In honor of National Dog Day this Sunday, August 26th, I thought it would be good to shed some light on our four legged friends! Most dogs we see everyday are well kept but there are millions of dogs every year that enter shelters and desperately need grooming in order to make a great first impression! It’s often the difference between life and death so Wahl, GreaterGood.org and The Animal Rescue Site teamed up with pet shelters nationwide to find the 10 Best Shelter Dog Makeovers in America!

Their annual Dirty Dogs contest sheds light on the fact that a little time, love and lots of shampoo can give shelter dogs a fresh start. I’m excited to reveal the finalists and the newly minted winner with you today!

Gabriel was rescued from a hoarder along with 58 other dogs.

Apollo was used to breed in a puppy mill for seven years.

Pepper was left in an abandoned home with no food or water.

Buffalo Bill was found with 17 other dogs and was so matted he couldn’t walk or see.

Banjo was found living in a car on a hot 95 degree day.

Opie had spent most of his life in a small kennel and then was abandoned by his owner.

Dorothy was found wandering on a desert road, she was so matted her ears almost touched the ground.

Crinolin escaped a hoarding situation.

Milo was found living on the streets.

Gizmo was found completely matted with heavy fur surrounding him.

While all these pups are winners, votes on Facebook determined the top dog. And the rescue group affiliated with first place receives 5 thousand dollars to further support their efforts.

And now it’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for!

The first place winner is…Crinolin!

You can learn more about these Top 10 Dirty Dogs and the hundreds of other submissions in the Dirty Dogs Before and After Gallery at dirtydogsgallery.com.

Finally, a huge thanks to Wahl, Greater Good dot org, The Animal Rescue Site, the volunteers and all of you who voted!!

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