SPCA Calendar Contest Starts Saturday

The McKean County SPCA kicks off its annual pet calendar contest Saturday at the Bradford Area Public Library. Pet owners are invited to bring their animals to the library between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., where Dana DiBlasi will take photographs for the “voting” phase of the contest, which will begin early in June.

“This has been a popular event for us the last two years,” said Dick Gorton, President of the organization. “For a small fee of $5, pet owners can have a picture of their pet taken for the contest board, which circulates through the county in June and July. If you’ve seen the board in the last two years, many of the photos were taken by Dana.”

Gorton also reminds contest entrants that they may bring 3 x 5 pictures of their pets to the library on Saturday or to the McKean County SPCA shelter any time until the contest ends. “The entry fee is the same,” he noted, “but some animals may be a bit shy, or maybe a little too big to come to the library, so their owners can use their own snapshots for the contest.”

Gorton notes that the competition is wide open to all kinds of pets. “In recent years we had hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs, two kinds of birds, and a bullfrog,” he said, “in addition to a variety of dogs and cats.”

Free punch will be provided by the contest committee and the library. Shelter animals will also be on hand for a visit with animal-lovers.

All pets who come for the contest should be on leashes or in carriers.
“It promises to be a good time,” says Gorton, “so we hope a lot of people turn out. We’re looking forward to another terrific calendar contest.”

Upcoming SPCA events include the annual "Woof Stock" open house at the shelter on Glenwood Avenue on Saturday, May 14. "We always have a lot of things to do on that day at the shelter, so it's a good family outing," Gorton says. "And it comes right at the end of 'Be Kind to Animals' week. What could be more kind than adopting a pet from the shelter?"

Thanks to Rick Frederick for the information.