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Seizure Alert Dog, Paralyzed Bulldog Win The JELD-WEN Most Reliable Pet Contest
Klamath Falls, Ore. August 04, 2005 — From hundreds of entries in the United States and Canada, a trained seizure alert dog in Florida and an unfailingly cheerful English bulldog who uses a wheelchair in Mississippi have won The JELD-WEN® Most Reliable Pet ContestSM. The remarkable stories of these two reliable dogs captivated the contest judges, a national panel of animal experts.
On August 16, the grand prize winner, Chiper, a four-year-old German Shepherd mix who lives with her owner in Oviedo, Fla., received a custom pet playhouse valued at $5,000. The winner representing an animal shelter is Lilly, a four-year-old English bulldog, who lives in Gulfport, Miss. On August 11, her shelter and current home, the Humane Society of South Mississippi, received a $5,000 donation from JELD-WEN to its building fund.
Both winners also received a Banfield Optimum Wellness Plan from Banfield, the Pet Hospital®, the nation’s largest private veterinary practice with more than 450 full-service hospitals across the nation, two in the United Kingdom and one in Mexico.
The JELD-WEN Most Reliable Pet ContestSM is sponsored by the world’s leading manufacturer of reliable windows and doors. JELD-WEN, whose marketing promise is “Reliability for real life®,” launched the contest to demonstrate reliability in a tangible, memorable way. JELD-WEN manufactures and sells millions of windows and doors installed in homes around the world, providing reliable comfort and security for countless families and their pets.
“‘Reliability for real life’ is more than our brand promise; it’s what we embrace throughout JELD-WEN’s culture,” said Lynne Butterworth, community relations manager. “Homes, families and pets are the fabric and substance of life. Both Lilly and Chiper exemplify the reliability we want to recognize in this contest.”
Judging The JELD-WEN Most Reliable Pet ContestSM were: Stephanie Shain, director of outreach for The Humane Society of the United States; Wendy Diamond, editor of Animal Fair magazine; Susan Chaney, editor of Dog Fancy magazine; Susan Logan, editor of Cat Fancy magazine; Claudia Kawczynska, editor of The Bark magazine; and Paul Linnman, morning talk show host for KEX radio (1190 AM) in Portland, Ore.
Chiper’s Story of Reliability
The story of Chiper and Candice Hernandez, a 21-year-old college student in Oviedo, Fla., captivated the contest’s judging panel. Chiper has proven her reliability again and again as she escorts Candice to classes, warning Candice when she is about to have a seizure so she can lie down or find a place to rest. Chiper also stands guard if paramedics are required to assist Candice and has even been known to open push-button hospital doors!
Having a remarkable companion like Chiper has given Candice the confidence and support she needs to lead a normal life. As a teen, she worried about simple activities like going to school, performing in the local choir or going to the prom. Now “Chiper has made my life fun again, and I trust her with my life,” Candice said. “She goes with me everywhere, even on dates with my boyfriend!”
Candice’s happiness continues to grow. Her boyfriend proposed, and when they are married on Nov. 12, Chiper will walk down the aisle.
Chiper’s grand prize, a one-of-a-kind playhouse, features pet-sized durable, low-maintenance JELD-WEN® Premium Vinyl Collection windows and JELD-WEN® AlternaPlus® exterior wood composite doors, known as the “No-Dent Doors.” The two-story structure is approximately five-feet tall, eight-feet long and four-feet wide.
The JELD-WEN pet playhouse was designed by one of the nation’s premier residential architects, Alan Mascord Associates Inc., of Portland, Ore. This pet-sized commission was posed as a design challenge to the firm’s employees. Monty Mooney, customer support manager, dreamed up the final design by drawing on his personal inspiration: a backdoor deck and ladder inspired by those used on Coast Guard cutters.
The playhouse was custom-built by John Gilbert of Gilbert Construction in Woodway, Wash. Gilbert builds fine homes in the Northwest and applied his skills as a craftsman to make this beautiful playhouse a reality.
Lilly’s Story of Reliability
Lilly, a small English bulldog with a lot of heart, was partially paralyzed after being run over and left without medical attention. For surviving this ordeal with a cheerful spirit that continually inspires people, she has won a $5,000 cash prize for the animal shelter that saved her and the title of “JELD-WEN Most Reliable Pet.”
This donation from The JELD-WEN Most Reliable Pet ContestSM will benefit the building fund for the Humane Society of South Mississippi in Gulfport, Miss. (HSSM). Two years after she was injured and abandoned, Lilly lives at the shelter as a community goodwill ambassador, running about in her custom-made mini-wheelchair.
“Children who use wheelchairs are particularly delighted to see Lilly’s big, grand smile as she scoots up to give them a friendly lick,” said Eric Aschaffenburg, chairman of the HSSM building committee. “We can always rely on Lilly to raise everyone’s spirits.”
Although Lilly’s story began in tragedy, it ends with unfailing cheer that she spreads to those around her.
“Lilly spent the past two years at a local assisted living facility and recently returned to the Humane Society of South Mississippi where she is given the run of the place,” Aschaffenburg said.
“She doesn’t ever feel sorry for herself. She loves attention and the only time she gets testy is when she has to share attention with another dog,” he continued.
Aschaffenburg said the donation is a wonderful boost for the building fund. “Our shelter has one of the highest intake rates on a per-capita basis in the country. We get 16,000 pets a year from a population base of only 190,000.”
Lilly and Chiper were selected from hundreds of other dogs, cats, goats and ferrets nominated from across the United States and Canada.
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