UPDATE: Today (Monday, April 12th) the tally shall be counted and a winner announced! Winner to be announced by 4:00 PM MDT.
Here are the finalists for your voting pleasure!
Let me tell you how EXTREMELY difficult this was, narrowing down to these finalists. You are about to see the finalists but I’ll warn you: there are more than originally planned. There were so very many worthy entries and my helper and I spent a great deal of time ‘discussing’ which would make the short list. I don’t know if I could do this again — I wanted many more of the entries included. Some of the ones that particularly hurt to leave out were ones that had such heartwarming stories about their rescued dog or cat. I have a huge soft spot for rescued pets and the people who rescue them. Oh boy, this was tough, and I have to thank Steve for all the time spent with me in selecting these finalists. Thanks Steve! So let’s get this show on the road!
VOTING RULES:
- Voting is open beginning immediately until Midnight MDT on Sunday, April 11, 2010. Make sure to tell your friends, family, neighbours, the postman, ANYONE to vote for your entry! Post it to your own blog, your facebook status, or tweet about it … get the word out there!
- Each person may only vote ONCE for their selection. No Anonymous votes are allowed and I will be monitoring IP addresses to be sure there is no hanky panky so please play fair
I reserve the right to disqualify any entry due to suspicious activity. - HOW TO VOTE: Place your vote in the comments at the end of this post and PLEASE, to help me tally the votes, begin by using the number (#1, #6 or whatever) of your vote, before leaving any comments.
- HOW TO GET TWO VOTES: There IS a way that each person can get Two (2) votes for your selection. Here’s how: Go to Diane’s Facebook page and become a follower. Once you become a follower, come back here and add an additional comment beginning with “FOLLOWER”. (If your blog ID is not the name you use on Facebook, please let me know your real name so I can confirm it.) If you are already a follower at Facebook, you are already eligible for this second vote — please use the “FOLLOWER” in your second vote.
- The finalist with the most legitimate votes wins! So vote and send everyone you know over to vote for your entry as well! Good luck!
COPYRIGHT: Please note that these images are not to be copied, downloaded, or to be taken by screen shot. They are copyrighted and owned by the respective owners. Please respect their copyright — thank you.
Here are the finalists, in no particular order:
#1 – Max
“This is Max, my 6 yr old corgi. Max has been a huge part of my life, helping me get involed in dog sports. Because of him I have had the opportunity to learn and grow with him and to be a better owner/handler for him as well as my aussie. He was also my entry into species appropriate diet and learning about more natural health care.” ~ Loved by Kirsten Sharninghouse
# 2 – C.C.
“C.C. was the kitten of a stray that was killed by some stray dogs. He was barely weened. He wouldn’t let me near him, so I started leaving milk, and soft food. He started sleeping in my chicken pen & eventually let me pet him. I took him in and have loved him ever since. My husband called him chicken cat while I was thinking of a name, so I just went with C.C., short for chicken cat.” ~ Loved by Susie Jones.
#3 – Carbo
“Here’s my “little man,” Carbo. He was the sweetest, most special dog. Head-on shots of Carbo show his fantastic flying nun ears and soft brown eyes, but this is my very favourite photo of him – soaking up the sun and breathing in the fresh & crisp winter air.” ~ Loved and remembered by Kelly James.
#4 – Galen
“This photo of Galen captures the very essence of his personality. The snow sticking to him is from his zooming around and sticking his head in snow banks. He can be so silly one minute but then he can look like a wise old soul the next, as in this picture.” ~ Loved by Christine Ravetta
#5 – Buster
“I chose this because it is such a sweet shot of Buster and he is the sweetest of dogs…when he isn’t destroying things.” ~ Loved by Toni Johnson
#6 – Morley
“I picked this photo, as it’s very recent and Morley looks very proud and majestic.” ~ Loved by Nathen Jantzen.
#7 – Sophie
“Sophie has been with me a long time now. I adopted her when I was single, and she was with me at times I felt very alone. Everyday she ran up to greet me at my car door when I came home from work. If I go for a walk, she follows me, howling the whole way, except when we’re headed in the direction of home. She has been with me through my marriage and birth of two sons. She curls up with me at night now because that’s when she can have me to herself again. I picked this close up image because it reminds me how close she sticks to me, and how dear she is to me. I love her so.” ~ Loved by Shelli Bond Pabis.
#8 – Sami and Bella
“Pick up Sticks” is Sami the Australian Shepherd and Bella the harlequin Great Dane. “The two dogs were playing with the one big stick. Sami decided it was hers..and thus defended it with snarls and growls and more..and big Bella (although 3 times the size of little Sami) – backed off and ran away. Those of us who were watching were having a good laugh. Somehow and eventually – Bella got the stick from Sami…at which point Sami spent a good 10 minutes leaping up in the air to simply get her teeth around it…which she eventually did..and the two of them trotted on together sharing that one big stick.” Loved by Marcie Scudder.
#9 – Jesse
“Jesse is a service dog pup we raised for Pacific Assistance Dogs. His enthusiasm and energy resulted in him ultimately flunking out of advanced training, but his smarts and boldness meant that he’s gone on to train as a narcotics detection dog, specializing in cell phone detection work in the Florida prison system. We miss him!” ~ Missed by Andrea Pratt
#10 – Sebastien
“This is a photo of Sylvester. He’s not my cat. He belongs to my best friend and her son. My girlfriends son has an issue with self esteem. Sylvester is his confidant and the two are inseparable. Who says cats can’t see into the heart and soul only has to look into those eyes …” ~ Admired by Monica de Moss
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So those are the finalists! I only wish we could have included even more. Thank you to EVERYONE who entered. This was such a difficult process and there are still at least a handful that easily could have been included. Every entry was so worthy. So get your vote in and spread the word. There are only a few days to vote and the one with the most votes wins the contest! Don’t forget if you become (or already are) a follower of Diane Schuller Photography at Facebook, follow the instructions how to place a second vote! Good luck everyone!
