Page 13: Real Housewives of Melbourne star Gamble Breaux hosts Poochie Pageant event
A Real Housewives of Melbourne star is behind this ‘Miss Universe for mutts’ charity event attended by the city’s well-heeled.
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Glam chihuahua’s and preened pomeranians wearing ribbons in crimped fur-perms pranced past us in a huff, not pleased with the gathering rain.
Elsewhere a bichon squatted uncomfortably beside a grassy knoll, her gold and green metallic princess dress askew.
The bichon’s eyes were bulging even more than usual, mortified that she had been caught in a wardrobe malfunction with leg cocked, just before showtime.
Later another yapper had to be carried down the grass runway due to a bad case of the shakes.
The poor pup was simply a nervous wreck, brimming with anxiety and in need of its daily doggie Xanax dose, which it took every six hours.
Looking around the scenes of shambolic, barking madness, it was evident the highly-prescribed pampered pooch wasn’t alone.
Welcome to the Poochie Pageant, think a charity event for furry fashionistas, a Miss Universe for mutts, with dog-moms, to match.
The founder of the charity pooch pageant, Real Housewives of Melbourne star Gamble Breaux, concedes she was never much of a dog breeder. She couldn’t bring herself to part with any of her beloved fluff balls, so kept them all.
Her six yapping pomeranians know they are best in show and have the attitude to match.
Wearing a silver sequined ballgown with a thigh -high split and the bouffant of all bouffants, Breaux’s passion for pooches is catching. Donning cowboy boots instead of her normal sky scraping stilettos she fetches water bowls, finds leashes, gets down on all fours to encourage the pups and hangs sashes on the winning hounds.
Breaux was the hostess with the mostess at her sprawling Mt Eliza home where the inaugural Poochie Pageant took place on a dog day afternoon in her grassy, turning slightly boggy, backyard.
The event, sponsored by Breaux’s laser-eye-surgeon-to-the-stars husband Dr Rick Wolfe is to raise much needed funds for children’s charity Variety.
Think “humans and canines,” exclaimed a wide-eyed judge as we wondered what we had got ourselves into.
But it’s not every day you get asked to judge Australia’s “sexiest” dog category.
Back to the best in show and the pooch pageant had hit a snag.
Doggie show nerves were being put to the test as Breaux’s friend and former colleague, lawyer Gina Liano’s two toy cavoodles, Chewie and Noodle went on the attack, snarling as the pageant dogs pranced past.
Gina was looking her usual million bucks in a body hugging electric blue number.
“That’s not a thoroughbred,” she exclaimed, looking down at a poor kelpie, which was wondering how it had got caught up in the madness.
“That’s a stray, a mongrel, it looks like a dog off the street,” she sniffed.
The event was a howling success.
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