Buster the bulldog, Geno the cat win $10K in 'America's Favorite Pet' contest
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TikTok trend has dogs confused then excited when they see their owners on walks!
Dog owners are walking by their pups on walks without them to see if they will recognize them, and the reactions are hilarious!
Buster the bulldog from New York and Geno, a domestic shorthair from New Jersey have beaten more than 400,000 contenders to secure their spot as "America's Favorite Pet" in a new competition hosted by professional fundraiser Colossal for animal welfare organization Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS).
Buster, who lives in the Queen borough of New York is "famous for his soccer-ball-spiking headbutts, snores, and love of roasted chicken, captured hearts with his gentle, comedic charm," according to his profile. On the other hand, Geno is described as an "inquisitive, brave (and) treat-motivated feline."
Both winners took home a prize of $10,000 and were announced the cover stars of "Modern Cat" and "Modern Dog" magazines.
The annual online, voting-based competition, now in its 5th year, primarily works to raise funds for life-saving animal welfare support. This year it managed to raise $8.3 million for PAWS. In its five-year history, the competition has raised more than $22 Million for PAWS, making it "one of the largest philanthropic pet contests in the U.S.," Colossal said.
"Modern Family" star Eric Stonestreet hosted the competition. Colossal, in a news release, said the competition has a "dedicated 'host' partner for every campaign" and Eric, "a dog-lover and animal rescue advocate" was selected for this year's edition.
Rankings: USA TODAY ranks the Best Veterinary Hospitals for National Pet Week 2025
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How are the winners chosen?
To participate in the competition, pet owners submit photos and profiles of their pets. There is no registration fee, and each entrant can only submit one pet, according to Colossal rules.
Over a course of nine weeks, pet advance through the competition based on how many votes they receive. Each voter earns one free vote every 24 hours while additional votes can be cast via donations with each vote costing $1. The total proceeds from this wholly benefit PAWS.
There is one dog winner and one cat winner, and each winner is chosen based on which dog and which cat earn the most votes.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
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