Doggy Con is a pop culture convention for furry fanatics
ANDREA SMITH, Associated Press
A dog dressed as Yoda from "Star Wars" won the cosplay costume contest award at Doggy Con in Woodruff Park, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019, in Atlanta. Cosplay is the practice of dressing up like a fictional character. (AP Photo/Andrea Smith)
ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta’s scorching August heat didn’t stop Megan Nelson from slipping on a long faux fur coat and dressing up like Cruella de Vil for her first Doggy Con convention, a pet event for costumed canines inspired by the upcoming Dragon Con convention.
Doggy Con drew hundreds of dog owners and spectators Saturday to an Atlanta park for their own small cosplay convention, dressing up like fictional characters from video games, movies and other corners of the pop culture universe. For Nelson, that meant strutting and posing for photos alongside her dog Darla, a young chocolate Labrador Retriever mix sporting a Dalmatian costume.
Atlanta-area resident Megan Nelson poses for a photo with her dog Darla during Doggy Con in Woodruff Park, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019, in Atlanta. Nelson wore a Cruella de Vil costume and dressed her mixed chocolate Labrador Retriever in a Dalmatian outfit. The pair won the costume contest award for best dog and owner combination. (AP Photo/Andrea Smith)
“It’s everybody coming together for just pure cuteness and joy,” said Ansley Whipple, Woodruff Park project manager.
The Doggy Con event in Atlanta’s downtown Woodruff Park signals the approach of the internationally known Dragon Con pop culture convention. For more than 30 years, Dragon Con has attracted thousands of cosplay devotees and others to Atlanta for its annual costumed fandom events.
A Siberian Husky in a Captain America costume takes a dip in the pool during Doggy Con in Woodruff Park, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019, in Atlanta. Event organizers said they set up dog cooling stations to help prevent dogs from overheating during the event, which occurred on a 90-degree (32.2 Celsius) day. (AP Photo/Andrea Smith)
Paige Sullivan, marketing manager for Atlanta Downtown, said the Doggy Con celebration is a small-scale convention organized with the locals in mind.
“DoggyCon kind of kicks off Dragon Con season downtown,” Sullivan said. “I think that’s very unique to our city.”
The highlight of Saturday’s convention was a pet parade and costume contest in which prizes were doled out for dressed-up dogs and human companions. Dragon Con donated prizes including two day passes to its convention Aug. 29-Sept. 2, Sullivan said.
Stella Jones, a 17-month old Atlanta resident, plays with Kira, a dog dressed as a Starbucks coffee cup, at Doggy Con in Woodruff Park, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019, in Atlanta. Kira’s owner Tali Higgins dressed like a Starbucks barista. “I like coffee and my dogs are super sweet, so I thought it was a good fit,” Higgins said. (AP Photo/Andrea Smith)
Nelson and Darla won the judges’ award for best dog and owner combination costume. The highest-scoring dog wore gold-rimmed sunglasses, and another dressed like Yoda from “Star Wars” won for best cosplay costume. A fan-favorite pair of Dachshunds were costumed like Starbucks coffee cups, complementing their owner who dressed as a Starbucks barista.
Although Nelson had never before attended Doggy Con, she was no stranger to fandom festivities. She has attended Dragon Con since she moved to the Atlanta area five years ago and owns about 60 costumes, she said.
“I love dressing up, obviously, so what better excuse?” Nelson said.
Organizers sold out of vendor spots and welcomed pet retailers, animal welfare nonprofits and food trucks to the park, Whipple said.
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Doggy Con spectators watch dogs in costume prance through Woodruff Park during the pet parade, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019, in Atlanta. Doggy Con is a local event inspired by the internationally known Dragon Con pop culture convention. (AP Photo/Andrea Smith)Blake Goodman and his dog Murph win the Doggy Con costume contest for highest-scoring pet, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019, in Atlanta. Organizers awarded various prizes suitable for dogs and humans to the contest winners. (AP Photo/Andrea Smith)Karen Anderson Singer, a Doggy Con costume contest judge, reviews her notes before announcing the Tiny Doors Award winner, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019, in Atlanta. Singer, an artist for the Atlanta-based community project Tiny Doors ATL, unveiled a Tiny Door installment in Woodruff Park after Doggy Con. (AP Photo/Andrea Smith)Two dogs wear coordinating sheriff costumes for Doggy Con in Woodruff Park, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019, in Atlanta. Doggy Con is a local event inspired by the internationally known Dragon Con pop culture convention. (AP Photo/Andrea Smith)Pete Kriengsiri, a volunteer with the Atlanta Humane Society, keeps Raja the dog company during Doggy Con in Woodruff Park, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019, in Atlanta. Humane society volunteers brought multiple dogs up for adoption to the event, which was inspired by the larger pop-culture convention Dragon Con. (AP Photo/Andrea Smith)
