Jacqueline Falke, a Baltimore veterinarian, has sent out kits to her patients for the past month - not about doggie care, but about voting for her dog to become a national spokespooch.
Wyatt, her boxer who lives with her in Cape St. Claire, was one of 100 dogs selected as finalists to become the "face" of Milk-Bone dog biscuits for 2009, to celebrate the doggie treat brand's 100th anniversary. Wyatt posed with a surgical hairnet and stethoscope to represent his lifesaving skills - he donates blood for dogs that need surgery.
"I thought he needed a platform," Falke said.
The contest is serious business. The prize isn't just free biscuits, the cover of the Milk-Bone box and television commercials. The winner receives $100,000. The 99 runners-up each get a digital camera. More than 6,500 dog owners submitted photos or videos by the Sept. 18 deadline.
But Wyatt has some stiff competition: Cody, a golden retriever from California who is trained to alert his owner when her blood sugar drops; and Shadey, a mixed breed also from California who has helped a 2-year-old autistic boy communicate nonverbally. Then there is Daboo, a mixed breed from Florida, who gamely plays along in his owner's music video. Picture mournful dog expressions flashed on the screen along to a blues song about an empty Milk-Bone box.
Then there's Ginger, a photogenic golden retriever who lives just a quarter-mile away from Wyatt in Cape St. Claire. On the last day to submit entries, Shannon O'Brien begged her mom to let her submit an entry for her No. 1 sidekick. Her mother, Colleen O'Brien, snapped the photo of Ginger sailing midair through a bright blue hula hoop. They uploaded the photo just before the midnight deadline.
O'Brien can't believe she lives so close to another finalist.
"It's really remarkable - our tiny little neighborhood," she said.
Three other dogs from Maryland also made the cut - Benson, a Shih Tzu owned by Kristina Converse from Frederick; Tashi, an Alaskan malamute owned by Patrick Griffin of Bel Air; and Prince, a Bichon frise owned by Yolanda Spencer of Waldorf.
Online voting for the 100 contestants ended Tuesday.
Now there is just the brutal waiting period. The winner will be announced in mid-January. The top vote-getter must pass a background check and be available to travel next year, according to contest rules.
