Salty Snout Showdown promises ‘beautiful chaos’ while raising money for Pet Helpers
by Liv Dennis | Contributing Writer
Dogs will take center stage on Folly Beach Saturday, Sept. 19 for a competition where weird tricks, big personalities, and questionable fashion choices could earn them a trophy.
The inaugural Salty Snout Showdown, described by organizer Pat Hiban as “American Idol for dogs,” will bring dogs and their owners to The Washout from 6-9 p.m. for an evening of unusual contests, costumes, celebrity judges, famous hosts, adoptable pets, and plenty of “beautiful chaos.”
The first-year event is being billed as “A Slightly Unhinged Dog Contest,” was designed to be part dog contest, part adoption drive, and part public party. Proceeds will benefit Pet Helpers, a Charleston-area animal rescue organization, located just off the beach on James Island.
“I want people to just have fun and appreciate dogs,” Hiban said.
The idea for the Salty Dog Showdown came to Folly local Hiban after he saw a similar dog contest in Fayetteville, Ark., and thought that Folly Beach could benefit from a similar event.
Hiban said he originally put the idea out there a couple of years ago but struggled to find someone willing to help organize it. That changed when he told his neighbor, local realtor and surfer Carrie Danker, about the idea and she offered to help.
Hiban and Danker began working on the event together about a year ago, developing the concept into what they hope will become an annual event on Folly Beach.
The competition will feature six categories, each designed to highlight a different side of the dogs and their personalities. Dogs can enter individual contests for $10 each, or owners can enter their dogs in all five for $50. The Golden Bone, the event’s ultimate title, is included free with every entry.
The “Most Like Its Owner” category asks whether a dog truly shares its owner’s personality. The “Folly Beach Vibe” category will look for the dog that best captures the island’s “salty coastal spirit.”
Then there is “Asinine Dog Tricks,” in which organizers encourage participants to embrace the unusual. “Best Costume” gives dogs and their owners a chance to show off their creativity, while “The Boujee Bone” is reserved for the dog that doesn’t fetch because “they’re fetched for.”
Finally, there is “The Golden Bone,” the ultimate title of the evening.
While the competition is intended to be entertaining, the event has a serious mission behind it.
Pet Helpers is currently caring for more than 500 dogs and cats, according to Hiban, even though the shelter is designed for about 250 animals.
“They have dogs and cats everywhere, but they can’t turn them down,” Hiban said. “It’s a no-kill shelter, and if someone drops off a dog, they’re not going to turn it down.”
Hiban said the organization spends about $200,000 each month to operate, making fundraising a major goal of the event.
Organizers also plan to have 10 adoptable dogs at the event, hoping the exposure will help them find permanent homes.
For Hiban, Pet Helpers was a natural organization to support because of its ties to Folly Beach. Pet Helpers founder Carol Linville lives on Folly, as does CFO Shauna Shackleton.
The organizers also wanted to give the event enough star power to attract a crowd in its first year.
Hiban said the organizers reached out to Jackass star Bam Margera and his wife, model and fitness professional Dannii Marie, through Instagram, and the pair agreed to host the event.
Dannii had already been involved with animal adoption efforts in the Miami area and had previously visited Pet Helpers, where she donated and, according to Hiban, adopted a cat.
“She was familiar with Pet Helpers, which we didn’t know of,” Hiban said. “We got lucky with that.”
The event will also feature celebrity guest judges Whit Slagsvol and Roddy Rey of Bravo TV’s “Southern Charm,” along with popular civic reporter and ADHD advocate Bill Olson.
Hiban said bringing recognizable names into the event was intentional. While he believed he and the other organizers could put on the contest themselves, he thought celebrity hosts and judges would help draw a larger crowd and give the event a stronger start.
The event will offer general admission, known as the “Ruff Section,” as well as VIP seating in “The Boneyard.”
The Washout owner Greg Marshall and his son, Greg Marshall Jr., have also helped with the event. Marshall Jr. is part of the organizing committee and has helped facilitate the planning.
For Hiban, one of the most enjoyable parts of putting the event together has been the creativity involved in turning an idea into a real event.
“The whole process of kind of making it work and the creativity behind it and putting it all together,” he said. “It’s like having a big party that you’re in charge of but it’s for a good cause.”
As the first Salty Snout Showdown approaches, Hiban knows there are still plenty of details to work out.
“We’ve never done it before. We’re kind of just winging it,” he said. “There’s no playbook for it. The playbook is how to have a party.”
Still, he already has a clear picture of what success would look like: raising $200,000 for Pet Helpers, finding homes for all 10 adoptable dogs, and making sure everyone has a good time.
“It’s kind of like a wedding, right?” Hiban said. “You don’t want anything to go wrong. You just want everything to go smoothly.”
The inaugural Salty Snout Showdown benefiting Pet Helpers will be held on Saturday, Sept. 19, at The Washout, located at 41 Center St. Tickets are $25. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.saltysnoutshowdown.com.
