'Greatest American Dog' Contestants Keeping Busy

They were voted off CBS-TV's "Greatest American Dog," but Beth Joy Knutsen and Bella Starlet Dog refuse to stay in the doghouse and whine.

Knutsen and Bella Starlet are nominated in the "best musical" category for the 2008 DogCatemy Awards, held Nov. 6 at the North Shore Animal League America's annual gala in New York. Their entry is a video about their relationship, scored to the Turtles' song "Happy Together."

"We have an appeal to people who are passionate about their dogs and about life," said Knutsen, who sports a tattoo of Bella Starlet on her left leg. "I get e-mails from a woman with lupus and a woman with cancer, saying they are in so much pain, but watching us on TV makes them smile."

Knutsen tirelessly advocates for rescue dogs, warning that more pets are being abandoned as economic times get tougher. Scarcely less busy is Bella Starlet, a blonde mixed breed with strawberry and silver highlights. A rescue dog herself, Bella Starlet has a forthcoming line of dog-and-human jewelry, a new clothing line, and a new foundation to help raise money for rescue agencies.

[Source: NilesHeraldSpectator.com]