Judges for the contest were, Dr. Claudia Torres DVM, Miss Texas Nationwide Stephanie Salais, and EP S.A.F.E. President, Elias Diaz. Crowd favorites and winners of the night are as follows: 3rd place went to Denise Moreno and her pup Fidencio, dressed as The Pope; 2nd place was Luis Hernandez and his pet Frida, dressed as a Circus Lion along with Circus Train Cart; 1st Place went to Jessica Puente and her pet Gigi, dressed up as “Nemo” swimming in her life size fish tank. “This was definitely a tough decision year, the costumes were so elaborate and impressive, our participants went all-out,” said Flores-Aleman.
In addition, the Shelter Pet Adoption Drive was a complete success as all 5 promoted dogs were adopted out; including a stray kitten that was found in the Mall parking lot by volunteers. Treasurer Luisa Rodriguez, who was running the drive, commented, “The animals had been in cages for so long that they were terrified at the beginning and would barely even look at us. Once we were able to hold them, they warmed up, and were showing not just affection…they were showing relief.” Even though the first three dogs and kitten were adopted out quickly, the last 2 pups remained past the dwindling of the crowd. Fortunately, a group of compassionate CC Winn students passed by and with parental consent, adopted out the remaining two.
Project COMPANION would like to thank Mall de las Aguilas for being such great hosts, all the participants and their families who came out to cheer their pets on or who saved a life by adopting a pet, and of course, their valued members!
Project COMPANION is a local non-profit animal advocacy group that focuses on providing information and access to low cost Spay and Neutering services in order to decrease animal euthanasia and diminish the animal overpopulation in Maverick County. In addition, ProCo promotes shelter adoption and provides animal friendly activities for pets and their families. The group is solely volunteer-based and are able to accomplish their goals through grant funding, donations, and fundraisers. If you are interested in donating, please contact us via Facebook at www.facebook.com/procoep