but enough yapping … i know everyone wants to know the winner of the draw for a free scruffy dog photoshoot.  as always, my girl Matea — second scruffy in command around here — picks the winning ballot every year …

she takes her job pretty seriously … sniffing carefully through them all.  in fact, we had one booth visitor — upon learning that Matea is the official picker — use one of the liver treats to “spike” her ballot … rubbing the treat over every square inch of the hopeful ballot.  i’m not sure if this is the one that my girl ultimately chose; she’s not easily swayed.

but she was mighty proud of her pick, regardless.

and the winner of this year’s scruffy dog photo session is …

… Isadora P. and Wolfgang, the Irish Wolfhound!  figures Matea would choose another big, leggy wirehaired.  she’s often been mistaken for a wolfhound herself.

but not to be outdown by his sister, Merrick wanted to pick a ballot too, and given that he’s still in the training stages, learning lots from his big sister, i could hardly deny him.

so we have a second winner …

Melissa M. and her little King Louis, the chihuahua.  as runner-up, i’m offering $50 in scruffy dog dollars, to be used for your little King Louis towards a shoot or prints and products … however you like.

i look forward to meeting these two 4-leggers, but as i mentioned in yesterday’s newsletter there were so many amazing dogs i met over the weekend whom i would love to meet up with my cameras … gorgeous, beautiful beasties! … all of them!

also, if you didn’t receive yesterday’s newsletter, drop us an email — info@scruffydogphotography.com — and we’ll rectify that pronto.

have an awesome, scruffy weekend, everyone.  and scritches to your 4-leggers from me and the scruffies.

the voting was fast and frenzied, and we had a ton of submissions … 84 in all … and thousands of votes.  and the winner of the scruffy dog photo session is: Rome and her pug-girl, Munchkin of Toronto …

photo submitted by owner

congratulations, Rome.  contact us at SDP soon to book your shoot.  i look forward to meeting little Munchkin at her photo shoot!

because of the huge number of entries, i decided to have second and third place winners.  here are Kaidee and Murphy …

photo submitted by owner

photo submitted by owner

both Shelley and Jackie will receive $50 off of a photo session for being runners-up.

and because there were just so many entries and wonderful faces, i’ve decided that the next ten runners-up will receive 10% off any scruffy dog photo session.  here they are, in no particular order …

although i’m not a huge fan of these kinds of voting contests, i do love seeing new scruffy faces and definitely love giving out prizes and gifts.  so i have every intention of holding more contests in the near future, but would love to hear from YOU!  what kinds of contests would you like to see? what types of criteria? categories?  what would YOU like to see?

and do you have any ideas as to how a contest could benefit a rescue organization or shelter?  we want to hear!   of course, every year scruffy dog photography raises thousands of dollars for the Kitchener-Waterloo Humane Society through the shooting and design of the annual KWHS calendar, and today at noon voting starts for the finalists for the calendar contestants to win their place in the KWHS 2012 calendar.  and this year, contestants are all formerly adopted pets from the KWHS.  i’m looking forward to meeting them for their shoots!

thank you again to all who participated in the first scruffy dog photography contest.  please let us know what you would like to see in the future in your comments below or via email, and as always, stay tuned to the facebook page for announcements of upcoming events, specials and more contests!

but i thought it would be fun to have our very own scruffy dog contest … to open up the possibility of a session to anyone.  you even!  or, well, your dog, actually.

so how does this work?  well, every contest needs a few boundaries and limitations, so here goes …

RULES:

• the contest is open to anyone regardless of geography.  the only requirement is that, if you are the winner, you have to come here — the Waterloo region — for your shoot  [hey, scruffy dog clients drive from Ottawa, Windsor, and across the border ... in fact, our first client from California is due this summer.  what's a little driving?];
• you are not eligible if your dog is already a member of the scruffy dog family, and this includes calendar shoots;
• sorry Fluffy, dogs only for this one;
• one dog per household;
• the winner must schedule their shoot to take place before August 1st.

HOW TO ENTER:

• entries must be received by midnight March 20th;
• you must submit a recent photo of your dog, taken by you;
• the size of the photo, ideally, should be 72dpi (low-res/web-ready) and 720 pixels on the long side;
• mail your entry to info@scruffydogphotography.com using the subject header: “My dog wants to join the scruffy dog family!”  [without this subject header, your entry may end up in the Spam folder and promptly consumed by the resident scruffies];
• be sure to include your name and contact information [your contact information will not be published];
• also include your dog’s name and a short, one-line description.

HOW THE VOTING WORKS:

since we’re celebrating 600 followers, we’re using facebook for our contest!

• several days after the contest closes on March 20th, all of the entry photos will be up on facebook and an announcement made;
• if you aren’t already (and why not?), you’ll need to become a follower of the scruffy dog photography faceboook page … this is where you’ll be voting. really, it’s easy!
• voting is done by “liking” the image, and anyone who follows SDP on facebook can vote!

IMPORTANT NOTE: you and other followers of the SDP facebook page can vote for more than one dog by “liking” their photo, but there’s only one “like” per dog per person possible.  so, tell your family, tell your friends … anyone can help you with the voting and win your Rover their place in the SDP family and a portfolio of one-of-a-kind photos!

the winner of the contest receives their very own Starter Session!  [of course, the value of the Starter can be applied towards a Standard if you should choose to upgrade to the full three-hour session, or even a Serious Session if you'd like to make a day of it.  to learn about the different sessions, you can visit the main website.] if the winner fails to schedule their shoot by May 1st (to take place before August 1st), the opportunity will go to the second runner-up.

so, get those photos sent in!  and get ready to vote!  i’m looking forward to seeing a whole crop of new faces!

if you would like to win a free scruffy dog mini-shoot and have your pet appear in the 2011 calendar, get your entry in TODAY!!

guidelines and rules are as followed (posted on the KWHS facebook page):

Have a cute or funny photo of your pet? Enter the Kitchener-Waterloo Humane Society (KWHS) Pet Photo Contest. Each year our Centre creates an animal themed calendar to raise money for the orphaned animals of K-W. This year we need your help. Your pet could be one of 12 lucky pets in our community that will be showcased in our 2011 Calendar. Photo’s must be submitted before April 16, 2010.

The top 12 photos that receive the most votes (as voted by the public), will win a place in our annual fundraising calendar and a private mini photo shoot with Scruffy Dog Photography (valued at $75). One lucky winner will become the KWHS 2011 Mascot and win free admission to all KWHS events in 2011, and a KWHS gift package (valued at $150). Please read the submission guidelines before you submit your photo. Vote for your favourite photo in your next edition of CentreNews. Voting runs from April 21 to May 10, 2010.

Submit a photo to: amanda.liebeck@kwhumane.com
Name:
Mailing Address:
Phone Number:
Pet’s Name:
Photo Caption:

Thank you!!!

Pet Photo Contest Rules and Guidelines

The Kitchener-Waterloo Humane Society’s (KWHS) Annual Photo contest will consist of 30 pre-chosen photos.

These pictures can be a themed, captioned or funny pet photo that you have taken. The top 30 submissions will be selected by the KWHS Staff, the chosen 30 photos will then be voted on by the public.

The top 12 pet photos receiving the most votes will win a place in our Annual Fundraising Calendar and a private mini shoot with Scruffy Dog Photography (valued at $75). Dates for the photo shoots will be arranged with our winners and Scruffy Dog Photography. In addition, one lucky winner (who receives the most votes) will become the KWHS mascot and win free admission to KWHS events and a KWHS gift package valued at $150.

Remember to submit your photos before the deadline; 4 p.m. April 16, 2010.

Rules & Guidelines – Submitting Photos

1.To enter, you must be a resident of Kitchener, Waterloo and North Waterloo.
2.Employees and Board Members of the KWHS are not eligible.
3.The photo subject must be a pet related photo and have been taken within the last 12 months.
4.Entries must be submitted by the original photographer (amateur photographers only). Do not submit a photo taken by someone other than yourself. You must be sole owner of the copyright of any image submitted. Your submission of the photo is your guarantee that you are the author and copyright holder of the photo.
5.All photos must be submitted in .JPEG file format via email only. Minor digital enhancement is permitted, but images that have been significantly modified or appear unnatural will not be accepted.
6.All photos must be submitted to amanda.liebeck@kwhumane.com by the deadline: 4 p.m., April 16, 2010. Please include your name, address, phone number, pet’s name, photo description, and photo caption with your emailed submission.
7.There is no fee to submit a photo.
8.A maximum of one photo per household/family can be submitted.
9.Photos with vulgarities will not be accepted.
10.Photos must be in landscape format and in focus.
11.Submitted photographs become the property of the Kitchener-Waterloo Humane Society and will not be returned. By submitting your photo, you are granting permission for the picture to be published in KWHS written, online, and media publications.
12.Prizes will be awarded to the best entries (as voted by the public).
13.Photos will be judged on the basis of creativity, photographic quality and effectiveness in conveying the pet’s personality.

Rules & Guidelines – Voting on Photos

1.Vote for you favourite photos between April 21 and May 10, 2010.
2.You can vote via our website at www.kwhumane.com, Facebook Fan page at www.facebook.com/KitchenerWaterlooHumaneSociety or by coming into the Centre at 250 Riverbend Drive in Kitchener.
3.There is no fee to vote – but donations are always welcome!

… you have until 4 p.m. this Friday (April 16) to get your entry in, so what are you waiting for?!