20141218

I'm on the fence about getting a pet. I need your help on this one. If you show me yours, I may pick you to win a $1,000 Gift Card from Global Pet Foods. But let me start at the beginning.

In my swinging, single thirties I had an awesome dog named Basil. He was a German Shorthaired Pointer and he was gorgeous. I think we actually looked alike. He was my constant companion, my running partner, and my *BFF (*best furry friend)...until I got married and had kids.

Basil was a dog who needed to run, and I was a pregnant woman who needed to nap. Eventually we had to go our separate ways, I went to take care of my kids and Basil went to live with a young couple (both of them vets) on a farm.

Fast forward 10 years and my kids have been asking about getting a four-legged BFF. Okay, not asking. Begging. Pleeeaaase can we get a dog? Pleeeeeeeaase?

Being a Libra means I am often incapable of making a decision. The question of getting a pet is not an easy one to answer. So I did what any sane mother would do. I went to Facebook to ask my friends for advice.

To say I was overwhelmed by the intensity of answers would be an understatement. I posted the questions at 10am. When I came home around 5pm, I shocked to find 117 impassioned responses from my friends who are deliriously in love with their dogs, highly recommending we need a BFF to complete our family. Not only were my friends providing advice on which breed my family should own, there were also a ton of cute photos of their dogs uploaded into the thread as well.

While I haven't decided if this is right for my family yet, I learned something from my post on Facebook. People are crazy about their pets!! So, I thought, let's have some fun with this. I'd like you to convince me to get a pet by showing me yours!!

I'm teaming up with a bunch of fun folks at Global Pet Foods to judge their BFF Pet Selfie Contest. If you have a dog, cat or any other furry friend, submit a selfie of you and your BFF from October 1 - October 31 for a chance to win the Grand Prize of $1,000 Global Pet Foods Gift Card. There's also a Secondary Prize of $500 Global Pet Foods Gift Card and a Third Prize of $250 Global Pet Food Gift Card. Each photo uploaded will also be eligible for 10 BONUS AIR MILES reward miles!

There are daily draws for $25 Global Pet Foods Gift Card and Weekly draws for $100 Global Pet Foods Gift Card. Plus, if you're like any of my crazy friends who post photos of their pets all the time on Instagram, you can tag and follow Global Pet Foods on Instagram and use the hashtag #GPFSELFIE for a chance to win even more prizes.

But the most important thing is you get to show off your BFF!

If you're a pet owner, you probably already know this, but Global Pet Foods carries everything your pet needs: toys, treats, health and grooming essentials, crates — even clothing! If the dealings I've been having with the staff are any indication, they love what they do; they're very knowledgeable about pet nutrition and health and are obsessed with pets. Keeping your BFF fed and pampered isn't cheap. I'm sure a $1,000 Gift Card will pay for lots of treats for Rover or Kitty.

As for what I'm looking for in the BFF selfie you'll be submitting, cute can only take you so far. Because, let's face it, everyone's BFF is cute. I'm looking for creativity! So grab your camera, cuddle up with your BFF and upload your selfie to Globalpetfoods.com/SELFIE.

You may convince me my family needs a dog. But you'll have to come walk it for me.