Photo Contest Will Crown the New Top Dog in Balboa Park

Balboa Park, San Diego —Area residents can find out if their pooch has the chops to be Balboa Park’s Top Dog by entering the second annual Balboa Park Top Dog Photo Contest. Submissions will be accepted from August 29 to September 16 and winners will be announced October 3 following an online vote of the top 25 entries. The grand prize winner receives an exclusive overnightSu’ruff Camp package from Loews Coronado Bay Resort.

The Top Dog Photo Contest, sponsored by Balboa Park Central, gives park visitors the opportunity to demonstrate their photographic skills by submitting a picture of their favorite canine friend taken in one of the most picturesque havens for dog lovers. Photos of a single dog taken anywhere in Balboa Park can be submitted via the contest website at www.balboapark.org/topdog from August 29 to September 16, 2011 (one entry per dog per family). A committee of judges from Balboa Park will choose 25 finalists to be posted on BalboaPark.org, where visitors can vote for their favorite from September 21 to 30, 2011. 

The top vote getter’s family will be awarded Loews Coronado Bay Resort’s Su’ruff Camp package, which includes a one-night stay in deluxe accommodations at Loews Coronado Bay Resort, surfing lessons for one dog, and a variety of other doggie amenities and treats. One second place winner can have a fine art portrait of their dog painted by Valarie Duke of SoCal Pet Portraits (a $450 value) and receive a Family 4-Pack of Balboa Park Passports. And one third place winner receives a free wellness exam for their pet from K9 Care by Denise (a $50 value), a two-hour pet-friendly landscaping consultation by Judy Macomber (an $80 value), a $20 gift certificate for a Saturday Mexican Brunch at Baha Betty’s, and a Family 4-Pack of Balboa Park Passports. In addition, all winners receive a copy of the San Diego Pet Lovers Directory.

For a complete listing of contest prizes and rules, participants are advised to visit http://www.balboapark.org/topdog and Cosmos’s Doggie Blog, which for three years has faithfully provided a dog’s-eye view of Balboa Park’s activities and attractions.