paws4claws.com Kicks Off Paws N'Doodles Show & Tail Contest to Benefit American Humane Association's Pets and Women's Shelters (PAWS)® Program

Enter to win $500 and your doodle on the cover of a nationally published book

DENVER, July 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- To celebrate the launch of its online social and e-commerce networking community for pet lovers, paws4claws.com is holding the Paws N'Doodles Show & Tail Contest. The contest, which solicits the best short story about a pet accompanied by a doodle illustrating it, will benefit American Humane's Pets and Women's Shelters (PAWS) Program, which promotes on-site housing of pets at domestic violence shelters.

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paws4claws.com created the contest to help the PAWS Program raise awareness about the lack of domestic violence shelters that accommodate abused women with pets, and to help fund those accommodations at more shelters across the U.S. All net proceeds from the contest will go to the PAWS Program.

American Humane, the leading organization raising awareness about The Link® between animal abuse and other forms of violence, launched the PAWS Program in 2008. Because there are few options for safely housing pets from abusive homes, domestic violence victims often feel they have little choice but to stay and subject themselves, their children and their pets to further violence. In fact, up to 85 percent of women entering domestic violence shelters reported that a partner had threatened, injured or killed the family pet, according to a 1997 study.

How to Enter the Paws N'Doodles Show & Tail Contest

Entering the contest is simple and can be done online. Take a high-quality digital photograph or scan of your doodle, and save it in JPEG or PDF format. Save your story as a Word document or a PDF. Then fill out the Paws N'Doodles online entry form at http://www.wizehive.com/paws4claws.html and attach your artwork and story. The deadline for entries is midnight on Sept. 26, 2010.

Contest Entry Fee

The fee for a single entry in the Paws N'Doodles Show & Tail Contest is $5.00 U.S. per entry. You may submit as many entries as you wish, but each single entry must be accompanied by the corresponding $5.00 U.S. entry fee and a separate entry form. All entry fees will be donated to the PAWS Program.

First Prize

The first-prize winner will receive $500, and his/her artwork will be featured as the cover art of the Paws N'Doodles Show and Tail book to be published in 2011 to raise funds for the PAWS Program. A matching $500 donation with a framed copy of the first-prize doodle and short story will be presented to American Humane for the PAWS Program.

Voting

Entries will be posted at www.paws4claws.com, and viewers can vote online for their favorite entries beginning Aug. 15, 2010, through midnight on October 22, 2010.

For more contest rules, as well as second and third place and honorable-mention prize information, visit www.paws4claws.com.  

About American Humane

Founded in 1877, the Denver-based American Humane Association is the only national organization dedicated to protecting both children and animals from abuse and neglect through public policy, education and services reaching a wide network of organizations and advocates. Programs include raising awareness about The Link® between violence to people and violence to animals, as well as the benefits derived from the human-animal bond. The organization is also known for "No Animals Were Harmed,"® the end-credit disclaimer seen on film and TV productions. American Humane® Certified is the nation's largest and most regarded independent standards and certification program for farm animal welfare. American Humane earned the Independent Charities of America's "Best in America" Seal of Approval and is an American Institute of Philanthropy "Top-Rated Charity." Learn more at www.americanhumane.org.

About paws4claws.com

A progressive social media environment for pet lovers, paws4claws.com, is the website pack leader for social and business networking, education, job search and business services and resources with a unique twist on philanthropy, combining a boutique ecommerce shopping experience with a loyalty rewards membership program created exclusively for pet lovers dedicated to improving the lives of pets AND the people who love them. The site helps life long animal enthusiasts to connect online and build a friendlier world … one byte at a time. At paws4claws, visitors will find a one stop shop for information on everything they need to know about keeping their pets healthy and happy, from well-referenced data from renowned vets, pet behaviorists and trainers, to learning how to secure pet jobs; from receiving business and industry tips from human resources counselors and networking specialists in the pet industry to connecting to the exclusive pet job engine search sites and enjoying live webinars and podcasts by nationally accredited animal experts active in the field. And of course, they can find the greatest selection of gifts, home decor, apparel, jewelry, beauty, luxury and accessories merchandise all with pet motifs for the pet lover to bestow on them for any special occasion during the year. And paws4claws gives back. A portion of all sales is donated to fund pet shelters and rescues and people charities and organizations that are in need.

SOURCE American Humane Association