The Burgess family loves their Bichon Frise, Newton, and love sharing him with others in an effort to put a smile on someone’s face.
Newton is just one of the four-legged members of the family and a part of the Performance Dodge pet empire. His cuteness and loving nature are part of the reason Performance Dodge, owned by Vince and Ingrid Burgess, has agreed to be a title sponsor of The Sampson Independent’s annual Cutest Pet Contest, which begins accepting submissions today at www.clintonnc.com.
“He brings us together and he loves us just as much as we love him,” Anna Burgess, the Burgess’ daughter, said about the one-year-old. The family got Newt, as he is called, for Christmas 2015 and named him Newton after Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.
Like Newton, Chad Stocks of Badcock Home Furniture & More, the other title sponsor, loves his dogs Ginger and Fuzzy. In fact, most of the employees of the Elizabethtown store are pet owners and Stocks said he things it a great idea to feature the pets and see the joy they bring to so many lives.
“I think it’s great,” Stocks said about the now annual contest. “You can go through the contest and see the different qualities in each animal. Pets bring joy to everyone.”
Shannon Best, media director for The Sampson Independent, is thrilled to be able to bring the contest back to readers.
“We always get excited about the Cutest Pets Contest,” Best said. “I think of my dog Blaze as my child and I know there are tons of people in the county that feel the same.”
The contest begins today and folks with pets can submit their photos online by visiting The Sampson Independent website (www.clintonnc.com) and clicking on the contest logo on the right side of the page. A valid email address is required for contestants to participate.
The overall winners will receive $100, and $50 will be given to the second and third place winners.
Submissions can be accepted throughout the contest, but with voting beginning on March 15, people are encouraged to get their submissions in earlier. The contest ends at midnight, March 29.
Prizes will be awarded to winners, thanks to the generosity of merchants such as Performance Dodge, Badcock Home Furniture & More of Elizabethtown, Perrine, Wiley & Potts Orthodontics and Tram Road Animal Hospital.
Anyone with adorable pets is encouraged to enter the contest and visit the website frequently to check out the competition and other cool pets, Best said.
The Cutest Pets Contest, Best said, is one of the Independent’s most popular contests.
“It is a reader favorite for certain. People absolutely love their pets and want to show them off. We are providing them the venue to do just that, so we urge everyone to visit the website, click on the contest logo and enter their pet. And when the time comes, we urge everyone to participate in voting.”
