11/05/07 2008 Dog Calendar Unleashed
09/19/07 2008 Dog Calendar Winners
10/19/06 2007 Dog Calendar Winners
09/29/06 Carmel-by-the-Sea’s Canine Casting Call
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 19, 2006
The Year of The Dog:
Carmel-by-the-Sea Announces Winners
of Dog Calendar Casting Call
CARMEL, CA — Every dog has its day. But in Carmel-by-the-Sea, some dogs get an entire month.
Carmel canines are among the world’s most pampered. Restaurants here seat them, hotels greet them, and countless publications fete them. What place would be better, then, for the first-known city-sponsored dog calendar?
Anyone who has strolled along the white sands of the frenzied go-fetch known as Carmel Beach is aware that four legs are better than two in these parts. On Saturday, Oct. 14, more than 300 dogs and their owners lined up for blocks at the veritable Fountain of Woof for the chance to participate in a casting call for the first annual Carmel Dog Calendar.
The dogs selected by judges to appear in the calendar as pup pinups were announced Thursday, and will appear Friday on the Web site www.carmeldogcalendar.com. (See attached for a complete list of winners.)
The overwhelmingly successful pet pageant featured double the number of participants event organizers had anticipated, said Carmel Community Services Director Christie Miller.
“We wanted to show people around the world that we’re pet friendly, and how in-love people from Carmel are with their pets,” Miller said. “But I never expected this turnout. This exceeds any best-case scenario we’d envisioned.”
Miller said she’d like the casting call to be an annual event.
“I don’t think we could get away with not doing it again,” she said.
The casting call was the brainchild of the city’s marketing and public relations guru Jeff Burghardt of Anda-Burghardt Advertising.
“I was thinking of events for the city, and the calendar was obvious,” Burghardt said. “I asked if it had been done before, and was surprised that it hadn’t. I knew at that moment we needed to make it happen immediately and make it big.”
The event was hosted by Carmelite and newscaster Erin Clark of local NBC affiliate KSBW-Channel 8. Meanwhile, judges Walt DeFaria, Denny LeVett and Sherrie McCullough evaluated the contestants --- each of which crossed a stage with their owner, who answered a question or two about their pet --- in categories like personality, charm, face and first impression.
Featuring 314 dogs, the casting call began at 1:30 p.m. and lasted more than four hours. A line of contestants stretched two blocks from the foot of Ocean Ave. In all, it was an afternoon of canine pageantry that resembled a Carmel hybrid of “American Idol” and “Best in Show.” The casting call also managed to net more than $1,000 for its beneficiary, the SPCA.
The announcement of the event created something of a frenzy in and around the seaside hamlet known as one of the globe’s most dog-friendly towns.
“When I saw the announcement of the casting call for the calendar in the newspaper, I looked at my Irish setter and said, ‘Baby, we’re getting ourselves a month’,” said Carmel Valley’s Liz Brown, turning to look at the line stretching a quarter-mile behind her. “Apparently a lot of other people had the same idea.”
Famed chef Kurt Grasing, who with partner Narsai David owns iconic Carmel restaurants Grasing’s and Kurt’s Chop House, joined the congregation with his Chihuahua Frankie. “He knows the difference between Kobe beef and Black Angus,” Grasing said of his pet’s special talent.
Contestants in the audition ranged from the big (a Bernese Mountain Dog named Matterhorn and a 210-pound Leonberger called Gustav) to the small (a lasso apso named Truffle and an Italian Spinone called Lady Godiva). Some were fabulous, including a standard poodle with painted toenails and an Italian Greyhound named Armani. Still others came in Carmel casual: several dogs — including winners Wilfredo and Twinkie and Daisy— are just plain mutts.
Each dog boasted a specific talent, ranging from apple picking to moonwalking to doing yoga. Some had dramatic stories to tell, including Sketter, a Queenslander that was rescued from New Orleans post-Katrina, and Guido, a Chihuahua whose owner administered CPR after it was electrocuted four years ago.
Carmel is consistently rated as one of the world’s best cities for dogs and their owners. In addition to the canine Shangri-La known as Carmel Beach, dogs are welcome at various hotels, restaurants and retail establishments throughout the village.
At the Doris-Day owned Cypress Inn, a welcoming jar of dog biscuits greets guests waiting to check in, and pets are welcome to spend the night. Restaurants like Portabella and Forge in the Forest seat canine companions with their masters. The landmark Cottage of Sweets includes doggie treats in its mix of American and European candies.
While some shops boast hitching posts outside, most allow dogs to come right on in. In fact, when high-end newcomer Wilkes Bashford opened his new Ocean Ave. store in August, he included designer dog collars to his inventory of couture.
The calendar will be launched at the Carmel Dog Calendar Release Party on Dec. 6 party from 6-8 p.m. at the Carmel Plaza. Think of it as the Academy Awards after party where you can mingle with the dog celebrities. They can then also be purchased online starting in early December at www.carmeldogcalendar.com.
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CONTACT
Jeff Burghardt, president
Anda-Burghardt Advertising
(831) 646-9200
Fax (831) 646-9300
jeff@abadvertising.com
