Prom dates can be very disappointing -- they don't know how to dance, don't talk to you, won't pose for pictures, chase everyone else around and drool on you. But that's all totally cool if you go to the dance with a dog.
Puppy Prom, hosted by fashion designer Rachel Antonoff on June 11 in Brooklyn, came to the rescue by washing away uncomfortable human prom memories, raising money for New York-based shelter Animal Haven and helping find homes for some adorable dogs.
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The dogs showed up wearing their finest tiny tuxes, tulle skirts, ties and taffeta gowns. Many fashion-minded pups wore custom looks.
Antonoff's date was her dog, Lafitte, which she adopted about six months ago after devoting plenty of time to the life-consuming pastime of looking for a pet online.
"The nightly thing for me was just scrolling through the dogs," Antonoff told Mashable. "I applied for some dogs, but other people got them first, which was wonderful."
Eventually, she and Lafitte found each other thanks to Bark Buddy's matchmaking. He was in a high-kill shelter with 24 hours left to live when Antonoff happened to be visiting the city, so she went to meet him and the two have been with each other ever since.
Antonoff wasn't looking for a specific type of dog, but realized when going through her saved adoptable dogs that she gravitates towards, "wiry, scruffy little dumpster divers." She's not quite sure what breeds he came from, but she has her suspicions and recently submitted his DNA for testing.
The dogs shone like diamonds as they hit the dance floor to Rihanna, made some new friends and ran around with non-toxic fabric flower bouquets. Although an official prom king and queen were selected, every dog deserved the title.
At the end of the night, several prospective dog owners filled out applications to take home the adoptable dogs at the event.
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