March Madness for Pooch Playoffs begins Friday

Press release from Kathy Cafazzo Photography

NEWBERRY, Fla. – Championship aspirations for the Florida men’s basketball team as well as eight other local competitors get underway Friday, March 22. While the Gators are battling Colorado in the first round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament beginning at 4:30 p.m., the 2024 Pooch Playoffs launch online with voting at 12:01 a.m.

Pooch Playoffs is a bracket-style competition with eight pooches competing for exciting prizes from a number of local pet-loving sponsors and the ulti-mutt prize. In each round, two dogs will face off in an online vote. Each winner advances, with the goal of being voted the Ulti-mutt Cutie of North Central Florida! Our winner will move on to the international competition, where voting will be held April 7-8.

The international champion receives a personalized Yeti dog bowl and additional prizes, while the charity the winner initially supported receives another cash donation. The North Central Florida region raises money for the Humane Society of North Central Florida.

Kathy Cafazzo, owner of Kathy Cafazzo Photography, is an active member of the Professional Photography Institute, a national photography group that is hosting the international event. Photographers from across the United States and several countries will be submitting the winner of their respective community to the global bracket.

Cafazzo rounded up eight dogs for a photo session, and their humans selected the competition image that best reflected their personality. Annabelle, Bentley, Captain, Freya, Izzy, Kota, Teddy, and Toffee put their best paw forward and range in age from one to 11 years old and in size from an Australian Mountain Doodle to a Yorkshire Terrier.

“It was such great fun to watch these cute dogs interact with their humans. None of the dogs had had a professional photography session prior to this, and they did great. We compiled some amazing images that the owners will have the opportunity to cherish,” Cafazzo said. “They are all so cute, I really have no clue who is going to advance from our regional to the international portion of the event. I know I’m biased, but I think the international winner is going to come from our group and the Humane Society of North Central Florida will benefit.”

Voting is all online and open to everyone at KathyCafazzoPhotography.com/pooch-playoffs-voting.

The opening round will run from March 23-25, with the regional semifinal from March 26-27 and the regional final from March 28-29. Fans can return and vote daily.