and the winner is.....

As promised, yesterday Ellen the Dog and I drew the winner of Stuart's Million Paws Walk competition.

Ellen and I agreed that as she needs to watch her weight a little we would use tennis balls to determine the winner, rather than the usual snacky treats.  Ellen was a little disappointed that she wasn't able to gobble sausages or meatballs this year, but she's delighted that she now has 36 shiny new tennis balls.*

Every entrant (except Mathew, who elected not to be part of the competition) received one entry for every $10 they donated.  Each entry was written on a tennis ball (with names abbreviated in the case of Curry Hoover and nerdonsafari), and then Ellen was asked to select the winning ball.

Prior to the draw it was decided that the first ball that Ellen clearly lifts off the ground in her mouth would be the winner.

Thank you very much to everyone who so generously donated to the RSPCA.  Thanks to you, Ellen was the equal ninth highest fundraiser in the ACT.  It's a great cause, and I'm delighted that the money raised through this competition will go directly to helping animals in Canberra.

A very special thanks to Duane Morrison for composing the music for the film.

And thanks to Ellen and Stuart for doing their job perfectly and with a great sense of rhythm.



*Only 29 balls were required for the draw, but what was I to do when they were cheaper by the dozen?