The bar on Milwaukee celebrities must be set pretty low, because I was asked to be, and obliged to serve, as a "celebrity judge" at Sunday's Dog Day Afternoon. Along with the Cactus Club's Eric Uecke and Jose the "super barber," we had the pleasure of picking the winners of the doggie costume contest. And let me tell you, there's nothing funnier (or cuter) than dogs in costumes.

Since I figured my own dog was ineligible to win -- though she had plenty of fun prancing around as a princess -- I felt little pressure to pick the winners. The dogs competed in small, medium and large classes, and the most creative costume belonged to the tiny Chihuahua dressed as a flower garden (see above). But in my book, any dog that wore a Halloween costume was a winner. Even if they were more interested in sniffing butts than showing off to the judges.

Despite the heat, many turned out for the fourth annual Dog Day Afternoon. It's good to see the neighborhood participate in the doggy blessing, the free cups of puppy custard from Bella's Fat Cat, and of course the costume contest -- all for a worthy charity called Best Friends Animal Society. It was yet another brainchild of my friend, the "civilian alderman" of Bay View, Bill Rouleau. With the help of his detail-oriented and dedicated girlfriend, Kate, the event went off without a hitch.

If I'm a celebrity, you know they're dredging the bottom of the barrel -- but I hope to be asked back next year.