Photo courtesy: Lana Welborn
The Aiding Animals Club at the University of Mississippi held its first-ever dog pageant, “Tails and Tiaras,” on Sunday, March 30, to showcase the beauty of man’s best friend and raise funds for Second Chance Animal Alliance
Second Chance Animal Alliance is a nonprofit animal rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming organization based in Water Valley, Miss.. The goal for this pageant was to raise $1,000 for the organization. Donations totaled $1,077.
From corgis to golden retrievers, the event featured 23 dogs of various breeds — and one cat — parading across the stage in costumes. The judges panel consisted of two pageant queens: Madison Belk, the winner of 2025 Miss Tupelo, and Mckenzie Cox, the winner of Miss University, and two football players.
Among these canines was Oxford, Ford for short, a golden retriever owned by senior elementary education major Julie-Ann Grice and sophomore general business major Chad Chudy. The couple decided to join the pageant after hearing about it from a member of the Aiding Animals Club.
“(Ford) did so well with potty training and everything when we got him. We’re the luckiest parents,” Grice said. “He’s such a good boy.”
Connor Eaton, a senior accounting major from Booneville, Miss., brought his one-eyed black poodle, Ari, after his friend encouraged him to participate.
“Ari’s my favorite thing in the world.”
The categories for the pageant included “Best Behaved,” “Best Dressed” and “Most Talented,” Which was awarded to the overall winner
The winner, Brewer, a labrador and german shepard mix, was crowned as “Most Talented”– the highest honor at the pageant, followed by “Best Behaved” and “Best Dressed.”
In his lobster costume, Brewer, owned by Baltimore native and junior integrated marketing communications Cece Cooke, garnered much attention from the crowd with his skills in sitting and spinning around.
Cooke attributed the car ride over to the pageant to his success.
“On the way here we listened to ‘Who Let The Dogs Out.’ I really think that pumped him up,” Cooke said.
Despite Brewer’s lack of training, Cooke said he was a natural on the stage.
“He just did his thing,” Cooke said.
Macy Matthews, a senior integrated marketing communications major from Boonville, Miss., and executive member of the Aiding Animals Club, said the event was sponsored by many businesses, including Celsius.
“We had so many different businesses — big and small — that wanted to help,” Matthews said.
Matthres said her goal with this event was to make a difference in the community.
“I’m just so glad that I could be a part of an organization with a great impact on animals in the area as one of my last hoo-rahs as an Ole Miss senior,” Matthews said.
The Second Chance Animal Alliance also held an open adoption for guests to meet and potentially take home the dogs at the shelter.
Event Coordinator for Aiding Animals Club, Noah Doty, a senior criminal justice major, from Batesville, Miss., chose to collaborate with Second Chance Animals Alliance Club because of the opportunities they provide UM students to foster animals from their shelter.
“They do a great job adopting (and) foster families for the dogs,” Doty said. “You can just spend a day with them — it’s great for college students here. There are a lot of students here (who) get homesick.”
Doty created the event to attract the attention of UM students for the Aiding Animals Club.
“It allows people from the community to come in and bring pets and whatnot,” Doty said. “We thought it would be a good way to raise money as well.”
