Saturday, September 27, 2008

Our First Calendar!

2 Dogs 2000 Miles is pleased and excited to announce our first Canine Cancer Calendar. We hope YOU will be part of the process. Here's how --

PLEASE NOTE: The date for submissions has been extended to November 16th. Also, the size of the digital photo has been changed. Just submit the original digital photo to calendar@2d0gs2000miles.org and our web master will work his magic and adjust the size accordingly! No need to crop, re-size, fold, spindle, or mutilate the photo -- just send it as it comes mysteriously out of your camera! We'll do the rest!

If you (or someone you know) has had or currently has a dog with cancer, you are invited to submit your dog's photo and brief story to 2 Dogs. We ask you to please limit your submission to one digital picture per dog, and limit your story to 1 to 2 paragraphs per dog. So, if you currently have or have had a dog with cancer, here is your opportunity to honor him or her in the calendar. If you have had more than one dog with cancer, yes, you may definitely submit EACH dog's photo and brief story. Please submit your dog's photo and story to: calendar@2dogs2000miles.org. And, of course, give us not only your dog's name, but your name and contact email as well.

When does this start? Right now. The deadline for photo and story submission is November 16th at midnight EST (please note that the date has changed) , which gives you plenty of time to get those photos and stories submitted. You will receive an email notification of receipt of your photo and story. All photos will be available for viewing and voting on at our web site after the November 16th deadline.

How will we decide which dog represents each month? Well, here's where you come in again. EVERYONE gets to decide -- whether or not you've had a dog with cancer. Everyone gets to vote, so please pass the word to friends, family, and co-workers.

Here's how voting will work. Starting on November 2nd, after the last canine cancer patient's photo and story have been submitted and all photos are up on our web site, voting begins. With a small donation of $1.00 per vote, everyone gets to vote for his or her favorite dog(s). For example, if you want to vote 10 times for your best friend Speckles, you would donate $10.00 for Speckles and he would then get 10 votes. Or you can split your votes. If you like several dogs, you would donate X number of dollars for each dog you like and each dog would get that number of votes. Even better -- you can vote as many times as you want. This means you can vote multiple times for one dog, or one time for many dogs, or any variation thereof, and come back throughout the voting period to keep your pick in the running by casting more $1.00 votes. Voting will be open until the deadline. It's really very simple: $1.00 per vote and you can vote as many times as you want for as many dogs as you want. Voting will continue on our web site through December 1st. All money benefits 2 Dogs and the walk to increase awareness of canine cancer and the urgency to find the cause.

Now here's the other great news. No dog loses! While there will be only 12 dogs on the main calendar, each dog not chosen will still have his or her photo published in the back of the calendar. Every dog's photo submitted for the calendar will be published.

When will the calendars be ready? Calendars will be ready to purchase before the new year. These will make excellent gifts. Cost: $15.95 each.

OK, here's a summary:

(1) Submit one photo and one story (1 to 2 paragraphs) per canine cancer patient – submission of photos and stories is FREE and should be sent to: calendar@2dogs2000miles.org.

(2) You are not limited to your submissions. If you have sadly had more than one dog stricken with cancer, you may submit each dog's photo and story. Photos may be of dogs who have passed or dogs who are still here fighting their cancer!

(3) Please be sure to submit a story with your photo. 1 to 2 paragraph limit, please. Don't forget to include your name and contact email. You will be notified when we receive your photo and story.

(4) Submissions begin immediately and continue through November 15th, ending at midnight EST.

(5) Photos of all dogs will be posted on our web site after November 16th, and voting begins at our web site 2 weeks after the last submission and continues through December 1st. Deadline for voting is December 1st, again at midnight EST.

(6) Each $1.00 donation = 1 vote. You may vote (and thus donate) multiple times! Please do! Please invite family and friends to vote as well! Votes will be cast at our website beginning November 2nd.

(7) Calendars will be available for the new year and cost only $15.95. These will make excellent gifts! Remember, each calendar will spread the important news about canine cancer, so please consider giving them as gifts to vet clinics, colleagues, groomers, your own favorite vet, as well as family and friends.

(8) ALL photos will be published in the calendar. While only twelve dogs will be chosen to represent the 12 months of the year, based on the number of $1.00 votes each dog receives, EVERY photo submitted will be published in the calendar. Pictures not included in the body of the calendar will be published in the back pages, so every dog's picture will appear.

This calendar will not only help get the word out about the seriousness and prevalence of canine cancer, but will also be a lasting tribute to those beautiful dogs who struggled with and are still struggling against this disease.

We hope you will be part of this effort. Send in your photos and stories, please pass the word to family and friends, and then, come November 2nd, vote, vote, vote for your favorite dogs!

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