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| Gabriella Pyle and her cat, Gomer, won the Spay Day USA photo contest. |
Gabriella Pyle of Walnut Creek, Calif., is the top winner in the 2008 Spay Day USA Pet Photo Contest, hosted by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and sponsored by Zoombak and Nature’s Miracle. Pyle’s black and white photo of herself with Gomer, her cat, caught the judges’ eyes by conveying the bond she shares with her pet.
HSUS held the photo contest in conjunction with Spay Day USA to inspire people to show how their pets have impacted their lives. The organization received more than 31,500 entries, featuring pets as diverse as horses, rabbits, ferrets, birds and fish, as well as cats and dogs. A panel of celebrity chose the grand prize winner, 10 finalists and 25 honorable mention winners.
As winner of the grand prize, Pyle will receive a studio session with pet photographer Amanda Jones; a Zoombak Advanced GPS dog locator; assorted Nature’s Miracle products; and a $1,000 shopping spree at Humane Domain, the HSUS online store. Pyle also will be able to choose the recipient of a $5,000 grant, selecting from nonprofit organizations that participated in Spay Day USA.
Pyle submitted her contest entry in verse form: "When looking to adopt, I was shocked to see your name; I'd been teased when I was little and called the very same. Though I tried to just ignore you, and find a different cat, It was you who chose me that day, And how I was blessed by that!"
“It is an incredible honor that Gomer’s and my photo was selected as the grand prize winner,” Pyle said. “Believe me, the prizes alone are wonderful, but having the opportunity to be part of the critical effort to educate people about the importance of spaying and neutering their pets is the very best reward of all.”
To see the 10 contest finalists and the 25 honorable mentions, visit the Spay Day USA website.