Please vote for one of the following Pet News of the Week candidates by (1) sending an e-mail to jgerber@ideastream.org or (2) calling the WCLV Contest Line at 1-800-343-WCLV (9258) and leaving a message. The winner will be announced on WCLV 90.3 and online at wclv.org Monday, June 13 at 7:20 a.m. EDT and posted here. Your contenders:
- Max, a black Labrador mix, whose bark alerted searchers to his presence and that of his 63-year-old Texas owner, who had recently been diagnosed with dementia and who had disappeared, along with Max, overnight;
- Apollo, the hearing-impaired dog surrendered to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, but who was adopted by a hearing-impaired man who taught the dog American Sign Language commands;
- Sam, the border collie in Santiago, Chile, who helps his owner collect garbage from parks, and whose image is used in a government campaign to care for the parks;
- An escaped bearded dragon acquired by a Louisiana police officer who responded to a call about a lizard on the loose. The officer, who keeps iguanas and bearded dragons as pets, had the new find ride shotgun in the patrol car for the rest of his shift. He is keeping the pet until its owner can be found;
- Gigi, the 11-year-old tabby cat, who was returned to her New Hampshire owner after being missing for four years. Gigi’s microchip information showed a phone number which had been disconnected, but did show the facility where Gigi was adopted, and contacting that organization resulted in finding the owner’s address, which had not changed.