PEOPLE’s World’s Cutest Rescue Dog Contest Presented by the PEDIGREE® brand is back and accepting submissions from June 23 — August 4. Rescue dogs of all shapes, sizes, and ages are encouraged to enter the contest — now in its sixth year — for a chance to win their own PEOPLE Magazine feature and plenty of other great prizes.
Rescue dogs of all shapes, sizes, and ages are encouraged to enter the contest — now in its sixth year — for a chance to win their own PEOPLE Magazine feature and plenty of other great prizes.
To enter your adopted canine in the 2023 World’s Cutest Rescue Dog Contest, visit people.com/rescuedogcontest and share a photo of your pup and their adoption story. The judges want to know how your precious pooch changed your life and how you changed theirs. And don’t forget to call out the shelter or rescue organization that helped match you with your canine companion in your submission — because if your dog wins, their rescue wins too!
After the submission period ends, PEOPLE editors will select 10 furry finalists, and then the public will vote to narrow the top 10 list down to a top 3. Judges from PEOPLE and the PEDIGREE brand will choose the grand prize winner. The lucky pup who wins the grand prize will receive a custom photo shoot, a feature in PEOPLE Magazine and on People.com, a year’s supply of dog food from the PEDIGREE® brand, and a $1,000 donation to the animal rescue organization of their choice.
Last year the cutest crown went to Gordon the Shiba Inu. Wendy Wickersham adopted the canine with special needs after spotting a Facebook post about his journey. According to PEOPLE, before his adoption, Gordon survived a hit-and-run crash in Taiwan that left him paralyzed. A Good Samaritan saved the Shiba Inu from the side of the road, and the dog was brought to the U.S. to find a home. “I’m reading this sad story, and then there was a picture of him, and he’s got the biggest, goofiest smile,” Wickersham, 47, told PEOPLE about finding Gordon.
Wickersham and her husband, Jim Larson, worked with Love and Second Chances, the California-based rescue that adopted out Gordon, to learn how to care for a paralyzed pet and make their home accessible to the dog’s wheelchair. Gordon has been part of the couple’s family for years now and adores spending his days in Bella Vista, Arkansas, “cruising along in his cart” and eating dog cookies.
“I love to get him out in front of people, to let them see the joy and to let them see that, yeah, there are some things that are different, but different isn’t a bad thing,” Wickersham said, adding, “it doesn’t have to stop us or keep us from enjoying life to the fullest.”
To give your rescue dog a chance to win and join past champions like Gordon and Heaven in the World’s Cutest Rescue Dog Contest winners’ circle, enter your pup now at People.com/rescuedogcontest. You have until August 4, 2023 to get your submissions in.
The 2023 winner of PEOPLE’s World’s Cutest Rescue Dog Contest Presented by the PEDIGREE® brand will be revealed in October.
—
Photo Credit: Jucadima / Shutterstock.com