Rescue Dogs Took Over a New York Fashion Week Runway

New York Fashion Week is not exactly known for muddy paws or models who might stop halfway down the runway for a cuddle. But at Webster Hall on September 9, that was part of the charm.

More than a dozen adoptable dogs from New York City shelter Animal Haven took over the runway for Best in Show, the annual fashion-meets-rescue event created by designers Rachel Antonoff and Susan Korn, founder of Susan Alexandra. The setting was Fashion Week, but the real stars had names like Birdy, Biscotti, Lottie, Avon, Helena and Quiche, and every one of them was looking for a home.

Ricki Lake, Victoria Pedretti, Bebe Neuwirth, Aly Raisman and Susie Essman were among the familiar faces walking alongside the dogs, while comedians Jacqueline Novak and Chris Fleming hosted.

The dogs did not exactly behave like professional models. Some walked, some were carried, and others seemed far more interested in the audience than in sticking to the catwalk. That unpredictability was part of the appeal, and a reminder that the dogs were not there as props. They were there to be noticed.

Antonoff and Korn have now staged Best in Show for three consecutive Septembers, using Fashion Week attention to put adoptable dogs in front of a much wider audience. Both designers also have personal ties to rescue: Antonoff adopted her dog Lafitte from a Los Angeles shelter, while Korn adopted her Chihuahua, Pigeon, after initially fostering her. The two dogs closed this year’s show.

Around 300 people attended the event, while Petfinder also livestreamed the show beyond Webster Hall. And before the night was even over, Korn and Antonoff said messages were already coming in from people asking about the dogs.

Chihuahua Appletini was among those attracting early adoption interest, and Antonoff told the New York Post that her phone was buzzing from her back pocket during the event. Her explanation was simple: “It’s all for the dogs.”

Adoption fees for the participating dogs were also waived. According to Korn, every dog featured in last year’s Best in Show eventually found a home, including Gilbert, a terrier later adopted by model Karen Elson.

That history gives the event more weight than a cute Fashion Week moment. The spectacle draws attention, but the goal is straightforward: help shelter dogs meet the people who might adopt them.

As of September 12, several dogs who appeared in this year’s show were still listed for adoption through Animal Haven, including Birdy, Lady Tilley, Jase, Avon, Biscotti, Helena, Lottie and Quiche.

Animal Haven has served the New York City area since 1967, caring for homeless cats and dogs and supporting them through adoption. For the dogs at Webster Hall, one evening on the runway meant hundreds of people seeing them in person and many more discovering them online.

There were celebrity handlers, beaded leashes and plenty of Fashion Week spectacle. But once the lights went down, the most important part of the story remained the same: some of those models were still waiting for someone to take them home.