Win One of Ten iPads; Help Shelter Pets

 As promised, here’s our big announcement!

New York, NY – December 6, 2010 – Goodnewsforpets.com is celebrating its 10^th anniversary with a special $10,000 promotion.  Pets bring special holiday memories.  Now celebrate those memories and enter for a chance to win one of ten iPads™ ($499 MSRP plus tax) from Goodnewsforpets.com and a matching $500 donation to the ASPCA^® or your local pet shelter.  The contest runs from December 6 through December 28, 2010.  Winners will be announced on New Year’s Day, January 1, 2011. 

 “Goodnewsforpets.com has a ten year history of educating pet owners and delivering news of value to our community.  Our new contests have benefited pets and pet owners alike.  With this matching donation we can now give something back to the shelter community.  It’s a win-win opportunity,” said publisher Lea-Ann Germinder, APR, Fellow PRSA.   

 Pet owners are invited to tell their holiday story and share it with a photo or shoot and submit a 1-minute video at www.goodnewsforpets.com. All submissions that meet the contest criteria will be posted on the site or videos uploaded to our new YouTube™ channel at YouTube.com/goodnewsforpets. For the contest form and the rules and regulations, visit goodnewsforpets.com

 “We are delighted that pet owners will have the chance to share their holiday stories on goodnewsforpets.com, and that by winning, they’ll contribute to the care of shelter pets.  With today’s challenging economy, the need for financial support to care for shelter pets is great, and every contribution helps,” said Julie Morris, senior vice president of Community Outreach for the ASPCA.

GoodNewsforpets.com is a recognized, award-winning source for pet news. The site is published by Germinder & Associates, Inc, Free subscriptions are available through http://www.goodnewsforpets.com. Also, the sites can be tracked through Twitter.com/GoodNewsForPets, the GoodNewsForPets blog, and GoodNewsForPets.com Facebook. For 2011 sponsorship, advertising and social media packages, contact Lea-Ann Germinder at lgerminder@germinder.com.

Apple is not a participant in or sponsor of this promotion.

Me and My Apple

  When I think of apples and pets, I think of the iconic image of proffering an apple to a beloved horse.  The equestrians will have to tell me if that’s okay when I attend the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) meeting in Baltimore on Monday.  In regards to other apple related matters — you’ll know more about it on this site on Monday!

Now about me and my own apple.  I went to the University of Dayton and as a Flyer News photographer I frequented Brown Street.  That was 1978 and I remember a funky little store with a bitten apple on it.  They told me it was a computer store.  As I was in communications, I figured that was only of interest for the computer majors who were still writing BASIC code. Ha!

When I went to work at a marcom agency in 1980, we still had typewriters, carbon copy paper and mainframes in air-conditioned rooms.   We created direct mail programs with these huge laser printers that could actually personalize a letter, as in “Dear John Smith” by feeding in data cards.  But, the data had to be right and that was my job.  This was for the likes of AT&T, First Bank Systems and Northwest Orient Airlines when it existed. 

Fast forward to my next agency in Kansas City and as I was in PR, we all had PCs with floppy disks but the Creatives got the coveted MACS.  Next agency, same story.

So, when I launched my own firm in 1998, I bought my first MAC.  And, all the MAC software.  But, all my clients were on PC’s and at that time, they didn’t really talk so well, so there went my beautiful, creative MAC.  For 10 years I kept my PC until an apple crept back into my life in the form of an ipod, then an iphone for myself and my staff, and oh yes, MACS came back into my life. 

There is a pet moral here.  I can now sit with my iPad on my couch with my cat curled up next to me.   I can see the larger type better than on my iphone and it’s lighter than my laptop.  My dad got one after seeing mine.  Loves it.  Is Mac Air next?  I think this means more than one apple.  But I’m happy and in good health — with me and more apples!  Next report from AAEP and stay tuned for our announcement Monday!