A seasoned dog actor and a dachshund puppy won the two main prizes at the Narooma Winter Night Markets' dog fashion parade.
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Five-year old border terrier Zak and 10-year old Oskar Feddersen won the Best Dog/Owner Costume Combination at Saturday's Narooma Winter Night Markets Festival.
The Best in Show prize for best doggy costume went to Pretzel, a seven-month old mini-dachshund.
Zak is no stranger to attention. Zak has a starring role in Binge's new series Colin from Accounts, which will be broadcast later this year.
The series was recently shot in Sydney and required Zak to perform on the set 30 days back-to-back.
"He just walked on set each day and did his role," said Oskar's mother Melanie. "He was a super star."
Zak was previously owned by Melanie's sister, who trains animals for movies, television and live shows. She has trained animals for Home and Away, Peter Rabbit, and Babe II - Pig in the City.
She wanted Zak to live with a family and knew Zak wanted a boy owner. Zak has been living with Oskar for about a year.
It was Oskar who instigated their entry into the parade. He spotted the parade in the festival's program and assembled their matching outfits - wigs, glasses, furry vests and scarves - from his dressing-up box.
As an aspiring performer, possibly an acting duo with Zak, Oskar has an impressive collection of outfits sourced from his very creative late grandmother, as well as from dressing-up shops in Sydney.
Meanwhile, Pretzel, named for his pretzel-coloured coat, had just turned seven months old.
Co-owner Emma was visiting from Canberra and only heard about the parade the day before. She used felt and wire garden ties to make the pretzel shape of the outfit.
After stuffing the frame with with other fabric, a hot glue gun finished the job.
"Pretzel loves dressing up," said Emma. "He loves the attention."
Pretzel won a $100 gift voucher from The Narooma Dog Groomer, and Zak's prize was a $100 gift voucher from canine accessories business Zarla and Co.
Oskar intended to use the prize to buy three matching bow ties. One will be for Zak, one for his aunt's new dog, and one for himself.
Festival director Sally Bouckley was very pleased that around 1500 people braved the cold and rain to attend the inaugural festival.
She has donated all the festival's intellectual property, including the graphics and website, to Sharon Mason, artistic director of the Djaadjawan Dancers.
She did so with the hope that next year's Narooma Winter Night Markets Festival would be coordinated by a not-for-profit organisation run by First Nation's people.
