Dogs of Valor Contest Rules
Having problems entering the contest or voting? Do you have other questions? Read our Frequently Asked Questions.
How to Enter
No donation, purchase, or obligation of any kind is necessary to win The Humane Society of the United States' (HSUS) Dogs of Valor Contest. A donation or purchase will not increase your chances of winning. To enter the Contest, follow the steps at humanesociety.org/dogsofvalor. These steps ask you to supply certain information about the dog you are nominating and about yourself. The requested information includes a brief summary of the dog's heroic action. To be accepted into the Contest, you must provide all requested information.
Written descriptions must be in English and must be original and created by you or be in the public domain. The HSUS reserves the right to reject any Contest submission if it does not meet the eligibility requirements described later in these Rules, or for any other reason at our sole discretion.
You must complete a separate registration for each dog you wish to enter, unless two or more dogs were engaged in the same heroic event. You must use the process described at humanesociety.org/dogsofvalor to enter the Contest. We're sorry, but we will discard any nominations that are emailed to us or sent to us via the U.S. Mail or any other method not set forth in the instructions at humanesociety.org/dogsofvalor. Once submitted, you cannot delete your entry from the Contest.
All entries must be submitted by 5 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time, on May 30, 2008. Any entry will be deemed ineligible if it is illegible, incomplete, if it fails to meet the required specifications, or if it is received after the contest ends. All entries shall become the property of The HSUS when received and shall not be returned.
Eligibility
You must be 18 years of age or older to be eligible. The Contest is subject to all applicable national, federal, and local laws and regulations. Void where prohibited by law. Employees and independent contractors of The Humane Society of the United States (The HSUS), Bella Tocca Tags, or their affiliates, and any other individual or entity involved in the development, promotion, or execution of the Contest, and the immediate family members and/or household members of each are not eligible.
Eligible Pets
The Dogs of Valor Awards Contest is limited to companion dogs and working dogs. Nominations that include any animal other than those listed here will be removed from the Contest.
Eligible Stories
The act for which a dog is nominated must have occurred in 2007. Dogs nominated in the Companion Dog category must have acted without being instructed as trained service or working animals. Dogs nominated in the Working Dog category must be trained working animals. Actual events and circumstances surrounding the nomination are subject to independent verification. Please include a link to a media account of the events described in your nomination story where possible. A nomination may be posthumous, provided it meets the nomination criteria above. Your nomination story must not contain any false, disparaging, or defamatory material or any material that invades the privacy of any individual or entity. Any nomination story that includes content that is deemed inappropriate, indecent, or obscene, as determined by the staff of The HSUS in their sole discretion, will be removed from the Contest.
How the Winners are Determined
Staff of The Humane Society of the United States will determine the top 15 entries from the Companion Dog category and the top 15 entries from the Working Dog category. Entries will be judged on the courage exhibited by the dog to help a human in need and the significance and impact of his/her heroic action. The selected entries will then be forwarded to our panel of celebrity judges, who will also use these two criteria. They will select one Grand Prize Winner (Valor Dog of the Year) and three Dogs of Valor Finalists from the Companion Dog category and one Grand Prize Winner (Valor Dog of the Year) and three Dogs of Valor Finalists from the Working Dog category. Winners will be announced via email to all Contest participants on or after June 30, 2008. The winners will also be announced at humanesociety.org/dogsofvalor on or after June 30, 2008.
A People's Choice Award winner will be selected from among several finalist as determined by Staff of The Humane Society of the United States and the panel celebrity judges. The original summaries will be featured in an HSUS email and posted at humanesociety.org/dogsofvalor between June 1 and June 30, 2008, and supporters will be able to vote for their favorite. No additional prizes will be awarded to the winner of the People's Choice Award.
Winner Notification/Prize Claims
The Winners will be selected by June 23, 2008, and will be notified by telephone and/or email by June 30, 2008. In the event that a Winner is unable to accept a Prize, an alternate Winner will be selected. The Winner may be required to complete and sign an Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability Release, and, where legal, a Publicity Release, all of which must be returned within 30 days of attempted prize notification or the prize will be forfeited and awarded to an alternate winner. If the Prize is won by an eligible person who is not of legal age in the state of residence, the prize shall be awarded in the name of the Winner's parent or legal guardian, who must sign and return all required documentation prior to receiving the Prize. In the event of noncompliance with these Rules, or if a Prize or prize notification is unclaimed or returned as undeliverable, the prize will be forfeited and may be awarded to an alternate winner.
Prize Restrictions
Prizes are not transferable. No substitution of Prizes is permitted except at the sole discretion of The HSUS. Any federal, state, or local taxes on Prizes and any expenses related to the acceptance and/or use of the Prizes not specified herein as being awarded are the responsibility of the Winner.
Prizes
Prizes will be awarded to one (1) Grand Prize winner and three (3) Finalists in the Companion Dog category and to one (1) Grand Prize winner and three (3) Finalists in the Working Dog category.
Each Grand Prize winner will receive:
- A framed certificate
- An original sterling silver dog tag from Bella Tocca Tags
- A $250 shopping spree at Humane Domain, The HSUS's online store
- A copy of Tamar Geller's DVD learning series, Celebrate Your Dog! The Loved Way of Training
- A copy of Tamar Geller's book, The Loved Dog: The Playful, Nonaggressive Way to Teach Your Dog Good Behavior.
Each of the 6 Finalists will receive:
- A framed certificate
- An original sterling silver dog tag from Bella Tocca Tags
- A Dog Face Wall Clock from Humane Domain, The HSUS's online store.
Contest participants who nominate a winning dog, either a Valor Dog of the Year or a Finalist, but who are not the winning dog's guardian will be entered into a random drawing to win 1 of 5 autographed and illustrated editions of Marley & Me, by John Grogan.
Use of Email Addresses
Email addresses entered by Contest participants will be used only for communications related to the Contest. Contest participants can opt-in to receive pet tips, action alerts, and special offers via email from The HSUS. If they choose to do so, they will be able to quickly and easily "opt out" of future such communications by following the instructions on any electronic communication we send. The HSUS and its affiliates do not sell, rent, trade, or share its email addresses with any third parties.
Use of Stories
Grant of Rights in Connection with the Contest: By entering the Contest, you agree to grant to The HSUS, its legal representatives, successors, licensees, and assigns, the nonexclusive right and permission to use, modify, adapt, reproduce, publish, and distribute original nomination stories, or any portion thereof, throughout the world, in any printed form and by any kind of mechanical or electronic or any other method or device of reproduction, publication, and distribution known or later developed, during the full term of the copyright, and without notification or payment, in connection with the Dogs of Valor Awards Contest. The HSUS agrees to attribute authorship and copyright ownership to you when it publishes and distributes the original story you submitted. The HSUS also agrees that it will never sell the original story or rights to the original nomination story to any individual or entity.
Grant of Rights for Additional Purposes: By checking the appropriate box on the contest nomination form, you also agree to grant to The HSUS, its legal representatives, successors, licensees, and assigns, the nonexclusive right and permission to use, modify, adapt, reproduce, publish, and distribute the original nomination story, or any portion thereof, throughout the world, in any printed form and by any kind of mechanical or electronic or any other method or device of reproduction, publication, and distribution known or later developed, during the full term of the copyright, and without notification or payment. The HSUS agrees to attribute authorship and copyright ownership to you when it publishes and distributes the original story you submitted. The HSUS also agrees that it will never sell the original story or rights in the original story to any individual or entity.
Additional Terms
By accepting a prize, the Winner consents to The HSUS's use of his or her name, likeness, voice, and/or biographical information for promotional and other purposes without additional compensation, except where prohibited by law. The Winner, by acceptance of any prize, acknowledges compliance with these Rules and agrees to release The HSUS, its affiliates, and its officers, directors, employees, independent contractors, representatives, and agents, and Bella Tocca Tags ("Releasees") from and against any claim or cause of action arising out of participation in the Contest or the receipt, redemption, or use of any prize, including any injuries or damages of any kind sustained in connection with the use, acceptance, possession, or awarding of any prize.
Limitation of Liability
Releasees are not responsible for printing, typographical, human, or other errors of any kind in any Contest-related materials or for stolen, lost, late, misdirected, damaged, incomplete, or illegible entries. If, for any reason, the Contest is not capable of running as planned, or infection by computer viruses, bugs, or tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, actions of entrants, technical failures, or any other causes corrupt or infect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of the Contest, The HSUS reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify any entry or entrant and/or to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Contest and at its sole discretion award a prize from among all eligible non-suspect entries validly received prior to the action requiring such modification. By entering, all Contestants agree that the Contest is governed by laws of the District of Columbia for the resolution of all claims and disputes (excluding any claims against or disputes involving parties other than The HSUS relating to any prize awarded in the Contest).
List of Winners
For the names of the Winners, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Dogs of Valor Contest, The Humane Society of the United States, 2100 L Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037. Requests must be received by July 18, 2008.
Questions?
If you have a question about the Contest that is not covered above, please read our Frequently Asked Questions page. If you have any other questions about the Contest, please email us at dogsofvalor@humanesociety.org. We'll do our best to respond in a timely fashion. Thanks for participating and for your interest in the valuable animal protection programs of The Humane Society of the United States!
Updated on May 2, 2008
