ZOOTOO.COM Makeover Contest -Selects Liberty Humane Society as one of 20 Semifinialists

Local Shelter Contends for Monumental Makeover 

Zootoo.com—the leading networking site and resource for all pet lovers—is pleased to announce that Liberty Humane Society in Jersey City, NJ has earned a place among the 20 Semifinalists in the Second Annual Zootoo.com Shelter Makeover Contest. This announcement commences the Tour Period, during which time all 20 shelters will be visited and evaluated by a panel of judges before being trimmed down to 10 Finalist shelters, and finally one Grand Prize Winner voted on by America. The grand prize is a shelter makeover valued at up to $1 million*; 19 runners-up will share awards totaling $195,000.

 

To become one of the 20 Semifinalists in the competition, shelters asked their supporters to register and earn points by being active on Zootoo.com, contributing reviews of pet products and services, sharing opinions and advice, bringing other pet lovers into the community and more. The Semifinalists Shelters are those that accumulated the most points between September 18th and March 13th, and therefore remain eligible to continue competing for the grand prize makeover.“We are eager to get on the road and visit the communities who have worked so hard to earn points for their local shelters,” said Zootoo.com founder Richard Thompson. “It’s really important to these shelters, and to Zootoo.com, that the communities remain supportive and active in their role to improve conditions for these animals. We hope this is just a part of great things happening for animals and shelters nationwide.”Here are the top 20 shelters:Central Missouri Humane Society– Columbia, MOSt. Hubert’s Animal Welfare CenterMadison– Madison, NJSt. Tammany Humane Society– Covington, LALiberty Humane SocietyJersey City, NJHumane Society of the Nature Coast, Inc.Brooksville, FL Jefferson County S.P.C.A– Watertown, NYButte Humane Society– Chico, CAHumane Society of Barron County Barron, WIAustin Humane Society– Austin, TXThe Washington County Humane Society, Inc.– Slinger, WIPotsdam Humane Society– Potsdam, NYAngel Acres Horse Haven Rescue– Glenville, PAHumane Society of Cherokee County Tahlequah- OKSafe Haven of Iowa County– Homestead, IAMinn-Kota PAAWS– Fargo, NDLiberty Humane Shelter– Hinesville, GAHabitat for Horses– Hitchcock- TXTen Lives Clubhouse– Concord, NYCat Nap from the Heart Inc. La Grange Pk, ILFriendship Animal Protective League– Elyria, OH 

Zootoo.com and its advisors will visit each Semifinalist to meet with its staff and supporters and view the state of the shelter. Zootoo.com and its advisors will narrow the field of Semifinalists down to 10 Finalists based upon their sole determination of which shelters most deserve the makeover. The announcement of the 10 Finalist Shelters will be made live on April 7th at the HSUS Animal Care Expo 2009, the nation’s premier animal welfare conference, which will be held at Bally’s Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada.  HSUS President Wayne Pacelle will be in attendance to congratulate the top 20 shelters.  Additionally, John Anton, Marketing Director of the PEDIGREE® Brand, will present each of the top 20 shelters with a check for $5,000. “As the brand that believes every dog deserves a loving home, PEDIGREE® is honored to partner with Zootoo to help dogs in need,” said Anton. 

Once the 10 Finalists have been announced, pet lovers across America will be able to review the qualifications of the Finalists on Zootoo.com and determine the winner by voting for the shelter they think most deserves the makeover from April 13th to April 19th. The shelter with the highest number of public votes from America will receive the grand prize makeover!  

“Allowing America to vote for the winner of the Shelter Makeover will make this year’s contest really exciting and totally democratic,” said Thompson. “It’ll also be a fun challenge for each of the Finalists to present their case to fellow pet lovers.”  For more information on this contest visit http://www.zootoo.com/makeover/howitworks *Actual makeover value depends on the condition of the shelter and judgment of Zootoo, LLC and is valued at up to $1 million in cash, services or in-kind value from promotional partners.# # #About Zootoo.com™Zootoo.com, which launched in October 2007, is the leading resource center and news site for pet lovers.  With over half a million consumer-generated reviews of pet products and local pet services, Zootoo.com is the place for pet lovers to go to make sure they’re making the right decisions for their pets.Other core Zootoo.com features are Journals, Pet News, Pet Answers, Pet Events, Pet Groups, Pet Videos, Pet Classifieds and the wildly popular Pet Wars competition.  Many Zootoo.com features are used by animal shelters across the country, which also compete in the Zootoo.com Shelter Makeover Contest. 

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