NEW YORK -- The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) today announced that animal lovers everywhere will have the power to cast their vote online at www.ASPCA.org/AdoptABull for which perfect pit bull match should be the grand prize winner of the ASPCA®’s Meet Your Match® “Adopt-a-Bull” Contest.
“Our vision for the Adopt-a-Bull Contest was to highlight the positive attributes and merits of the American Pit Bull Terrier,” said ASPCA President & CEO, Ed Sayres. “The ASPCA’s Meet Your Match program really highlights how important it is to make strong, long-lasting adoption matches between pets and people, and these four extraordinary stories are perfect examples of that bond.”
The four-[legged] finalists who are eligible to become the grand prize winner of the ASPCA®’s Meet Your Match® “Adopt-A-Bull” Contest are:
• Wanda – a black and white pit bull from the SPCA of Wake County in Raleigh, N.C., and her pet parent Elizabeth Bartow. Wanda enjoys parading her good behavior around town as a Delta Society Therapy Dog, and showcasing a happy wiggle known as the “butt-tuck-boogie.” 
• Lola – a high energy American Pit Bull Terrier from Humane Society of Silicon Valley in Silicon Valley, Calif., and her pet parent Lark McIntosh. Lola has become a canine member of the “Pitty Committee,” a local Calif. group dedicated to promoting the amazing traits of pit bulls and pit bull mixes. 
• Elsie – a high energy American Pit Bull Terrier from the Western Pa. Humane Society in Pittsburgh, Pa., and her pet parents Becky and Herb Torbin, who fell in love with Elsie’s affectionate and happy nature.
• Gunther, a.k.a. Ghost – a calm and gentle deaf pit bull from the Humane Society of South Mississippi in Gulfport, Miss., and his pet parent Rebecca Hengen. Rebecca hopes to enroll Gunther in some dog training classes, possibly with the long term plan of teaching him to be a therapy dog.The Adopt-a-Bull contest ran throughout the year 2008, with one winner announced each quarter. Each of the four winners has been automatically entered into a contest for the grand prize. The public is encouraged to head to www.ASPCA.org/AdoptABull to vote for their favorite pit bull adoption match. The online vote will run until the end of February, at which point the votes will be tallied and a grand prize winner will be chosen.
“We are thrilled to be able to share these four heart-warming pit bull adoption stories with the public through this online vote to find a grand prize winner,” said Jane Berkey, President of Animal Farm Foundation. “The ASPCA’s Meet Your Match program values these dogs as individuals, and honors their incredible spirit. Pit bulls are just dogs: four legs, two eyes, one heart.”
The grand prize shelter winner will receive an all expenses paid trip to New York City in April 2009 to participate in the ASPCA’s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month celebration and a $5000 grant for their shelter. The grand prize pet-parent winner will receive a photo shoot with a professional photographer and a bronze of their pet.
The “Adopt-a-Bull” Contest, sponsored by Animal Farm Foundation, seeks to recognize and celebrate American Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers and dogs that appear to be predominantly of that type living in loving homes that were matched with their owners through the ASPCA®’s Meet Your Match® Canine-ality™ Adoption Program. The ASPCA®’s Meet Your Match® program is a scientific, research-based adoption tool aimed at creating better matches between prospective pet parents and animals based on accurate behavior assessments for the animals and understanding an individual adopter’s lifestyle and expectations. The program has proven to be extremely successful in increasing adoptions and reducing returns at shelters.
To cast your vote, or for more information about the ASPCA®’s Meet Your Match® “Adopt-a-Bull” Contest, please visit www.ASPCA.org/AdoptABull.
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