The home of family-friendly entertainment, Hallmark Channel will shine a spotlight on dogs in need of forever homes in the upcoming special Best in Show Shelter Dog Championship.
Announced at the network’s bi-annual Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour, the program will feature our four-legged friends from shelters across the country in a competition in which every dog in need is a winner. Forgoing the criteria that purebred canines face at traditional dog shows, the special will showcase the outstanding emotional qualities that shelter pups possess.
Participating for a paws cause, the event’s top dog will win a $25,000 donation for his or her shelter. The canine contestants will compete in a variety of cute categories, including:
- Best Rescue Story
- Best Smile
- Most Cuddly
- Messiest Eater
- Best Tail Wag
- Special Needs
- In keeping with Hallmark Channel’s “The heart of TV” motto, the Best in Show award will be given to the Dog with the Most Heart
A presentation with a higher purpose, the championship will promote mandatory spay/neuter programs and highlight touching true life tales of dogs who overcame obstacles to find their special someone to love.
Doggedly devoted to helping homeless companion animals, The Hallmark Channel is the home of the annual Hero Dog Awards, the Kitten Bowl and the Pet Project, an initiative which promotes the option of pet adoption through partnerships with PetSmart and the American Humane Association.
Acting as the official mascot for the festivities will be Hallmark Channel’s own goodwill ambassador, Happy the Dog. A former shelter dog, today Happy is not only a TV star who shares the small screen with Amanda Righetti and Peter Porte in the 2017 Hallmark Channel presentation Love at the Shore, he is also a certified therapy dog and emotional support animal for sick children. Earlier this year the compassionate canine paid a visit to animal-living little ones at The Ronald McDonald House in Los Angeles, and attended Paw Works Barks n Bubbles Champagne Brunch- Whiskers of Oz, a fundraiser which celebrated the 2,500 companion animals whose lives have been saved since January 2014 thanks to the efforts of Paw Works.
Happy recently put smiles on the faces of children at The Ronald McDonald House in Los Angeles:
Happy attending Paw Works Barks n Bubbles Champagne Brunch- Whiskers of Oz celebratory fundraiser:
The Best in Show Shelter Dog Championship is scheduled to air February 12, 2018 on The Hallmark Channel.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
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