Country Music Star Trace Adkins Names Grand Prize Winner Of The Waggin' Train® Tail Waggin' Jingle Contest

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Nov. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Life with our four-legged friends is so much fun that it inspired dog owners across the country to write a jingle about it. Yesterday, Country Music star Trace Adkins selected Dewey Longuski of Mason, Mich. as the Grand Prize winner of the Waggin' Train® Tail Waggin' Jingle Contest, which asked dog owners to create an original jingle with lyrics describing how they enjoy a "tail waggin' good time" with their best buddies. As the Grand Prize winner of the national contest, Longuski won the opportunity of a lifetime to perform his jingle in a recording session produced by the Country star.

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Longuski took home top honors following a live performance of his jingle in front of Adkins, who judged the five contest finalists at a private event held yesterday at the Hard Rock Cafe in Nashville, Tenn. In addition to the recording session, Longuski received an autographed CD of his jingle which will be featured on the Waggin' Train brand's Web site and Facebook page.

"I was really impressed by all of the finalists' performances and the quality of the jingles they wrote to celebrate the good times they share with their dogs," said Adkins. "While it was a tough decision, Longuski's jingle rose to the top because of its catchy lyrics and memorable melody that left me wanting to hear more."

The judging criteria Adkins used to select the Grand Prize winner included: jingle describes the good times enjoyed by the entrant and his/her dog (50%); musical performance reinforces the Waggin' Train brand's wholesome, fun personality (25%); and overall creativity/originality (25%). In addition to the trip to Nashville to perform in front of Adkins, the five finalists each received tickets to attend "The 45th Annual CMA Awards" that air live on ABC on November 9 at 8 p.m. EST.

The Waggin' Train Tail Waggin' Jingle Contest invited dog owners across the country to create an original jingle with lyrics that describe how they enjoy a "tail waggin' good time" with their four-legged friend and then upload a 60 second video that showed them performing the jingle with their dog. Twenty semi-finalists were selected by an outside judging panel and posted on www.WagginTrainBrand.com. During the voting period, five finalists were selected by the consumer vote (20% of the final score) and by Adkins who judged the semi-finalists' entries (80% of the final score) using the same criteria for the finalist round. The 20 semi-finalists each received a one year supply of Waggin' Train brand dog snacks.

For more information about the contest and to hear the Grand Prize winner's jingle, visit www.WagginTrainBrand.com.

About Nestle Purina PetCare Company

The North American headquarters for Nestle Purina PetCare Company is located at Checkerboard Square in St. Louis, Missouri, where Ralston Purina was founded more than a century ago. Nestle Purina PetCare promotes responsible pet care, humane education, community involvement and the positive bond between people and their pets. One of the leading global players in the pet food industry, Nestle Purina PetCare is part of the Swiss-based Nestle S.A. – the world’s largest food company.

About CMA Awards Week

The first "CMA Awards Banquet and Show" was held in 1967. The following year, the CMA Awards was broadcast on NBC Television for the first time – making it the longest running, annual music awards program on network television. The Awards aired on NBC through 1971, on the CBS Television Network from 1972 through 2005, and has aired on ABC since 2006. This year, "The 45th Annual CMA Awards" airs live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Wednesday, Nov. 9 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET).

SOURCE Nestle Purina PetCare Company