Dogs on the Catwalk

The models forgot to shave their legs.

Donning slinky lingerie, high heels and choker pearls instead of choker collars, spruced-up pooches strutted their stuff Saturday at the fifth annual Top Dog Fashion Show, a fund-raiser to support various Orange County animal rescue agencies.

Held at the Newport Dunes Resort, the doggy contest drew 52 entrants, ranging from petite to plus sizes.

Rosie, an English bulldog, slipped on a pink tutu. Stricken with stage fright, the plump ballerina had to be dragged onto the runway.

Guido, a silky terrier, sported a rhinestone-studded white jumpsuit and a tall black hairpiece. The Elvis wannabe doesn’t sing, said dog owner Paulette Downey, but he does speak Italian.

“He doesn’t bark,” she said of Guido. “But he can say, ‘Barka Barka!’ ”

For Mandy, a golden retriever decked out in a feather headdress and suede tribal suit, the event was quite a powwow--or in doggy speak, a bowwow.

In high style, the dogs competed in categories such as best swimwear, formal wear, sleepwear and Halloween costume.

Sir Sidney, an Australian cattle dog, came as a knight in shining armor.

Hafta, a slender brown-spotted basenji, had trouble keeping up his silver trousers. He came as the Tin Man of the “Wizard of Paws.”

And there was the minimalist Coco, a chocolate Lab that hobbled around in green pumps and with a knotted scarf under her chin.

But it was Spicy, a Yorkshire terrier, that clinched the coveted Top Dog prize, for best dog overall. Weighing only four pounds, the pristine purebred boasted sunglasses, a jaguar-skinned overcoat and a matching chapeau.

“This is the second time she has won the Top Dog award,” gloated owner Nona Feldman of Hawthorne, who annually enters her pup in various dog shows.

At least $400 was raised at the event. Proceeds were donated to Companion Pet Retreat, a county-based organization that cares for pets of terminally ill owners, and the Orange County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

“We really appreciate the help from this event,” said Pat Guiver, president of the cruelty prevention group. “There are so many animals that need care.”