Over the last week and a half I’ve been agonizing over which Paws on Grand attendee should get their adoreable mug in homes across the Twin Cities. Big dog or little dog? The spunky dog or the lazy mutt?? Let me tell ya, this job is fun, but it ain’t easy.

Finally, I rallied the troops (meaning I sent texts and emails out asking for more opinions), and the winner has been decided…

Congratulations to Rooney! The winner of a free photo shoot and a spot in The Pet Project‘s 2012 calendar!!

And lest you think I’m making up all of this “tough decision” business, here are a few more photos from the contest. If you’d like to see all of the competion, hop over here.

Join me at Paws on Grand this Sunday, August 7th to enter your dog in The Pet Project’s Paws on Grand photo contest! I will be located at the Grand Avenue Business Association between Dale and St Albans taking photos for entry into this year’s photo contest. For a small donation, your dog can enter to win his or her own Grand Avenue photo session and a page in The Pet Project’s 2012 calendar!

In addition, if you are one of the first 150 guests to stop by one of The Pet Project’s booths and donate $10 or more, you will receive a PawsPort which will get you prizes and giveaways as you travel along the avenue. (Including a free entry into the photo contest!) Complete your PawsPort and enter it into our drawing to win a stay at Gunflint Lodge during a Dog Lover’s weekend as well as prizes from Grand Avenue businesses.

Don’t forget…the only way to enter into this year’s Paws on Grand photo contest is to have your pup’s photo taken at the Lucky Mutt Photography booth at 649 Grand Avenue between noon and 4pm this coming Sunday, August 4th.

Can’t wait to see you there!!

The above photos are of Bastian, the winner of the 2010 Paws on Grand photo contest.

Three kids spanning ten years in age could not have asked for a better dog to share in their childhood. We adored her. Somewhere around age eight or nine she developed a lump on the back of her neck. Despite the vet’s claim that it wasn’t cancerous, Dad and Mom had the lump removed. By the summer of 1991, Cinnamon had slowed down considerably. Her last few weeks with us were spent almost entirely on our tiled basement floor…the coolest place in the house on a hot summer day. I remember a conversation with my mom after she had taken Cinnamon to the vet one afternoon. She explained to me that an x-ray showed one giant growth on her stomach and the rest of her covered in little tumors. It was, most definitely, Cancer. Almost exactly ten years after that photo of me with my brand new puppy had been taken it was time to say goodbye….Twenty years later, and I’m still tearing up thinking about that very day.

On Monday, August 1, eight individuals will be chosen for a reduced priced photo session with one of four Twin Cities pet photographers (myself included!). Each photo session will include a complimentary mini-book, and 100% of the session fee will be donated to the National Canine Cancer Foundation. I am so incredibly proud to be working with three amazing peers on this project. Please, please, please stop by Twin Cities Smile for a Cure and share your experience with Canine Cancer by Sunday, July 31. You will not regret having gorgeous photos of your loved ones in five, ten, or even twenty years, and knowing that you helped others in the process will make those memories even more meaningful.

Smile for a Cure is a nationwide collaboration of pet photographers focused on raising money for Canine Cancer research. The organization was started by North Carolina pet photographer, Nunthany Johnson in memory of her dog, Max, who passed away in 2009. If you are a photographer wanting more information on how to participate, please visit Smileforacure.org.

Maybe something dog related?

How about something you can only see this weekend?

I’ve got you covered…

Twin Cities rescue group, A Rotta Love Plus (ARLP), is presenting their third annual art show, Deviant Art: Dispelling Myths. The show includes art pieces from over 20 local and national artists that highlight “deviant” dog breeds like pit bulls, Rottweilers, and Dobermans.

The event is free to attend, and a portion of every art piece that sells at the event will be donated to ARLP to support their efforts in rescuing these “deviant” breeds, and their amazing work getting the dogs ready to be loved (HUGE) in their forever homes.

This is my second year being involved in the art show, and it is an event I love to both participate in and attend. We are surrounded by a community of amazingly talented people, and it is so much fun to see so many fantastic pieces of doggie-art on display.

On the topic of directions, the Northrup King Building is one of those strange places that Google Maps and other GPS related devices will not get you to without getting lost and frustrated. Instead of searching for the location’s address, I suggest using the intersection of Central Ave and 14th Ave NE. From Central Ave turn West onto 14th, then take the first right and the first left…and BAM you’re there!