A card-playing dog and her owner from Centerport have won an amateur video contest run by the North Shore Animal League and will be featured at the league’s second annual DogCatemy Awards Red Carpet Gala on Nov. 29 in the city.
The video, featuring Rick Caran and his dog, Jilli, a teacup sized Yorkie, received almost 39 percent of the vote among the nine contenders. Voting online ended at midnight Wednesday, and while it’s too late to vote, you can visit the site and see all nine videos.
Lori Kepler, a friend of Caran’s, said that Jilli is also a service dog that performs at schools and nursing homes. “One of the things that Jilli is known for is teaching children who are afraid of dogs that not all dogs are dangerous,” Kepler explained. “Rick is careful to teach the kids dog safety at the same time he tries to use Jilli, to get the kids comfortable with pets.”
The gala will include videos of celebrities and their pets, and awards will be given out by Fox TV news reporter Toni Senecal. Proceeds from the ceremony go to support the animal league.
Comments (1)
Hey Tim, very nice article... Thanks... Jilli has done shows on both coasts, and Vegas, as well as appeared on international shows, and performed at corporate events. Just started as a hobby, became an avocation and now we're doin lot's of stuff! Fun! We still do volunteer work as Certified Therapy Dog. Tonite we entertained at a Homeless Shelter... beat regards, Rick Caran JilliDog,com