You can't vote for President until November. But you can vote for your favorite rescue group right now -- and help them win $10,000.

Care2.com -- a Web site that connects the socially conscious with news and petitions for a variety of causes, including animal welfare -- is hosting the America's Favorite Animal Shelter contest. No butterfly ballots here; voting is easy!

Here is a list of of all the Florida shelters, by city, in the running. There are many from South FLorida. Scroll down to find your choice.

Don't see your group? Go up to the right hand corner and you can add it.

There is a total of $15,000 in prize money, with the first-place winner receiving $10,000.
The balloting ends at midnight, Nov. 1.
Hurry, hurry! The leader, Small Paws Rescue of Oklahoma, already has 1,994 votes.

Care2.com also has downloadable information and fliers to help rescue groups promote the contest as well as the work they do.

The contest is being held in conjunction with Adopt-A-Pet.com, a Web site similar to Petfinder that can point you to adoptable companion animals in your area. Adopt-A-Pet also is offering prizes to people who recruit the greatest number of voters as well as picking shelters at random to receive $1,000.

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The Labrador Retriever Rescue of Florida (LRRoF) calendar for 2009 is out!

So click here and see if your favorite Lab photo made the cut.
You may remember that LRRoF ran a "calendar search" contest, and the public was invited to vote for their favorite.

All of the dogs are rescues. And I loved the two representing August. But honest, all of them are winners.

The calendar is $20, with proceeds going to LRRoF.

And: LRRoF is a regular on the SSS! Rescue Me series. So check back here at the blog for beautiful Labs of all ages and colors, looking for a forever home.

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Pet photo contests abound. Guess they know how to suck in pet parents, always eager to show off their little darlings. Hey, we're no exception at my house. David doesn't have a photo of his lovely wife on his cell phone but carries one each of Franny and Dolan.

Any-who...
Here is a chance from PetSmart to plaster your Fluffy or Fido's image on the consumer psyche nationwide.

Artistic renderings of the dog and the cat that wins the annual Just A Buck, Change Their Luck photo competition will grace T-shirts, mousepads, tote bags and a buncha other merchandise that will be stocked in PetSmart stores next year. The sale is part of the company's annual Just A Buck campaign that has raised millions to support animal welfare groups in the US and Canada.

Here's the four winners as featured on this year's products.

Ten dogs and ten cats will be picked as finalists through online voting -- which seems to be a popular way of doing these things -- that begins Sept. 10. There will be one canine and one feline selected.

Click here for all the entry details. Deadline is Sept. 6.

There are prizes for finalists and winners, including all the Just A Buck swag you can handle.
Good luck to the contestants and may be best pet win.

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Think your veterinarian is the greatest? Enter him or her in the second annual "Thank Your Vet for a Healthy Pet" essay contest. It's sponsored by Hills Pet Nutrition and conducted by Morris Animal Foundation, established in 1948 and dedicated to research that benefits wildlife and companion animals.

In 300 words or less, tell the world about your vet's outstanding care, devotion to the profession, service to the community, and commitment to the human-animal bond. Submissions are being accepted through Aug. 31.

Click here for more information, or to enter online. Snail mail submissions can go to: Thank Your Vet Contest, 10200 E. Girard Ave., Ste. B430, Denver, CO. 80231. You also can call 800-243-2345 for more details.

Our kitties nominate their vet, Dr. Cyndi, because she is very gentle and always tell them how beautiful they are -- even if she does give them their "feline fecal scoop" (don't ask).

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