Bissell, Inc., a vacuum and cleaning product company, is holding its third annual Most Valuable Pet Contest from January 1 to March 25. Pet owners are welcome to submit photos of their pets for a chance to be featured on Bissell pet product packaging and win a $10,000 donation to the pet charity of his or her choice, plus a $500 shopping spree! Entrants can upload their pets' photos at the company's website. The top-voted pet from each week of the contest will move on to the semi-finals, from which the grand prize and second through fifth prize winners will be selected.
More than 100,000 pets were entered in 2008 and 2009. Last year's grand prize winner, a Golden Retriever named Norman, is a stud dog for a Columbus, Ohio service dog program called 4 Paws For Ability. He and his owner used the $10,000 prize money to obtain a seizure-alert dog to assist two special-needs children in their community.