Nominations Now Open For The DogTime 2012 Pet Blog Awards

SAN FRANCISCO, June 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- DogTime Media, the largest vertical media community focused exclusively on pet owners, today announced that nominations are open for the annual DogTime 2012 Pet Blog Awards, also known as "the Petties."

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The Petties were launched in 2010 and have since become regarded as the "Oscars of the pet blogging community." Over 2,000 blogs were nominated last year and over 20,000 votes cast by bloggers and pet lovers.

Last year's Petties winners were:
Best Dog Blog: Carol Bryant for Fido Friendly
Best Cat Blog: Robin Olson for Covered in Cat Hair
Best Cause-Related Blog: Kim Clune and Amy Burkert for Be the Change 4 Animals
Best Designed Blog: Kate Benjamin for Moderncat
Best Individual Blog Post: Janiss Garza for Sparkle Cat
Best Social Media Integration Blog: Stephanie Harwin for Catsparella
Funniest Pet Blog: Angie Bailey for Catladyland
Best Overall Pet Blog: Ingrid King for The Conscious Cat

"The Petties are a unique opportunity for us to showcase some of the best blogs in the pet space and present them to a wider audience," said Leslie Smith, Editor-in-Chief of DogTime and host of the Petties awards ceremony. "By connecting these dedicated bloggers with our audience of passionate pet owners we are serving our dual missions of highlighting the best pet related content on the Internet while helping shelter dogs and cats find their forever homes."

The DogTime Media community includes more than 565 pet bloggers, making it the largest pet blogging community in the world.

Two New Award Categories:

Nominations are now open for the DogTime 2012 Pet Blog Awards in ten categories:
Best Dog Blog
Best Cat Blog
Best Cause-Related Blog
Best Overall Pet Blog
Best Designed Blog
Best Individual Blog Post
Best Social Media Integration Blog
Funniest Blog or Blogger
Best Video Post (New Category for 2012)
Best Pet Product Review Blog (New Category for 2012)

More Donations:

New for this year is a $10,000 donation to a non-profit animal shelter or rescue that will be announced at the end of the nomination period. When nominating their favorite blog, users can also enter in the name of a shelter. The shelter or rescue with the most votes at the end of the nomination period will receive the donation.

Nominations for the 2012 DogTime Pet Blog awards close June 29th, 2012. The four bloggers with the most nominations in each category will become finalists. Voting for the finalists opens July 5th and closes July 29th, 2012.

Each winning blogger will be awarded with a $1,000 donation to the non-profit animal shelter or rescue of their choice, along with a custom "Petties" award, a "Petties Winner" badge for their blog site, a valuable package of editorial coverage across the DogTime Media community and a host of social media traffic driving opportunities.

Winners will be announced in an online ceremony broadcast at http://petties.dogtime.com in September. An additional $10,000 donation for DogTime Media Shelter Volunteer of the Year will be announced at that time.

"The popularity of the Petties continues to grow as bloggers are eager to celebrate each other's success and to give back to the animal rescues and shelters that mean so much to them," said DogTime Media President, Simon Tonner. "This year's event will be the most exciting yet, with a spotlight on both the bloggers and the shelter volunteers – who both dedicate so much of their time towards bringing animals a better life." 

For more information and/or nominate a blogger, go to http://petties.dogtime.com.

About DogTime Media:
DogTime Media is the largest vertical media community focused exclusively on pet owners and the 50 billion dollar annual pet market. DogTime Media reaches 50.1 million monthly users via its community of 525 leading pet-focused websites, 565 pet bloggers and more than 3,000 rescue groups, anchored by its own DogTime.com and CatTime.com.

DogTime Media actively supports the efforts of rescue groups and shelters nationwide to significantly reduce the number of homeless and neglected pets in the country by providing authoritative advice to both novice and experienced pet guardians. DogTime Media has donated over $275,000 to pet related causes via its Save a Dog and Save a Cat Facebook applications, monthly grants and a variety of other programs. Privately held DogTime Media is based in San Francisco, Calif.

Media Contacts:
DogTime Media                                    
Christina Kwan                                     
(415) 830-9323                                      
[email protected]     

SOURCE DogTime Media