There's still time to vote for a Dalton, Georgia, pooch hoping to retrieve a small fortune for the Humane Society of Northwest Georgia.
Will his fetching good looks be enough?
If Griffin, a poodle mix, finishes among the Top 3 in the eighth annual Dirty Dogs Contest, he'll earn the shelter a $5,000, $2,000 or $1,000 cash prize. So far, his stiffest competition among the other nine contestants has been Arlo, representing Lost Fantasy Rescue in Ceres, Virginia; Zorro, from German Shepherd Rescue Orange County in Newport Beach, California; and Gaston, from National Mill Dog Rescue in Peyton, Colorado.
The public may vote through Monday at DirtyDogsContest.com to boost Griffin's numbers. Each person may vote once every 24 hours.
The before-and-after photos show the dramatic transformation Griffin underwent after he was claimed from a kill shelter by Humane Society of Northwest Georgia volunteer Patricia Bell in 2014.
Vote for Griffin
The public may vote for their favorite made-over pooch once a day through Monday, Aug. 19, at DirtyDogsContest.com. A Top 3 finish for Griffin would win the Humane Society of Northwest Georgia in Dalton a cash prize of $5,000, $2,000 or $1,000.
His fur was so dirty, it appeared brownish gray and so matted that his back legs were almost immobile, causing his muscles to atrophy.
"He kind of walked funny," Bell says. "He couldn't move his legs correctly or straighten them out."
The veterinary staff at Dalton Animal Care North gave him "the full workover," says receptionist Tracy Lanning. The matting was so severe, they sedated the little dog "to keep from stressing him out," she says.
Today, Griffin has a curly black coat and sweet, soulful eyes that show he is being well cared for by his adoptive family, Philip and Kathi Reisz. Their son Alex, now a student at Kennesaw State University, volunteered at the shelter for a couple of summers as a teen and brought Griffin home.
Kathi Reisz says Griffin is losing his vision but is otherwise healthy. "We knew when we brought him home he needed eye drops," she says, "but it wasn't evident that it would be a continual thing. ... He can see objects a little bit, but he will occasionally walk into something."
Griffin's eyes were affected by the dirt and debris caught in the lion's mane of ungroomed hair on his face before he was rescued, which may have contributed to his deteriorating eyesight.
The Dirty Dogs Contest is sponsored by Wahl, maker of pet grooming supplies, and GreaterGood.org, a charitable organization that sees to the health and well-being of people, pets and the planet.
Steven Yde, division vice president for Wahl, says the annual contest is a way to draw attention to the difference a little extra care can make for the millions of dogs that enter shelters each year.
"These deserving animals are being perceived as 'damaged goods' just because of their appearance," he says. "It's our hope these makeover images and stories will inspire people to either adopt a dog in need or reach out to local shelters to see how they can help."
Reisz agrees. "People think they want purebreds and go spend a lot of money, but there are so many dogs in shelters that need really good, loving, safe homes, and that's the ones this contest is calling attention to," she says. "I hope for the shelters in the area that people give them a second look, or a first look, as a place where they can get a cat or dog."
Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281.