World’s Ugliest Dog Wins World’s Cutest Dog Contest!
Posted by webmaster | Posted in Comedy Barn, Comedy Barn Press Releases | Posted on 09-09-2009
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Pigeon Forge, TN: The Comedy Barn Theater’s Miss Ellie, has judges and critics trying to decide if she is the World’s Ugliest or World’s Cutest dog! Either way, this dog is having her day and raising money for a great cause – the Humane Society.
Miss Ellie, a Chinese Crested Hairless dog from Pigeon Forge, TN, competed against over 50,000 other dogs this week in the World’s Cutest Dog Competition and won Week 5 of the online nationwide contest.
The competition, sponsored by All American Pet Brands in Beverly Hills, CA has a Grand Prize of $1 Million Dollars.
Just 3 months ago, Miss Ellie won the 2009 World’s Ugliest Dog Competition – Purebred Division, held at Sonoma-Marin Fair in California.
David Fee, owner of The Comedy Barn Theater in Pigeon Forge, TN said that while Miss Ellie was participating in the Ugliest Dog Competition, people would come up and say that Miss Ellie was so ugly she was actually cute.
As a result, Fee entered Miss Ellie in the Cutest Dog Competition last week and won that week’s online voting with the highest number of votes recorded so far to become one of 12 finalists. Out of the finalists, the title of America’s Cutest Dog will be awarded along with $1,000,000 in prize money. If Miss Ellie wins, Fee has pledged to donate the entire Grand Prize to the local Sevier County (TN) Humane Society.
Miss Ellie, and 14 other dogs, who were rescued from area animal shelters are trained by Comedy Barn animal trainer and performer, Dawn Goehring. The “Comedy Barn Canines” perform daily at The Comedy Barn Theater, a live comedy show devoted to clean family entertainment located in Pigeon Forge, TN.
“It’s a clean, family show where people enjoy themselves and laugh a lot” said Goehring. “Miss Ellie and the dogs are right in the middle of everything having a great time!” During every performance the audience is reminded to adopt a pet from their local animal shelter.
“The Comedy Barn Theater has always been a major supporter of the animals. More businesses across the nation need to give a helping hand to their local Human Society just as The Comedy Barn Theater helps us”, said Jayne Vaughn, Executive Director of the Sevier County Humane Society. “Here in the Pigeon Forge area, as well as all over our nation, the recession is forcing people to give up their pets in record numbers to animal shelters. However, at the same time, the recession is causing donations to animal shelters to drop. In short, we have more dogs and less dollars,” said Vaughn.
According to Vaughn, her animal shelter as well as many other animal shelters across the nation are in a crisis situation and desperately needs more funding. Vaughn said that the prize money from the Cutest Dog Competition would be a much-needed blessing.
The grand prize winner of $1 Million Dollars will be chosen from the 12 finalists later this year by All American Pet Brands.
According to Fee the lesson to be learned with Miss Ellie is that all dogs deserve to be loved and treated well. “A dog does not have to be beautiful to make a wonderful family pet,” said Fee. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Dogs love all people; I just wish people loved all dogs.” Both Fee and Vaughn encourage animals lovers to visit there local animal shelters and either adopt a pet or make a donation. Go to www.comedybarn.com for more information.
FOR MORE INFO:
Jim Peacock
865 429-7183 ext. 3120
jpeacock@feehedrick.com