FOCUS: Second contest underway to find new Rescue Brew stars

You can now enter your pets. Photos provided.

Staff reports  |  You can now enter Charleston Animal Society’s second annual contest to get an image of your rescue dog and cat printed on labels of 2021 Rescue Brew Beer cans of beer from Palmetto Brewing Company.

Nominations for the spokespet star search are open through Aug. 15.  The cost? A donation of $10, which will support programs at the animal welfare organization.  After the entries are in, voting will be from Aug. 16 through Sept. 17. The grand prize spokesdog and spokescat will be announced Oct. 16.

Last year’s winners.

“We are absolutely thrilled to celebrate the unconditional love that pets bring to our lives and partner with Palmetto Brewing Company, Southern Eagle Distributing, WCSC Live 5 News, Charleston City Paper and Cupcake DownSouth to find the second spokesdog and spokescat for the 2021 Rescue Brew Beer,” said Joe Elmore, president and CEO of Charleston Animal Society.

“Last year, voting was furious in the final hours as dog and cat lovers put their money to work to cast ballots for their favorite nominee,” said Andy Brack, publisher of the Charleston City Paper.  “It was exciting to experience and a thrill to be a part of the event’s fundraising success to help area animals.”  

Last year, the first spokescat and spokesdog contest generated more than 70,000 votes.  At $1 per vote, the contest was a winner for the society, officials said.

“All of us at the brewery are huge dog and cat fans and it is important for our company to support the lifesaving work of the Charleston Animal Society,” said Palmetto Brewing’s Collin Clark.  “We could not think of a better way to celebrate pets and the people who love them than by creating a special release beer featuring rescued pets on the labels!” 

The public will choose the three finalist dogs and three finalist cats through voting. Then three local celebrity judges will choose one winning dog and one winning cat to appear on the labels of the 2021 Rescue Brew Beer. The six finalist dogs and cats will each receive a $100 gift certificate for pet supplies at the pet supply store at the Charleston Animal Society and a “Mega Pupcake” from Cupcake DownSouth. 

After the winner is named,  2021 Rescue Brew Beer will be available at the Palmetto Brewing taproom and at select retailers. 

• To enter the contest, visit www.CharlestonAnimalSociety.org/RescueBrew.  Pet owners will be asked to submit a photo of their rescued dogs and cats and tell why their pet deserves to win.