The Grand Prize winners are Lulu and Norman, our October 2009 winners!

The Prize - A PetStress.com Flip Video Camera

The Winning Photo

How did Norman and Lulu spend their original prize gift card? Find out>>

We caught up with Patricia, the owner of the handsome Barbitas, one of our October contest winners.

Here’s what she told us: “Barbitas is a 3-year-old, amazing dog. He lives in a country called Chile, where his breed is not very popular or well-known. His hair is rough, wiry, and curly, and he has bright, small eyes and long eyelashes. It’s adorable!”

“As a puppy, Barbitas had to travel long distances to reach his new home, where he was eagerly awaited by his new family.
He is a happy and playful dog. He loves swimming and splashing in the water, walking every night through the neighborhood, playing ball and sleeping by the fireplace.”

“He loves everybody and everybody loves him.”

Peaches, the October contest winner won’t be celebrating her first birthday until April 26, 2011.  She’s only eight months old. Phyllis, her owner, bought her as a birthday present for herself in July of this year. What a great gift!

Phyllis told us a little more about Peaches: “She likes to play with her pal Munchkin, who is a Pomeranian just three months younger then her. She also likes to play with the two kitty cats that live with her.”

And here’s a glimpse into Peaches’ feelings about baths: “One day I had her outside for some run off some energy time& she got really dirty. When I looked down at her I was suprised to see her covered in dirt! That beautiful white fur was so awful looking, all I could do was laugh. She went right to the bath, which she was not impressed with.”

Here’s what Robyn told us about this Yorkshire Terrier:

“AJ is 1yr old born August 10th, 2009. We bought her in a parking lot where they were selling yorkie puppies. The sign said YOKIES for sale, and we knew we had to have a yokie puppy. We got her for my husband’s birthday in October 2009. She loves playing with her squeaky toys and chasing our chickens, it is a game to her. She surprises us with new things to play with and how much energy she has. She will buy new squeaky toys and chew bones with her new found wealth. AJ was named after a british motorcycle called AJS.”

Thanks for sharing, Robyn!

The Winning Photo

We were lucky enough to catch up with Laura, Bella’s owner to find out more about this big-eyed beauty.

Laura wrote us: “Bella was picked out from a litter of two chihuahuas 4-1/2 years ago. It was the last litter that this mother chihuahua was ever going to have, and the owner offered a buy-one-get-one free sale, so we actually ended up with her sister, Bibi, as well. While we don’t officially know who is older, Bella is certainly the more mature of the duo.

“At this point in her life, Bella prefers to spend most of her time keeping a safe distance from her younger puppy brother, Oliver the dachshund, who is constantly in trouble. She loves to romp with her sister, however, who is more her own size. They all love to snuggle together in their bed and, even better, by the fireplace on a cold day. She prefers eating over playing, but she is a fearless defender of the household. She has even been known to chase a neighbor’s black lab out of the driveway and down the street…luckily this was before the lab realized that Bella was only about 5 inches tall.

“Since there is some dispute as to whether chihuahuas were from Mexico or originally from the Mediterranean (there is a chihuahua in a portrait dating back to before the conquests of South and Central America), we chose the name Bella because it means “beautiful” in Italian, and that she is. We look forward to buying Bella lots of her favorite snacks and mini doggie bones with the $50 gift card because even though she would look great in a new doggie sweater, we don’t really like to dress our pets. THANK YOU, PETSTRESS.COM!!!”

I have to admit, Susan is very allergic. She recently told me that last time she went for a massage she started having allergies. She asked the masseur if he had cats. “No” he said, “but I am cat sitting this week and staying at their house.”

Chances are that for those of us who live with cats, we all have a few friends that can’t come over without popping an allergy pill first. For this reason, I was particularly interested in a recent article in the New York Times: “REALLY? The Claim: Dark Cats Cause More Allergies Than Light Ones.” This theory was studied in 2000 on a group of 300 people with affirmative results. However, the article goes on to say that the link between cat color and allergic reaction is not proven. But here’s what the article says has been proven. I didn’t know this: male cats produce more allergens than females. Who knew?

When we get an entry like this one for our Photo Contest, of a pet that is not a dog, cat or bird, we wish that we could include it in the contest. Unfortunately since our website provides resources only for cat, dog and bird owners, we didn’t include other pets in the contest. However, I am posting this hedgehog because I can’t resist the cuteness.

The entry reminds me of a previous post “We Love Iguanas, Really” that also includes some really cool non-traditional pets.

Deuce turned 6 months old yesterday, and by the look of things in the photos that his owner Sarah sent, these six months have been filled with good times. Here’s Deuce trying to camouflage himself into a fuzzy blanket when he was about 10 weeks old:

Sarah told us that “Deuce’s favorite activity is sleeping and being a trouble maker. He loves to take things and hide them under rugs around the house. He also loves to knock things off of the counters while looking at us when he does it! He also loves to sit in front of the big bay window and watch the birds and bee’s fly by! Even sometimes you will catch him watching television and if there is a bird on, he jumps at the television trying to catch it!”

Its not surprising that Deuce was exploring the dishwasher. Sarah wrote that “Deuce has surprised me by how he can jump so high & how he likes water. If there is room for him he will jump up anywhere. He loves to jump up on the bathroom counter when the water is running. Yes he loves water – he even tries to sneak in the shower when its running!”

Deuce and Sarah

Deuce and his "Dad"

The winning prize money will go to treats, a new collar, and maybe another kitten from the shelter! Soon Deuce might have a partner in crime.

Thanks for your participation, Sarah. And thanks to all of Deuce’s supporters who made him a winner. If you have a fun picture of your pet you can enter it in the September Picture Perfect Pet Photo Contest.

Bridget's Winning Photo

Bridget and Gigi

August’s winner, Bridget, came from a yorkshire terrier breeder in Pennsylvania in May of 2000 . One of her skills is stand on her hind legs for a treat, so its great that her owner caught it  on film – It was a winning image.

Bridget loves to play ball and soccer, take baths, walks and play with her sister Gigi.

Thanks for your participation, Bridget.! If you have a dog, car or bird that you’d like to enter in the contest, click here.