Doggone Safe Named a Top 25 Finalist in the Category of Most Effective Awareness Campaign by a Charity for 3rd Annual CLASSY Awards

    CAMPBELLVILLE, ON, August 10, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- StayClassy, a leader in social fundraising for nonprofits, has announced Doggone Safe as one of the 3rd Annual CLASSY Awards Top 25 Finalists.

The CLASSY Awards is the largest philanthropic awards ceremony in the country, recognizing the most outstanding philanthropic achievements nationwide. Out of thousands of nominations, the judges narrowed the list down to the Top 25 most inspiring and impactful in each category. From now until August 26, supporters can visit www.classyawards.org and vote for Doggone Safe to be named a CLASSY Award Winner for the Most Effective Awareness Campaign by a Charity.

The Top 10 Finalists will be determined by public vote and announced on August 30th. The 3rd Annual CLASSY Awards competition will culminate at a red-carpet awards ceremony on Saturday, September 17 in San Diego, California. More than $150,000 in cash and prizes will be donated to the winners.

"We are grateful to all our members, presenters and supporters for their part in earning us this terrific honor. The publicity from this will help to spread our dog/child safety messages to more parents, kids and dog owners," said Joan Orr, president and cofounder of Doggone Safe.

Doggone Safe was selected as a finalist because of the impact of the International Dog Bite Prevention Challenge. Doggone Safe presenters educated more than 16,000 children around the world about safety around dogs during Dog Bite Prevention Week (May 15-21, 2011). Events took place in eight countries, seven Canadian provinces and twenty six US states. The event also resulted in increased public awareness, 70 new Be a Tree program presenters and more than 200 new members for the non-profit organization. The Be a Tree program is a fun and interactive dog bite prevention program for school children that focuses on positive messages and how to read dog body language.

"I love 'be a tree' (and 'be a rock'). It's the best of its kind. This information has to get out there", said Jean Donaldson, internationally recognized dog behavior expert, award-winning author and director of the Academy for Dog Trainers.

Doggone Safe is a non-profit corporation registered in Canada and Ontario, and in the US is a 501(c)(3) registered charity. Doggone Safe is dedicated to dog bite prevention through education and dog bite victim support. Doggone Safe has members from around the world. Educational programs offered by Doggone Safe are Be a Tree (for school-aged children), and online courses about dog body language and occupational dog bite prevention. www.doggonesafe.com

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