Wednesday, June 20, 2012, Washington, D.C. – Best in Shelter (www.bestinshelter.org), a nonprofit organization aimed at raising the public’s awareness of animal shelters, is pleased to announce the winning dogs of the first virtual dog show.

The Animal Welfare League of Arlington (www.awla.org), the Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation (www.lostdogrescue.org), the Washington Animal Rescue League (www.warl.org) and the Washington Humane Society (www.washhumane.org) entered four shelter dogs each, for sixteen dogs in total, and Best In Shelter opened the voting to the public June 14 through June 17. The dog with the most votes won the grand prize for their shelter, followed by the second and third place dogs for their shelters. Each of the dogs entered were available for immediate adoption.

Gaston is the winner. The Animal Welfare League of Arlington will receive the grand prize of $50,000.  Cowboy wins the second place prize of $25,000 for the Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation of Arlington. Coming in third is Buster from the Washington Animal Rescue League. WARL will receive $15,000. In fourth place is Hugo from the Washington Human Society. Each shelter has already received $5,000 from Best in Shelter for being selected to participate.

Visitors to Best in Shelter were encouraged to watch the videos and read the descriptions for every dog. According to the four participating shelters, the competition was successful not only in making potential owners aware of the merits of shelter pets, but in actually adopting the dogs featured on the site. According to the participating shelters, several of the dogs have been adopted: Pooh Bear and Rumor (Animal Welfare League of Arlington); Pepper (Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation); Max and Bella (Washington Animal Rescue League); Ewok and Hugo (Washington Humane Society.) Cowboy, our second place dog, leads the pack with 20 adoption requests. Overall, more than thirty adoption requests have been received for the dogs on the Best in Shelter site.

Best in Shelter Founder and President Martha Grimes stated, “Congratulations to Gaston and the Animal Welfare League of Arlington.  It’s hard to pick a winner when all of the sixteen dogs are so wonderful. We’d like to congratulate all four of the participating shelters and hope they are pleased with the attention and financial resources they received from entering the competition. I’d also like to thank the visitors to the site who generously donated money to the Best in Shelter cause of letting people know that shelter dogs are equal to pure bred dogs in every way when it comes bringing a pet home.”

Grimes, a long time animal rights supporter and advocate, established Best in Shelter in 2011 to encourage shelter adoptions.  As the owner of two shelter cats, she is looking forward to the next virtual pet show for cats.

Contact:
Kent Holland
Plesser Holland Assoc.
202-629-3450 / kholland@plesser.com

Originally published on: http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2012/may/23/awla-shelter-competition/

You’ve heard of ‘Best in Show’, but what about ‘Best in Shelter’?

The first virtual dog show is putting four Washington-area animal shelters in the national spotlight while finding happy homes for their residents.

For now, it’s business as usual at the Animal Welfare League of Arlington. Soon, however, some of their four-legged friends will become internet celebrities.

The four shelter will each submit short videos of four adoptable pets. Viewers will get to decide the winner.

Neil Trent, executive director of the Animal Welfare League of Arlington, said, “We’ll be out there with all our makeup, trying to make the animals as pretty as possible.”

“We plan on winning, and we know our dogs are going to ham it up. We’re going to pick some movie stars,” added Barbara Hutcheson, adoptions coordinator and medical director for the Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation.

Hutcheson said the exposure is priceless.

Sixty-two percent of all U.S. households have a pet, but only 25 percent of cats and dogs come from shelters.

Washington, D.C. Lanai Butler said, “It brings awareness, cause I’m a web surfer myself …That’s a great idea. I just love the idea.”

Aside from finding the competitors a forever home, the competition also has a financial benefit.

The winning shelter will take home $50,000, second prize is $25,000, with the third place shelter taking $15,000.

Voting for “Best in Shelter” will be held from June 14 until June 17.

Originally published on: http://www.wjla.com/articles/2012/05/-best-in-shelter-virtual-dog-show-gives-shelter-pets-the-spotlight-75823.html

Read the full article on washingtonpost.com.

Participating rescue organizations will enter up to four dogs eligible for adoption into the competition at www.bestinshelter.org. The public can view short video clips showing off the dog’s personality and/or unique character traits, and vote for their favorite pup between June 14 thru June 17th, 2012.

“Best in Shelter” gives dogs who have a harder time getting adopted a chance to strut their stuff and show off what they have to offer a new family,” says Colleen Learch, volunteer and Board member with Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation. “We’re thrilled that Best in Shelter is giving our pups this opportunity, and proud to be chosen as one of the four competing area rescue organizations. By sponsoring this, Ms. Grimes really is making a difference for rescue dogs.”

The first place winner will receive $50,000 for their rescue from Best in Shelter. Second and third place winners will receive $15,000 and $25,000, respectively. Participating rescues are limited to one cash prize.

Participating dogs from Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation will be announced by June 11, 2012.

About Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation: Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation (LDCRF) is a 501(C)(3) not-for-profit organization, established in 2001. The organization’s mission is to rescue abandoned dogs and cats from the threat of euthanasia in over-crowded shelters or other at-risk situations, and place then for adoption into loving homes. All animals in the care of LDCRF are spayed or neutered, and fully vaccinated prior to adoption, and any special medical needs are addressed. Since 2001, Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation found homes for over 17,000 dogs and cats. For more information, and to see the dogs and cats currently awaiting homes, go to www.lostdogrescue.org

Contact
Colleen Learch
Volunteer, Board member
Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation
571-212-7426
colleenlearch@lostdogrescue.org

WASHINGTON, DC – The Washington Animal Rescue League has been selected to take part in the first “Best in Shelter” Virtual Dog Show, to take place online, June 14-17.  The League was one of four Washington, D.C.-area shelters selected to participate in the event.

The dogs will be featured on www.bestinshelter.org  where the public may log on and vote for their favorite dog.  The winning dog will win $50,000 for his or her respective shelter.  Second prize is $25,000, while third prize is $15,000.  All dogs featured in the competition will be available for adoption immediately following the competition.

The event is sponsored by best-selling mystery author and animal rights activist Martha Grimes, who was inspired to create the event after seeing animal rights commercials during one of the annual televised “Best in Show” dog shows.  Grimes established “Best in Shelter” to bring public awareness to the plight of homeless dogs and help educate the public about the wonderful dogs in need of caring families who are available in area shelters.

The Washington Animal Rescue League will submit videos of four dogs for the competition to represent Washington’s oldest animal shelter in the competition.  But the League’s Chief Operating Officer Mary Jarvis says the real winners of the competition will be the dogs themselves.

“There are so many homeless animals in area shelters, and we’re very appreciative that Martha Grimes has dedicated her own resources to make this event a success and provide such needed support to our shelters,” said Jarvis.  “We’re proud to have been selected to participate and very excited to show off some of the wonderful dogs we have available for adoption. “

The Washington Animal Rescue League will give the public a sneak peak at their participating dogs at www.warl.org and on Facebook.

About the Washington Animal Rescue League

The oldest animal shelter in the District of Columbia, the League has a mission to rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome animals who have nowhere else to go.  Its facility is painstakingly designed from the animals’ point of view to make it one of the most humane animal shelters in the world.  The full-service Medical Center serves the companion animals of low-income pet guardians, as well as shelter animals. The League is located at 71 Oglethorpe Street, NW, Washington, DC. . Visit www.warl.org and lend us your support at www.warl.org/Donate!

Contact

Matt Williams,
Chief Communications Officer,
202-375-7750 (O)
202-280-9412 (M)
Matt.Williams@warl.org

“We are delighted that Best in Shelterhas selected the Washington Humane Society to participate in its inaugural show,” said Julie Conway, Chief Development Officer, Washington Humane Society. “We appreciate the opportunity to work with organizations that spotlight our community’s animals and support our extensive efforts to help all adoptable pets find the loving homes they deserve.”

The public is encouraged to vote for their favorite dog up to once per day during the competition. The dog with the most votes at the end of voting will earn $50,000 for its shelter. Dogs placing second and third will earn $25,000 and $15,000 for their shelters, respectively. There is a limit of one winner per participating organization.

Best in Shelter, inspired by the major “best in show” dog competitions, aims to raise awareness of animal shelters and rescue groups and combat stereotypes of the animals under their care. Shelters are temporary homes to hundreds of healthy, family-friendly animals. Most pets end up homeless through no fault of their own —”moving” and “landlord issues” are among the top reasons people offer for relinquishing their pets. WHS has a variety of animals of different breeds, sizes and exercise preferences to fit the needs of individual families, and some of these dogs will be featured in the competition.

ABOUT THE WASHINGTON HUMANE SOCIETY

The Washington Humane Society, the only Congressionally-chartered animal welfare agency in the United States, has been the leading voice for animals in the District of Columbia since 1870. As the open-access shelter in the nation’s capital, no call for help goes unanswered, and no animal is ever turned away. The Washington Humane Society provides protection and care to nearly 30,000 animals each year through its broad range of programs and services including: sheltering, adoption, humane law enforcement, spay and neuter, humane education, human – animal rehabilitation programs, and lost and found services. For more information, please visit www.washhumane.org.

Media Contact:

Jacquie Toppings,
Director of Marketing & Communications
202-683-1841,
jtoppings@washhumane.org

Each shelter will submit short video clips of four of its available dogs to the Best in Show Web site. The public can vote for favorite videos from June 14 through June 17, 2012. The shelter whose video gets the most votes will win $50,000. Second prize is $25,000 and third prize is $15,000. All the shelters win $5,000 for participating.

“We are thrilled for the chance to compete for such a generous prize and to show off our adorable dogs for adoption,” says Neil Trent, League Executive Director. “We embrace any opportunity to show the world that shelter dogs are just as happy and healthy as show dogs.”

About the League. Since 1944, the Animal Welfare League of Arlington has been committed to the humane treatment of animals and to the promotion of animal welfare. Our vision is to create a world where all companion animals find compassionate and permanent homes. The League provides temporary care and refuge for homeless and suffering animals, places animals in loving, responsible homes, provides animal control services to Arlington County, educates the public, and provides a wide variety of community services.

Contact:

Neil Trent
Executive Director
703-931-9241 x 203
ntrent@awla.org