Chill Cats And Hot Dawgs Wanted For Contest

By Nancy K. Crevier

If you have a “hot” dog or a “cool” cat, Prudential Connecticut Realty wants you to prove it.

The Hot Dog Cool Cat Photo Contest is underway, said Prudential Connecticut Realty Newtown office leader Lisa Hintzen. All photographs must be submitted to the Prudential office at 84A South Main Street or e-mailed (in jpeg form) to lhintzen@prudentialct.com, by January 31 (extended from the original December 5 deadline) accompanied by a $15 entry fee, per photo submitted, with checks made out to The Sunshine Kids. Please reference the pet(s) on the check. Contact information and each pet’s name must be included with the entries.

Checks can be mailed to the Newtown Prudential Connecticut Realty office, or dropped off there during office hours.

“The winners will have a portrait of their pets done by Newtown artist Marge Trosan, on a 20-inch by 16-inch acrylic canvas,” said Ms Hintzen.

The best part, however, she added, is that 100 percent of the entry fees goes to support The Sunshine Kids, a nonprofit organization, according to its website, “committed to providing positive group activities and emotional support for young cancer patients. Funded by contributions from individuals, corporations, and philanthropic foundations, the Sunshine Kids offers a variety of free programs and events for children receiving cancer treatments in hospitals across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.”

Locally, the Sunshine Kids works with young cancer patients at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford, Yale New-Haven Medical Center in New Haven, and the Pediatric Hematology Oncology Association in Guilford. “We help their dreams come true,” Ms Hintzen said.

Take a whimsical photograph, take a clever photograph, or capture your captivating pet in action or inaction. The photographs will be judged by local animal experts — and Town Clerk Debbie Aurelia, who doles out dog licenses each year, said Ms Hintzen. The winners will be selected based on cuteness factor, cleverness, and originality, and winning dog and cat photos will be posted at the Prudential CConnecticutt Realty-Newtown Facebook page, following judging.

“I think it’s a really fun way to support a great cause, the Sunshine Kids Cancer Fund,” Ms Hintzen said, “so we’re hoping for lots of photos.”