Meet the WINNERS in our 2006 annual
pet lovers star search!
 


Our 2006 Pet Lover's Star Search
Grand Prize winner is:

Garcia

Garcia is a 6.5 foot long, 11 year old Iguana who loves watermelon and isn't afraid to chase down any humans in the vicinity who dare posess a slice.
According to his human family, Garcia had his own room with astro turf, tree branches and shelf until recently when 2 Bearded Dragons and a Gecko horned in on his space - though he doesn't seem to mind much. His humans further report that Garcia is nicknamed "Monkey" because he likes to climb anything he can - including the Christmas tree, curtains, clothes, and even people. He is litter box trained, and has traveled to England twice. His first plane adventure involved hiding in a jacket because they wouldn't let him in with passengers - only in cargo (poor little Garcia!). He was so small then and the cold in cargo could have killed him. So, his devoted human companion hid Garcia in a pocket for the 8 hour flight.
Clearly, Garcia is a much beloved and handsome fellow. We at Rubberhedgehog Rubber Stamps wish him and his family only the best. Congratulations Garcia!
 

Our 2006 Pet Lover's Star Search

First Place Winners
(in no particular order):

Lacy: at 6 year's old, Lacy has already proven herself a very special animal companion. Her human tells us that Lacy has enriched her life in a way that "words cannot describe... my life is complete because of her unconditional love and companionship." Clearly both Lacy and her human are devoted to one another. Best wishes and congratulations to both of them.

Olivia Hissy: From her bio: "With such an angelic face, little Olivia Hissy (age 2) can charm a raisin from anyone, except her brothers. This is where her name comes into play. It doesn't make any difference if she is in a playful mood or just being bossy. Olivia Hissy will chase and hiss after them making sure they know she is the mistress of Hiss." Our judges say, "when you're as adorable as Olivia Hissy, you can afford to behave like a Diva!"

Emma, Snow, and Peaches: According to their humans, "Emma, Snow and Peaches were our first hedgehog girls. The girls grew up together and whenever they are out together they are almost always nose to nose looking like they are having a conversation. We joke that they must be planning something."
Our judges had the same response to this photo. What do you think they're whispering about? If you have a good idea, let us know!

Harley: According to his humans, "Harley is an eight pound, spoiled rotten, Chihuahua. Since he was here first he thinks he is the boss of Dexter (his canine brother) who is ten pounds heavier then him. Harley is very choosy about who his friends are, people and dogs. He is a sweetie and likes to beg for treats." We found Harley irresistable too - he's obviously a seasoned pro when it comes to begging!

Foxy: According to his human, "Fox has gone to wait for us at the Rainbow Bridge, but he filled my life with love all the years we were together. I got Foxy when he was 6 yrs old, he was a puppy mill rescue. You would never have known that he had spent the first 6 years of his life in a small cage, he just moved in the took over!" We can see why Foxy was so loved; his bright sunny smile made our day.
 

Roo was described as, "stubborn, quirky and more fun than a barrel o' monkeys most days." Her main concern in life is where her next meal is coming from as she only eats what her humans eat. Roo's heart is all dachshund and she thinks she is 6 feet tall rather than the 6 inches she actually is which tends to get her into trouble from time to time, but "all and all she is the best dog I've ever been owned by." Roo is 8 years old. Congratulations Roo!

Oliver chose his human by following her around from room to room (before he was adopted) - even into a few rooms where dogs weren't "allowed." According to his human, "he was constantly at my heels - it was love at first sight with both of us." His persistence paid off and he has had a loving home ever since. Oliver is 3 years old in this photo.

Riley: According to her humans, "Riley came into our lives in December 2005 shortly before our beloved Jacy crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. Riley has helped comfort us in our grief by making us laugh at her daily antics. When we first got her both her ears flipped forward, but now unless the wind is blowing one ear up, she has one up and one down! " Riley is 6 months old.

Cara is a 3 months old lab mix puppy. This playful youngster is growing daily. According to her adoring human, "Her winsome smile makes us all want to be near her - until those needle-sharp teeth decide that "we" make a good teething toy! Cara loves to run, and play catch, but her favorite pastime is catching fireflies mid-air." Cara Lives with Scampy, a 2 year old cockapoo.

Eddy is an Irish Terrier who accompanies his human to work as the "dog of the day" every Tuesday and has such a charming personality that he is the favorite at work. According to his human, his favorite past times are playing at the dog park and riding in his 71 MGB convertible. He is very social and is able to get any dog to play with him, that is part of his charm and also what makes him a favorite at the park.

Casey was thin and shy when her human family found her waiting at the shelter, but she meowed at the oldest son as he walked by her cage. The volunteers said she was timid and scared but , according to her human, after about 10 minutes she "was purring like a freight train, she let us pick her up and pet her. As my son was petting her she leaned over and "kissed" his face... I knew right then that she was coming home with us."

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Waiting for an email response from this winner's human. Stop back to see who it is!

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Lovie Lou: According to her human, Lovie Lou was a seasoned cheese connoisseur. In this photo, in fact, Lovie Lou is looking at a piece of cheese and licking her lips. According to her human, "Lovie Lou has since passed on and the thing I miss most about her is her snoring at night. "
As fellow cheese lovers, we understand and appreciate Lovie Lou's passion. We lift a wedge of camembert in your honor tonight, Lovie Lou! Lovie Lou was 6 years old in this photo.

Merlie is a 6 year old Umbrella Cockatoo. Every morning he greets his human with, "Good morning sweetheart" before cuddling with her in his own "binky" - a bonding ritual they share every morning and again in the evening before Merlie goes to bed. According to his human, Merlie has a pretty good vocabulary, and he even tells her "Lets go poopie" when he has to go!! Merlie's life expectancy is 60+ years. Congratulations Merlie! We love the glasses - they're very fashionable.

Max/Diego: In an odd turn of events, we are unable to say for sure whether or not this photo is Max or Diego! Both Max and Diego are (almost identical) degus living with a loving family who haven't yet learned to tell them apart. They are 3 years old and are apparently quite difficult to photograph. They are very shy. Whichever one of them we have here, we found their bright eyes and inquisitive expression utterly charming. Congratulations to both Max and Diego!

 

Our 2006 Pet Lover's Star Search

Honorable Mention

(these are just a few of the pets whose most precious of faces made our choice so difficult this year), in no particular order.


Duke


Kiki & Lili


Jaxie


Tundra


Abby


Molly


Teasel


Shadow


Princess


Satinka


Alexander


Chep

 

 

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in our 2006 pet lover's star search - whether by sending in a beloved photo of your pet or by voting for your favorite pic. You have all made our star search both fruitful and exciting (and the judging tortuously difficult - as usual, we were up half the night for days - it's 4:00 am now)!

Nearly every entry had some overwhelmingly charming quality. In fact, there were so many utterly captivating photos and delightful stories, that we ended up with an unprecedented 15 first place winners - when we had originally planned for less than half that many. Luckily, our artist was able to accomodate more winners this year. Thanks to everyone for making this year's star search such a success. I hope you'll all be back next year.

We also chose 12 entries for honorable mention - though we would have liked to have chosen many many more for recognition.

All pet photos have been resized to fit this page; many have also been cropped and a few have been digitally enhanced in other ways - to better suit this page and our purposes. Our judges made their choice based on the original photos as submitted (you'll see this when the art work is finished - drawings will be based on uncropped photos as well); many factors were considered. Tie-breaking essays were absolutely crucial in a couple of cases - so be sure to include those next time you enter!

All decisions are final. Prize packages will be shipped out to the addresses that were included with the winning entries - so if you have moved, will be moving, etc., please email us and let us know as soon as possible. We'd hate for your prize packages to end up at the wrong address. Thanks again!

QUESTIONS? Email us at: service@rubberhedgehog.com