Contact: Colleen Roche/Brenda Pèrez (212) 788-2958
"I am delighted to welcome Cody, Bear, Boomer, Driggs, Maynard, Theo and their proud owners to City Hall," Mayor Giuliani said. "Their indisputable musical talents have earned them a place in the finals of the Advantage Singing Pets Contest. But regardless of who becomes "North America's Best Singing Pet" tomorrow, these contestants have already won the hearts of all of us who have heard them sing."
The contestants visiting City Hall today were Cody, a Husky from Los Angeles owned by Denis Hite and Chris Miller; Bear, a Labrador Retriever from Chicago owned by Adria Mheenbeck; Boomer, a Boston Terrier from Saint Louis owned by Andy and Yvonne Menzel; Driggs, a Boarder Collie from Buffalo owned by Eric and Celeste Grace; Maynard, a Bloodhound from Cleveland owned by Karen Adie and Randy Harrold; and Theo, a Pointer/Pitbull mix from Saratoga owned by Charlie and Jennifer Robert.
At tomorrow's ceremony, the 1997 winner, Regal the Beagle, and runner-up Mr. Belvedere, will start the competition with a farewell performance. Judges will select a cat and a dog from among the top 12 contenders. The cat and dog will then compete for the grand prize. The grand prize winner will receive a professional studio recording session and will be featured in an Advantage print poster or advertisement. Finalists were chosen from hundreds of entries mailed in or contestants who performed at local auditions held in 16 cities in North America.
The search for "North America's Best Singing Pet" benefits the Humane Society of New York and it is sponsored by Bayer Corporation, maker of Advantage flea control products.