on Tuesday, Oct. 28, from 6-8 p.m. Kids of all ages and their pets are invited for treats and a chance to show off their stylish Halloween costumes! Guests/pet teams wearing costumes will be photographed for the contest web gallery (to be featured on the Sutton Studios Web site) and will receive a complementary print of their photo from Sutton Studios as a souvenir.

Can't attend the event? Photos of pets and their owners in costume can be submitted at www.suttonstudios.com. Entries must be received by midnight, Oct. 29.

Puptown Thanks You!

Thanks to all who participated in making Puptown's eighth annual Howl-O-Ween costume contest a great success! This year, 77 good-natured dogs and their incredibly creative guardians participated in front of a crowd of approximately 200 Puptown members, friends, neighbors and bemused passerby.

Our judges -- Alderman Mary Ann Smith, Janis Taylor of the Chicago Park District, and Puptown's very own Stephanie, aided by her faithful companions, Sugar and Shadow -- had the difficult task of choosing the best-costumed, but every dog who came to play went home a winner.

Proceeds totaled nearly $2,000, all of which will go toward park maintenance and future structural improvements. We enjoyed the support of more than 20 area businesses that donated raffle and silent auction prizes and other services. In particular, we thank the Bark Bark Club for its sponsorship and Soggy Paws for providing goodie bags.

None of this would have been possible without all the volunteers who solicited donations, cleaned and readied the park that morning, worked at the event and tidied up afterward. A special shout-out to this year’s Howl-O-Ween Planning Committee members: Ron Caperton, Christine Cupaiuolo, David Goyer, Judy Joyce, John Lenti, Rebecca Mark, Andrea Powers, Jacob Stover, Stacy Szczelina, and Nicole Visnyak, and to photographer Alan Jacobs for donating proceeds from the sale of dog photos. And special thanks to our emcee, Bernie Heidkamp, and graphic artist extraordinaire, Eric Wagner.

- Ellen Szalinski, Howl-O-Ween coordinator

Puptown Howl-O-Ween Photos - Now See the Movie!

A friend of Coco Chanel's owner created a video out of the Howl-O-Ween photos. How cool! Take a look here -- that's Coco (obviously) in the first scene:

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Photo of Your Pooch?

Was your dog the cutest/scariest/most ridiculous looking dog at Howl-O-Ween 2008? Do you wish you had a photo to remember it?

Fortunately professional photographer Alan Jacobs, a Puptown member, was on hand, and his beautiful prints from the day are available for sale (they're not the same as the Flickr shots; they're better!). Prices start at just $2.50.

Start browsing here. The best part? All proceeds go to Puptown. Thanks, Alan!

Howl-O-Ween Photos and Winners

Coco Chanel, Wonder Woman and Elvis were all in the house on Saturday for a good cause -- raising funds for park maintenance and capital projects.

The eighth annual Howl-O-Ween costume contest was a huge success, with sunny skies and lots of laughter, especially as "Michael Yelps," sporting a gold medal, came out of his shorts. Too fast for his swimsuit, it seemed.

Also spotted: "Joe Six Pack"; "Aire Jordan"; Snow White; Snow White again; an Ewok from "Star Wars"; and a special appearance by Buck from "Call of the Wild."

We also spied some busy bees; a pig; a lobster; a French sailor; a Chicago hot dog or two; a few felons and several police officers.

Below are the winners and more photos; visit our Flickr Howl-O-Ween page to view all the contestants and a few dogs frolicking au naturel.

Congratulations to all!

Best Store-Bought Costume
First: Jenna (Pirate)
Second: Honey (Wonder Woman)
Third: Shaggy (Dog Fish)

Best Homemade Costume
First: Ellie (Horse)
Second: Sabi (Geisha girl)
Third: Ms. Joey (Elvis)

Photos by Christine Cupaiuolo

It's Almost Here! Join us for Howl-O-Ween Saturday, Oct. 18

Be there or be scared! Puptown's 8th Annual Puptown Howl-O-Ween Party & Costume Contest is this Saturday, Oct. 18. Come join us!

Come early and help us clean the park at 8 a.m. Set-up begins at noon. To help with event preparation, contest registration or raffle ticket sales, please contact Ellen Szalinski, Howl-O-Ween coordinator.

Costume Contest
Registration ($5) begins at 1 p.m.
Judging begins at 2 p.m.

Raffle
Purchase tickets on-site.
Drawing: 3 p.m.
Grand Prize: $300

Additional raffle prizes include gift certificates to area restaurants, dog stores and more!

Silent Auction
Bidding open from 1 p.m. - 2:45 p.m

For a complete description of events and our sponsor list, click here.

P-DOG Meeting Wednesday, Oct. 8

The Puptown Dog Owners Group will hold its next quarterly meeting Wednesday, Oct. 8, at the Margate Field House. The meeting begins at 7 p.m.

The agenda includes park improvements and our upcoming fundraiser -- Howl-O-Ween.

Everyone is welcome. Please join us!