Summerville, S.C. — After thousands of votes were submitted to help PETA select the cutest dog in America, Stella beat out nine other finalists to be crowned the winner of PETA's second annual Cutest Mutt Alive contest. Stella, whose guardian is 26-year-old Summerville resident Jamie Hood, edged out nearly 1,000 other lovable mutts to become a finalist. PETA created the contest to show that all dogs—whether they're purebreds or mutts—are created equal and that the kindest thing a person can do for a dog is to adopt one from an animal shelter. Stella will be featured on PETA.org and in an upcoming issue of the group's magazine, Animal Times.
"Stella is living proof that the dog—not the papers that accompany him or her—is all that matters," says PETA Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. "All rescued mutts are winners in PETA's book because when it comes to giving and appreciating love, nobody does it better."
Hood and her husband—both self-described animal lovers who foster and care for both dogs and cats—adopted Stella from an animal shelter. Bursting with energy, Stella loves to swim and visit the local dog parks. She also loves to chase her canine siblings, even though they're twice her size, and her preferred mode of sleeping is on her back with her head on the pillow—smack in between Hood and her husband. Stella has a barrel of fun with the neighborhood kids, who stop by to play with her at least once a week.
Why are mutts top dogs with PETA? Every time someone buys a purebred from a breeder or pet store, a shelter animal loses his or her chance at finding a home. Every year in the U.S., an astounding 6 to 8 million dogs and cats end up in animal shelters, and roughly half must be euthanized because there simply aren't enough good homes for them. Of the millions of dogs who are abandoned and euthanized, most are mutts.
For more information, please visit PETA.org.
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