The Animal Rescue Foundation, an animal welfare charity founded by Tony La Russa, the St. Louis Cardinals’ manager and former Major League Baseball player, will hold its second annual Winemaker’s Dinner and Dog Fashion Show on Thurs., Feb. 1 at 6 p.m. in Concord, Calif.
The event, which benefits the Animal Rescue Foundation, features a cocktail reception, dinner prepared by celebrity chef Dwayne Griffiths, wine tasting, and a doggie fashion show. Trophies will be awarded to winners of the fashion show in several categories including Best in Show, Dog and Owner Most Alike, Best Dressed under One Year Old, Best Dressed Ten Years and Older, Most Original Outfit, and Most Creative Outfit.
Canine guests can participate in the fashion show with pre-approval. Dinner tickets are $75, and entry into the fashion show is $25 per dog.
Tony La Russa founded ARF in 1991 after rescuing a stray cat that had wandered onto the baseball field during a game between the Oakland Athletics, where he was manager, and the New York Yankees. After the game La Russa took the cat to a local shelter but later found it a home when he was told it would be euthanized. The episode prompted La Russa and his wife, Elaine, to found the Bay Area’s first no-kill animal shelter.
Last year La Russa’s charity placed 1,608 animals in new homes.
Learn more about ARF and the Winemaker’s Dinner and Dog Fashion Show at www.arf.net