California-based Del Monte Foods, which owns the Milk-Bone brand and several other popular pet foods, has not ruled out an annual contest, but no decision has been made, said Jason Wehner, senior brand manager for Milk-Bone for Del Monte Foods. He said the large list of entries was whittled down by following a certain criteria: whether the photo or video captured the bond between dog and "parent."
"We weren't looking for a certain breed or trick," Wehner said. "It's the day-to-day bonding with our pets, the snuggling with our pets by the television, the morning jogs."
Falke adopted Wyatt from a Boxer rescue group when he was 16 weeks old. She learned from the group that Wyatt was removed from a family after someone kicked the animal down the stairs. She plans to donate a portion of the top prize to Boxer rescue groups.
Wyatt loves to go hiking with Falke and sleeps next to her in bed. They also watch football together.
"He's a momma's boy," Falke said.
O'Brien and her family always wanted a dog, but she and her husband were in the Air Force and did not feel they could adopt a pet until they settled down. After the two retired as master sergeants in 2001, they waited until two years ago to get a dog. Their neighbor, a breeder, offered them twin golden retrievers, Ginger and Lucy. (The O'Briens also own three cats.)
Shannon, 14, chose Ginger because the two spend all of their time together. Ginger patiently listens to Shannon practice piano, watches her do homework and plays basketball out in the yard - Ginger nudges it with her snout.
"Ginger will just sit right on my feet or get up on her hind legs and put her head right here," Shannon said as she touched her chin.
Colleen O'Brien put up a flier in the grocery store about her dog and enlisted friends and family to vote. She home-schools her four daughters, ages 7 to 17, and plans to use the winnings "to keep our family running."
"It would be an enormous gift from God," O'Brien said.
Just to show that there are no hard feelings between the contestants, O'Brien brought a gift basket full of Milk-Bone dog treats when she met up with Falke Sunday at the Broadneck Branch Library. She wanted to thank Falke personally for championing canine blood donation. O'Brien's eldest daughter, Morgan, survived two bouts of leukemia.
"I really share her passion for what she's doing," said O'Brien who has promoted tissue typing for bone marrow registries and banking umbilical cord blood for transplants.
Falke opened up one of the boxes and offered a treat to Ginger. Wyatt caught the whiff of treats and repeatedly knocked the basket over with his nose. Both dogs stuck their snouts in the basket peacefully at first. Then there was a snarl.
"Ginger, it's a gift," O'Brien chided.
Even if Wyatt doesn't take the top prize, Falke will have achieved her goal of spreading the word about dogs donating their blood to veterinary blood banks.
"And we will have saved other dogs," she said.
states with the most finalists:
1. California 11
2. Pennsylvania 9
3. Texas 7
4. Florida, New York 6
5. Maryland 5
