Survey: March Madness Pet Photo Contest 2019

Survey | 2nd Annual March Madness Pet Photo Contest | 2019

By Emily Katt

Star Status March Madness Pet Photo Contest Slide show

All Nottingham High School students and staff members were encouraged to enter the 2nd annual Star Status March Madness Pet Photo Contest. Northstars submitted photos of their pets to be judged in an online voting contest. The deadline to enter the contest was Monday, March 11, 2019.

Pet photos were sent via direct message to the NHSVideo Twitter account using the hashtag #StarStatusPets2019 or emailed to the Star Status email address. The pet voting matchups were set and the online voting contest on who had the "Best Pet" commenced. The winners of the first round will move on to round two, and new match ups will be created. Round 2 will feature matchups with at least three pets per question.

Winners will advance to the Sweet Sixteen, which will feature four pets per contest. The winners of the Sweet Sixteen will advance to the Final Four and eventually one pet will be crowned the "Best Pet of Nottingham!"

Contestants were determined by a committee of super awesome people with great judgement. The qualification committee reserves the right to reject any photos from being considered that we believe to be feigned or stolen content. No "fake pets" please. See photos above for examples of "fake pets."

The match ups are now complete: dog vs. dog, cat vs. cat, fish vs. fish. Who will win the 2nd annual Star Status March Madness Pet Photo Contest? We don't know, but it sure sounds exciting.

Round 1 features 84 fantastic pets in a head-to-head voting contest. Does your pet have what it takes?!

Penny

Bandit

What do you like best about your pet?
She's always ready for an adventure. Whether it's at the park, the beach, or in a basket on a bicycle, she's down for a good time.
Why did you chose that name for your pet?
When we first saw her, she was so small and had a cite, copper-colored nose, like a penny
Favorite memory of your pet?
One winter we built a small snowman. She stood up and put her two front legs on it, like she was giving a hug.
Worst thing she ever did?
I tried to get her paw in paint to stamp on a card. She got loose and ran around the house while I chased her. It took an hour to clean all the tiny red paw prints.
Favorite game to play?
Hide and seek. Without a doubt. She would play all day if she could.
Any tricks?
Playing catch is her best trick. You can throw or bounce her ball anywhere and she'll catch it.
Were you confident that your pet would do so well in this contest?
No, not really. There are so many unique and deserving pets that Penny would definitely be best friends with.

What do you like best about your pet?
What I like best about Bandit is that he is very well- Behaved, yet playful at the same time. He loves some horseplay and to run, but he never means to hurt anyone, and if he does, he'll apologize through licking and attention through licking and attention. He'll never give attention to dogs that bark at him while we walk and he'd never run away even if he has the chance. One can tell that he loves my family and my house, he wouldn't be so caring and well - behaved otherwise.
Why did you chose that name for your pet?
We chose the name Bandit because it's a musical theatre reference. Well, the name isn't directly tied to the music, but we chose it because we are fans of music. The name is inspired by the name given to the daughter of a singer, but obviously changed to fit our dog.
Favorite memory of your pet?
I have many favorite memories of Bandit, but one of them would have to be the first time he ran around the baseball field that is by our house. It was when we found out he loves to run. He ran a lot and even got us running with him. After a while, we took a break, and then we played a game of fetch, that was when we learned he wasn’t that good at fetching the ball, it was more so a game where we threw the ball, he caught it, and ran off with it. He had the biggest smile on his face when walking home.
Worst thing he ever did?
The worst thing Bandit did happened last Easter. We were out doing something, I forget what, Bandit was at home doing his thing. I had a lot of candy from Easter in my room that laid on my desk. I made sure to close my door before leaving, but apparently I didn’t do a good enough job of doing that because we found that Bandit found his way into my room and ate all of the candy that I had and made my room a big mess. There was slobber all over the floor and wrappers everywhere, but it wasn’t the end of the world, at least he didn’t get to the chocolates that were in my sister’s room.
Favorite game to play?
Bandit’s favorite game to play, or favorite thing to do, has to do with his chew toys. He loves when we play with him and his chew toys, he loves tug of war, he loves jumping for them, and he loves to play fetch with them, fetch Bandit’s way though.
Any tricks?
Bandit knows a few tricks. He knows how to sit, lay, stay, and even knows how to shake hands and high five (it’s more like a low five, like “down low”).
Were you confident that your pet would do so well in this contest?
I was pretty confident that Bandit would get a lot of love for his appearance, I mean, I haven’t met a single soul who didn’t think he was pretty adorable. I’m rooting for him to win, but it’s okay if he doesn’t, he’s still the best pet to me.

The Final Four!

Penny

Hunter

What do you like best about your pet?
What I like best about him is his unique beagle howl. He is always excited to see everybody when we get home from school/work and he loves when I take him for car rides/walks.
Why did you chose that name for your pet?
We chose the name Hunter because he came from a family of hunting dogs and we felt that this was the right fit for his home.
Favorite memory of your pet?
My favorite memory is in the summer when we bring him to our house in Wildwood and he can go run free on the beach and swim in the water.
Worst thing he ever did?
We let him out of his cage for the first time two weeks before Christmas 2017, and he ate an entire package of Ice Cubes Gum. It's poisonous to dogs. So he ended up at the vet for two days getting IVs to flush the toxic out of his system.
Favorite game to play?
His favorite games to play are fetch and hide and seek. He loves trying to find me and my brother.
Any tricks?
He does a couple of tricks. He knows how to sit, give paw, and speak. We are working on trying to get him to smile. He also can catch a Frisbee and ball.
Were you confident that your pet would do so well in this contest?
Yes, he's a great dog and his personality comes out on the picture I submitted.

Atilla

What do you like best about your pet?
She is a very sweet chicken and loves cantaloupes. She also lays one brown egg every day.
Why did you chose that name for your pet?
I love history and I named her after Atttila the Hen. So, she became Attila the Hen.
Favorite memory of your pet?
My favorite memory of attila was when we picked her out and brought her home. She was the cutest chick and loved to be held. My kids were so excited to get her and the 3 other chicks.
Worst thing she ever did?
She pooped on my pants.
Favorite game to play?
She likes to eat cabbage off a string in her run and she likes to sit on a swing.
Any tricks?
Yes, she can lay eggs!
Were you confident that your pet would do so well in this contest?
Attilla is a very cute and unique pet. She has been a great pet.

Bandit

Star Status Pet Photo Contest 2019 Round 2 Winning Percentages

Star Status Pet Photo Contest 2019 Round 1 Winning Percentages

The "pets" pictured below are not "real" pets and should not be entered into this contest. No "fake pets!"