PAWS and The Tulsa World

PICTURE YOUR PET
2004 PAWS Photo Contest
Sign up your pet for the 2004 Paws Photo Contest.	Our community is faced with a serious pet overpopulation problem. The Tulsa Animal Shelter alone takes in nearly 15,000 unwanted pets EACH and EVERY year. Over 12,500 of those pets were destroyed in 2003 because there are simply not enough homes for them. 2004 is not off to a good start either - in the first quarter of 2004 there were 2,920 intakes at the Tulsa Animal Shelter and 2,836 of these companion animals were euthanized. But PAWS aims to change those statistics by pursuing an aggressive spay/neuter program, searching for suitable adoptive homes and educating the public about the pet overpopulation. The annual Tulsa World/PAWS photo contests helps fund PAWS programs.

2004 Photo Contest Results
Photo Contest July 10 2004

Over the past few weeks, we've met Tulsa World readers' cutest, most adorable pets.

Those pets include a stylishly dressed Boxer named Maya. Two cuddly lop-eared bunnies named Lily and Muffin. Bagel the beagle. A handsome pup named Winston, with a rolled-up Tulsa World in his mouth, even peeks over the top of our front page today.

Tulsa World readers outdid themselves for this year's pet photo contest, sending in hundreds of photos and raising more than $3,000 for PAWS and the Tulsa Animal Shelter. The proceeds will help provide veterinary care, housing and spay / neuter services for homeless, injured and abused pets in the Tulsa area.

Best dog Max, a silky terrier from Broken Arrow, couldn't resist peeking when his next-door neighbor, Carrie Allen-Cole, brought home a puppy. Allen-Cole, whose shot won the Best Dog title and a prize from Southern Agriculture, says she was out in the back yard taking pictures of her puppy when she spotted Max, curiously eyeing them through a gap in the fence. "He's ornery sometimes, but he's adorable," Allen-Cole says of the neighbor dog, who has become a close pal of her three dogs and enjoys "gossiping" with them through the fence.

Best people and dog Top honors in the People and Dog category and a "Happy Barkday" package from the Dog Dish went to Ellie, a strawberry-blond golden retriever pup. Ellie's owner, Mary Maxey, sent a cute photo of Ellie playing in a pile of autumn leaves with two human pals. Family friend Brett Williams shot the prize-winning photo last November shortly after Ellie was adopted. "She's everything a golden would be," Maxey said of Ellie, now 8 months old. Ellie's hobbies include swimming, chasing bubbles in the pool and waking up her owners by jumping on their bed in the morning.

Funniest dog Wire-haired dachshund Jessie's expression and slightly off-kilter ear -- not to mention her wild and crazy party hat -- tickled judges so much that they awarded her the title of Funniest Dog. With the honor goes a goodie basket from PAWS. Owner Hannah Baker shot the photo at her 3-year-old pooch's last birthday party and says her friend enjoyed playing with the hat more than she enjoyed wearing it. Jessie also loves chasing rabbits and playing with her chew toys.

Best cat A handsome black-and-white kitty named Cooter was our judges' pick for the Best Cat category. Former Broken Arrow resident Josh Martin, who is currently stationed in Texas, snapped the crisp, colorful photo of Cooter nestled in a field of bluebonnets. Mathis said his feline friend, who passed away unexpectedly last week, was born in a litter of barn cats and was bottle-fed as a kitten. Another kitty in Mathis' family will accept the Best Catprize from Southern Agriculture on Cooter's behalf.

Best people and cat Tulsan Dee Copeland snapped this cute photo of her granddaughter, Aubrey, hugging Rocky, a red tabby, and won the Best People and Cat category and a goodie basket from PAWS. Unlike his feline housemate, Callie, who can usually be found hiding under the nearest bed when company comes, Rocky is quite the "social butterfly" says his owner, noting her cat's fondness for greeting guests. Rocky's also quite happy to be petted and hugged whenever Aubrey is in town for a visit.

Funniest cat Gizmo didn't need any coaxing to pose for owner Mary Ross, who won the Funniest Cat category and a prize from Feline Specialties in Tulsa. Ross took a photo of her 16-pound feline friend lounging on a kitchen bar stool as he watched her cooking one night. Perching on the stool is nothing new for Gizmo, says his owner. "He does it all the time," says Ross of the kitty she adopted from a rescue event at PetsMart. When he's not supervising in the kitchen, Gizmo enjoys chasing bugs and birds in the back yard, being petted and making friends with visitors.

Best non dog/non cat Prairie, a 13-year-old horse and the big winner in the first Non-Dog/Non-Cat category, got all dolled up for her photo by sporting a lovely cluster of black-eyed Susans in her mane. Owner Kimberly Branham of Bartlesville says her friend was adopted from a wild horse refuge and is not at all shy about posing for the camera. "She's a real sweetheart," Branham said of the wild mustang whose hobbies include being petted, running and rolling in the dirt.