Meet the i Love Dog Coats Photo Contest Winners!

For our i Love Dog Coats photo contest last month, we initially asked for pictures of your dogs getting bathed or brushed. However, it seems that many pooches are apparently camera shy during grooming sessions, so we expanded the contest to include dogs with beautiful or unusual coats.

Our thanks to all of you pet parents who entered photos of your bathing beauties – and beauties with gorgeous coats.

It was very difficult for our judging panel to select their favorites. “This was 100 percent the hardest contest to judge yet!” said Nikki Moustaki. “So many great entries! I’m sad to only be able to choose two, because Nelson, Daisy, Tippy, Marley and Teddy are remarkable as well. Please let them know that!”

Without “fur”ther pawdo, here are the winners. (There was a three-way tie for first place, and we love it that two of the winners share the same pawsome name!)

First Place (Tie): Einstein

Einstein is a 2-year-old Border Collie-Australian Shepherd mix.

“He loves a bath…so much so, he even gives himself one sometimes (as you can see in the picture)!” said Chris, his pet parent.

“I love him because he is such an awesomely smart dog (hence his name). He could (and does) learn anything I want to teach him. He just prefers Frisbee over all else!”

“It’s so refreshing to see a dog love to take a bath, as compared to the majority of dogs that seem to struggle through the process,” said contest judge Dr. Patrick Mahaney.

“Additionally, baths can be so beneficial for a dog’s skin from the standpoint of removing allergens, oil, and infectious agents (bacteria, yeast, etc.). Needless to say, I am a big proponent of them.”

First Place (Tie): Einstein

Einstein was found as a starving stray at a shopping mall. “We had no idea what color he was, as he was so dirty and covered with some really nasty stuff,” said Jeff, his dog dad. “When he was cleaned up we felt we had no choice but to name him Einstein.”

“I laughed out loud when I saw this photo,” Moustaki said. “His name definitely suits his hair. And since he’s a Poodle, he’s probably as bright as Einstein, too.”

First Place (Tie): Pierson

The day Pierson’s dog mom, Dawn, took this “After” picture, she said she “spent a good 20 minutes brushing him with a regular dog brush, then I took him to the same dog wash for a bath and used a special rake comb. Pierson doesn’t like baths or brushing, but he tolerates them very, very well.”

Pierson, a 1-year-old Australian Shepherd and/or Border Collie mix, was rescued three months ago.

“I wish I had gotten a picture of him when I found him,” Dawn said. “He was covered in mats and infested with fleas and ticks. A local dog wash helped me clean him up.”

“I love Pierson’s Blue Merle coat color and pattern,” said judge Greg Kleva. “I also picked Pierson because of his rescue story, which describes the commitment necessary for grooming double-coated dogs.”

Second Place: Captain Nemo

Captain Nemo is a 6-year-old Flat-Coated Retriever. Last August, he had a tumor removed from his snout.

“His surgeon created a skin flap by cutting the side of his face and lifting the skin up and over to cover the hole left there, since a dog’s snout is nothing but bone,” said his dog mom, Bonita. “And this is how it grew back – sort of like a Donald Trump comb over, only on his snout.”

She said the thing she loves most about Captain Nemo “is that he is still with us and the doctors at the University of Florida in Gainesville were able to get it all. So far, so good – he is a cancer survivor!”

“I couldn’t resist Captain Nemo’s odd coat on his snout as a result of his surgery,” Kleva said. “While his owner described it as a ‘Donald Trump comb over,’ I looked at it and thought ‘upside-down moustache.’ Either way, I thought the Captain’s ‘special’ coat deserved some recognition.”

Moustaki added, “This dog’s facial comb-over is as cute as can be, and it’s a testament to what a survivor he truly is. He has such a proud look to him, even with the muzzle-puff.”

Honorable Mention: Rocco

Based on your “Likes” in our i Love Dog Coats Facebook photo album, our honorable-mention prize winner is Rocco!

This 8-year-old Golden Retriever-Lab-Chow mix “tolerates baths, but loves to be brushed,” said Kris, his pet parent.

“I love his soft and shiny coat, and the way he will just sit and smile at you when he wants a treat.”

Congratulations to our winners! Pierson, both Einsteins and Captain Nemo will each receive  i Love Dogs Multivitamins with Green Tea & Reishi to help keep their coats beautiful, plus a coupon good for a 50-percent discount on their pet parents’ next purchase of i Love Dogs vitamins and supplements.

As the fan favorite, Rocco wins an i Love Dogs bag filled with pawsome goodies.

Our sincere thanks to our judging panel, whose job was especially hair-raising for this contest:

• Greg Kleva is a professional dog behavioral therapist and master trainer with Bark Busters Home Dog Training. He hosts “It’s A Dog’s Life” on Martha Stewart Living Radio on SiriusXM 110, and also makes appearances on TV and in print.
• Patrick Mahaney, VMD, CVA has a thriving veterinary practice in Los Angeles and is i Love Dogs’ Ask a Vet. His clients respond favorably to his combination of Eastern and Western medicine, including acupuncture. In addition to making house calls, Dr. Mahaney makes himself available via his blog.
• Nikki Moustaki, an author, TV and radio personality, and dog trainer, is considered one of the country’s leading pet experts. She founded the Pet Postcard Project to help feed homeless animals.

Do you have a picture of your pooch wearing a dreaded cone of shame (aka Victorian collar), cast, bandage or other post-surgery “souvenir?” Show us in our i Love Dog Casts and Cones photo contest for the month of May!

Laura Goldman

Laura Goldman is senior social media writer for i Love Dogs, Inc. She does love dogs. And elephants and turtles. Along with writing about the loves of her life, Laura likes to play with her two pound pups and tell anyone who’ll listen just how awesome Pit Bulls are.

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