MT presents Cutest Pet Photo Contest

frank@mountaintimes.com

The Mountain Times wants you to put your best paw forward.

Or fin. Or talon. Or webbed foot.

The Mountain Times and The Pet Place have teamed up for the Cutest Pet Photo Contest, online at http://www.mountaintimes.com and now open for registration and voting.

For a $10 registration fee, readers can submit photos of their furry, feathered, scaled, hairless or otherwise coated friends to see just who's the cutest.

Voting costs 10 cents per vote and is available in blocks of 25 ($2.50), 50 ($5) or 100 ($10), "The reason for which is proceeds will benefit the Watauga Humane Society," Mountain Times Publications advertising director Charlie Price said.

Winners - or, at least, their owners - will receive more than $200 in gift certificates to The Pet Place, with first winning $125, second $75 and third $25. Plus, upon registration, contestants instantly receive a $5 Pet Place coupon via e-mail.

The contest ends April 30, and results will be published in the May 5 issue of The Mountain Times.
Even the Price family is taking a crack at the contest. Price's daughter, Laura, submitted a photo of her cat, Scooty, who he said "owns the couch and owns stock in Purina." (See accompanying photo.)
"But it's open to dogs, cats, birds, fish, turtles, hamsters, anything," Price said. "It's a fun thing to do, and it benefits a good cause. That's the whole spirit behind it."

It's a spirit that Watauga Humane Society's Ellen Jo Kraemer can appreciate.

"This is a very big transitional time for the Watauga Humane Society, as we are making plans as I speak to move into our new facility," she said. "We are having to deal with everything that comes with that, so any additional fundraising is appreciated. But even more than that is the idea that a cutest pet contest is going to ... help promote the joys of pet ownership, as well as adopting an animal from the shelter."

And that includes some of the shelter's newest guests.

"In the last week or so, there've been at least three dogs left chained to our fence outside our facility," Kraemer said. "The owners left water bowls when they abandoned their pets, but by the time our staff came in that morning, the water bowls were frozen over. This is why we do what we do.
Those are the kinds of things that raising money for our cause helps. They need food, often medical attention, and they often need a lot of rebuilding of trust."

In fact, Kraemer said she's certain she'll see some familiar faces, "as I feel many of the entrants will be animals that came from our shelter."

Readers can learn more about the Watauga Humane Society in "All About Pets," a special section exclusive to The Mountain Times, which will appear in the March 31 issue.

For more information about the Cutest Pet Photo Contest, visit http://www.mountaintimes.com.