Look! It’s the i Love Dog Eyes Photo Contest Winners

If eyes are the windows to the soul, then the pooches in our i Love Dog Eyes photo contest are beautiful inwardly and outwardly.

“As a dog behavioral therapist and trainer, one of the hardest things for me to communicate to people is that unlike humans, dogs can be easily threatened by eye contact – or more specifically a direct stare,” said contest judge Greg Kleva. “Luckily, these are photos, so we can gaze lovingly into each one of these dogs’ remarkable eyes (and souls!) and enjoy!”

Many thanks to all of you who entered photos of your dog’s pawesome peepers last month, and much gratitude to our judging panel for the very challenging task of choosing the winners. Each selected a different pooch, so we have a three-way tie for first place.

First Place (Tie): Joey Manno

“Aaah, the kind and bright eyes of a Wire-Haired Fox Terrier remind me of Cardiff, my own Welsh Terrier,” said contest judge Dr. Patrick Mahaney of his choice for first place.

Joey Manno is 6 years old. “We have had him for nine months, adopting him from a difficult situation,” said his dog mom, Tina. “There is some debate as to whether he is a Wire-Haired Fox or a Lakeland Terrier. Your readers’ opinions would be most appreciated!”

Tina said she loves her pooch’s eyes because they “always have a quizzical sparkle. Some of his favorite gazes mean, ‘Is it time for my frozen peanut butter Kong?’, ‘Can we go for a walk now?’ and our favorite, ‘Gotta love me!’

First Place (Tie): Wallee

Wallee, a 5-year-old Bullmastiff who received a Canine Good Citizen award from the American Kennel Club, “is so special because he is the protector, the big brother, the pal, the mushy love. He is everything all in one,” said his pet parent, Morgan.

“We have a big family and Wallee is the one everyone depends on. He eyes have such expression. In this picture his eyes look like they are from an old soul.”

Contest judge Greg Kleva said, “Even before seeing the entries in this contest, I was excited knowing that they would include some amazing steely blue eyes or my favorite, the combination one blue eye, one brown eye. I was convinced that would easily describe my winner … until I saw Wallee. His ‘mask,’ that mushy face, his ears pinned to his head – and those eyes – they grabbed me as soon as I saw him.”

First Place (Tie): Wyatt

“One day we were sitting in our living room and our Jack Russell Terrier started to bark. We opened the door to see a box sitting there, with this little white puppy with huge eyes staring at us. That is how Wyatt came into our life,“ recalled his dog mom, Cheryl.

“He is now 3 years old and we call him our dog in the box! He is always up for an adventure and loves to explore. When he wants something he can make those big eyes of his look pathetic so you want to give him everything. He wasn’t supposed to stay, but when his adoptive parents fell through, we fell in love with those big eyes and his goofy personality – so he stayed.”

“I could have chosen 20 dogs for first place, but the stand out for me was Wyatt, the little white moppet with the huge brown eyes,” said contest judge Nikki Moustaki. “His eyes are almost bigger than his face! There’s such depth in those eyes. If he lived with me I’d never be able to resist giving him whatever he wanted.”

Honorable Mention: Bruno

Based on your “Likes” in our i Love Dog Eyes Facebook photo album, our honorable-mention prize winner is Bruno, a 6-year-old chocolate Lab-Poodle mix.

“Bruno has intense brown eyes,” said his dog mom, Carol. “He is a love bug and would rather you just pet his belly all day long.”

Congratulations to our winners! Joey, Wallee and Wyatt will each receive a month’s supply of i Love Dogs Multivitamins with Green Tea and Reishi to help keep their pawesome peepers healthy. Their pet parents will also receive a coupon good for a 50-percent discount on their next purchase of i Love Dogs vitamins and supplements.

As the fan favorite, Bruno wins an i Love Dogs bag filled with pawesome goodies!

Our sincere thanks to our judging panel, whose job is never, ever easy:

• 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.

Does your pooch have furlicious feet? Show us in our i Love Dog Paws photo contest for the month of July!

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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