MUTT NUTS GATHER AT NEW BREED OF DOG SHOW.

Byline: Alex Dobuzinskis Staff Writer

The mutt ruled Sunday at Pierce College, as more than 400 of the dogs competed in such categories as Best Kisser and Best Singer in a show created as an alternative to the pure-breed kind.

Actress Kim Basinger and several celebrity judges participated in Nuts for Mutts, which was organized as a fund-raiser for New Leash on Life Animal Rescue.

``They really care. They've dedicated their lives to the rescue mission of animals, whether they're sick or injured or unwanted,'' Basinger said.

Some 4,000 people attended the event last year, said New Leash on Life co-founder Bobby Dorafshar, who estimated attendance was higher this year. Most of the mutts who competed were rescued from animal shelters or bad owners.

Among the more than 400 mutts in the competition was Buddy, who took second in the Best Singer category with help from harmonica-playing owner Mike Kasaba, who formed a dog symphony with his 6-year-old violinist daughter, Isabella, and 3-year-old son, James, who conducted.

``He'll sing for the violin. He'll sing for the harmonica. He just can't help himself,'' said Kasaba, 38, of Topanga.

Fred Wodnicki, 46, of North Hollywood was eager to parade his dog Trixy in front of the judges, even though her hind legs have not worked for nine years because of paralysis. Trixy moved along on her front legs, with her hind legs on a set of wheels that also supported a miniature ambulance. The small dog was dressed as a nurse.

Less zany but more imposing was Koti, who won a first-place prize in the Most Beautiful Large Breed category. Koti, a 3-year-old rescued from a breeder who left a pack of dogs unattended in a back yard, is at least part Alaskan malamute and could have some wolf in her, said owner Lauri Foster.

``She looks it, though we don't know for sure,'' said Foster, 45, of Chatsworth.

The winner in the Best Kisser category was Riley, a Los Angeles dog that gave celebrity judge Debra Wilson of ``Mad TV'' an extended kiss after being announced as the winner in the category.

Other categories included Longest Tail, Fastest Eater and Best Dancer. Dorafshar said he hoped to raise $100,000 for New Leash on Life with the event. The nonprofit organization runs an education, rehabilitation and adoption center in Newhall.

To complement the hundreds of dogs strolling the grounds at the Pierce College football field, the weather had a dog day feel to it as the temperature reached a summerlike high of 85 degrees.

Despite the heat, dog owners plunked down their money at booths selling everything from doggy furniture to a chiropractic service for pooches.

Alex Dobuzinskis, [phone]

alex.dobuzinskis(at)dailynews.com