Image by PETA Stella, the cutest mutt around.
In an effort to remind people that they needen't get a pure breed to get a loveable and super cute dog, PETA held a contest to find the cuttest mutt.
And the winner is: Stella, whose guardian is 26-year-old Summerville resident Jamie Hood. Stella edged out nearly 1,000 other lovable mutts to become a finalist.
From a release: Hood and her husband — both self-described animal lovers who foster and care for both dogs and cats — adopted Stella from an animal shelter. Bursting with energy, Stella loves to swim and visit the local dog parks. She also loves to chase her canine siblings, even though they're twice her size, and her preferred mode of sleeping is on her back with her head on the pillow—smack in between Hood and her husband. Stella has a barrel of fun with the neighborhood kids, who stop by to play with her at least once a week.
Why are mutts top dogs with PETA? Every time someone buys a purebred from a breeder or pet store, a shelter animal loses his or her chance at finding a home. Every year in the U.S., an astounding 6 to 8 million dogs and cats end up in animal shelters, and roughly half must be euthanized because there simply aren't enough good homes for them. Of the millions of dogs who are abandoned and euthanized, most are mutts.
