Drake University hosted their 38th annual Drake Relays Beautiful Bulldog Contest this past April in Des Moines, Iowa. Over 1,200 people watched the 38 bulldogs compete and many more watched online. The dogs competed in a competition consisting of a dressing up portion and a talent portion. Some of the extravagant costumes consisted of punk rockers, nurses, gentlemen, police officers, boy scouts, and movie stars.
This year’s winner was Prudence, a two-and-a-half-year-old owned by Tom Miller. As the winner, she got to sit in the thrown with the respected crown on her head. Judges described Prudence as “just gorgeous” and “just something that made her face beautiful”. Her most engaging feature was deemed her sparkling eyes. Brutus, owned by Joe Fields from Iowa was the runner-up in the competition. To see the rest of the beautiful contestants, click here.
Learn more about dog pageants and the psychology behind their nature:
Dog pageants can be seen as a fun way to show off your dog and potentially earn some money or attention. However, besides the purpose of raising money for charity, the actual event itself is usually viewed as silly or unnecessary by many individuals. Dog owners across the country say that they’d never put their dog through something like that. However, we are now able to get some insight on why these seemingly unnecessary events are not just dog-owners abusing their position for their own benefit, but actually reveals a sense of bonding and connection they have to their dog. Sophie Gamand, a photographer for high-end New York dog pageants reveals that she believed the events were “absolutely bonkers, but over the four years [my] perspective shifted. These dogs were the center of their owners’ lives, the child they never had or the partner they never found. It reminded [me] of [my] own move to New York and feeling isolated in the hustle and bustle of the city. For the pageant crowd, their animals were the stars of their show. The women saw their pets as extensions of themselves” (Seibel). Below are examples of the photos she takes at these events:
Works Cited:
Seibel, Brendan. “The Glamorous Dog Pageants of New York's Elite – Vantage – Medium.”Medium, Vantage, 12 Dec. 2014, medium.com/vantage/the-glamorous-
dog-pageants-of-new-yorks-elite-ef4312f369c6.
The Associated Press. “Local Bulldog Named Drake University's Beautiful Bulldog.”
WTOP, WTOP, 23 Apr. 2017, wtop.com/animals-pets/2017/04/local-bulldog-named-
drake-universitys-beautiful-bulldog/slide/1/.
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