Former TRACS dog in contest

Thompson River Animal Care Shelter's former resident becomes one of the top 10 contestants in a national dog makeover competition. Dolly, a standard poodle mix, arrived at TRACS dirty and in need of grooming. Dolly was taken to a groomer where she was transformed into a clean adoptable dog. It didn't take long for Dolly to be adopted, according to TRACS supervisor Lynette Thorpe.

"Dolly and her two siblings came to TRACS on a rescue flight (Dog is my Copilot) in February. They were an absolute mess, having probably never been to a groomer. In their state they were unadoptable. The filth and odor made it nearly unbearable for us to handle the three dogs," Thorpe explained. Through the TRACS network, Thorpe said they were able to locate a groomer who would take them on and get them ready to adopt.

"On a whim, I decided to submit Dolly's profile to the Dirty Dog Contest. I had no idea she would make the top ten finalists," Thorpe said. According to Wahl and Greater Good Charities, a global non profit organization, Dolly has become a finalist in the 13th annual Dirty Dog Contest.

May is National Pet Month. The voting for the top three dogs will continue until May 31. Public votes will decide which three dogs will earn the organizations who are affiliated with the dogs, TRACS, a total of $15,000 in monetary grants to further support their efforts. Ten thousand dollars will go to the first place winner. Information on the contest and Dolly's standing has been made available from Lauren Van Dijk through the media press release from Hoffman York advertising agency.

According to Van Dijk, for the past 13 years Wahl's donations of pet grooming supplies have helped transform hundreds of thousands of dogs for adoption. This year there were over 400 makeover stories submitted, with ten chosen as finalists. Visitors to the contest page can read about each dog's journey and see the before and after photos.

"Most importantly, they can vote for one of the top ten Dirty Dogs and the shelter or rescue affiliated with the winning dogs will receive prizes to further support their efforts. The first place winner gets $10,000, second place, $3,000,and third place $2,000. Winners will be announced on the website in early June.

Van Dijk said to check out the contestants and vote for your favorite dog, visit DirtyDogsContest.com.