For Immediate Release 11/8/07

Bay Area Bowwow Hopes to Share Fame and Fortune

He’s the Silicon Valley pound pooch who aspires to be more than merely man’s best friend.

Fresh from an appearance on the TODAY show, Kitai, a former shelter mutt destined for greatness, has also raised more than $1,700 to help low income and financially strained pet owners cover the cost of having their furry friends spayed and neutered. The doggy dough came courtesy of wedding guests and friends of Kitai’s proud owners. In lieu of a traditional gift registry, newlyweds Stacie Tamaki and her groom asked well wishers to donate to the Cutest Dog Ever spay and neuter fund.

Tamaki plucked the precocious black and white stray from the Humane Society of Silicon Valley 4 years ago. “When I found Kitai I was looking for a big, intimidating watch dog,” Tamaki said. “But there he was a small, cute, stray that had been picked up in a field. His owners never came to claim him so I did.”

Tamaki has used her skills as a custom bridal accessory designer to adorn her scruffy pooch in one-of-a-kind couture Halloween costumes. The producers of the TODAY show recently flew the pair to New York to compete in a Halloween costume contest for canines. Cameras caught Kitai elaborately outfitted as Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer. “Unfortunately he didn’t win the contest, but we had a great experience in New York,” said Tamaki. “After all, how many dogs from the HSSV shelter have been on national television and had their picture taken with Elvira and Tiki Barber?”

Costume contests aside, Tamaki hopes her charismatic canine will encourage others to adopt their next pet from a shelter or rescue. She calls Kitai a volunteer good will ambassador for pet adoption. Along those lines, she’s also used her skills as a web designer to create a fun site for Kitai, www.CutestDogEver.com that is packed with links to local shelters and rescues, as well as loads of pet care and even puppy lemon law information.

Visitors can also donate to the Cutest Dog Ever spay and neuter fund. Tamaki is currently making arrangements with Dan Soszynski, Executive Director of the Silicon Valley Animal Control Authority to donate all proceeds to the authority’s new low cost spay and neuter clinic. Beginning Nov. 7, the clinic will charge $10 to alter cats and $30 for dogs who are residents of Campbell, Monte Sereno and Santa Clara, California.

“We are so very impressed by Mrs. Tamaki’s and Kitai’s generosity,” said Soszynski. “The “Cutest Dog Ever” fund will help to cover the costs of countless surgeries for companion animals who would have otherwise continued to be a part of the overpopulation problem.”

For Tamaki the solution is clear: “Our country's shelters are in crisis and need any help they can get in decreasing the number of puppies bred while increasing the number of adoptions taking place. We need to lower the number of dogs, many as wonderful as Kitai, who tragically become nothing more then another sad statistic in our nation's euthanasia totals at the end of each year.”

For more information contact Tamaki at:

stacie@stacietamaki.com



With Elvira - Halloween 2007



With Tiki Barber


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