Winners of 13th Dirty Dogs Contest Announced
The votes have been tallied and Wahl just announced the "dirty" shelter dog makeover winners. While all the dogs already won with their life-altering transformations, see which dogs earned their shelter some money.
Shelter dogs that arrived matted, dirty, and neglected were transformed thanks to warm baths, grooming, and TLC.
Wahl, Greater Good Charities, and The Animal Rescue Site have teamed up to provide shelters nationwide with grooming products to transform dogs and help them find a forever home.
In addition to the donation of grooming products, an annual contest is held to find the top three "dirty" dogs from shelters and reveal their amazing makeovers. See the winners of the 13th Dirty Dogs Contest below.
1st place goes to the senior dog named Giuseppe who wins $10,000 for Española Humane in Española, New Mexico.
The shelter shared how he arrived at the shelter, "Giuseppe arrived as a stray to Espanola Humane in a shocking state of neglect. His entire body was covered in painful, filthy mats of fur, so thick that he couldn’t even walk, and his entire body was screaming in pain. We shaved five pounds of matted fur off of him. Read that again. Five. Pounds. Beneath all of that, we found a morbidly obese, absolutely terrified senior dog in sensory overload – he didn’t like to be touched, he was overwhelmed by light and sound, and he wanted nothing to do with humans."
Thanks to the kind and patient staff, Guiseppe came out of his shell and found a loving home. His caretakers said, "It’s never too late for a second chance and a new beginning."
Congrats, Guiseppe!
2nd place goes to Maddie who earns $3,000 for Williamson County Animal Center in Franklin, Tennessee!
The stray dog is finally able to move freely after having pounds of matted fur removed and is ready for her new life.
3rd place goes to Pete who takes $2,000 for Apollo Support & Rescue for Abandoned Dogs in Justin, Texas!
Pete lost everything when his owner tragically passed away and lived on his own for a year. When he was rescued and brought to Apollo Support & Rescue, he was covered in over 2 pounds of filth, feces, and matted hair. After two hours of grooming, his handsome face was revealed, and he is feeling and looking like a whole new dog.
The shelter shared the best news, "We are very thankful! And happy to report our little Pete was adopted by his foster mom!"
Grooming plays a huge role in helping shelter pets get adopted. Wahl states, "Three out of four animals entering shelters today are in need of grooming." Help transform more shelter dogs by donating here and help them all find loving homes.
Congrats to the winners and a huge thank you to all the participants and voters.
Andrea Powell is an animal enthusiast who resides in West Michigan. When not writing, she is exploring the great outdoors with her dogs and horses.