New contest open -- to readers' dogs!

Well, if so, they might just be able to win you a $500 furniture shopping spree this month!

Pet lovers across the Ozarks will be able to show off and tell all about their favorite pet in the free contest being sponsored by a local Berryville-headquartered business.

Brashears Furniture's three stores in Berryville, Springdale and Branson, Mo., will come together this month to hold their first-ever "Dog Tales" Photo & Essay Contest, starting Aug. 8. Submissions will be accepted through Aug. 22nd, and voting for your favorite photo/story will take place between Aug. 23 through Aug. 31. The winning photo & essay entries will be announced by Sept. 1st.

One grand-prize winner will receive a $500 gift certificate good for anything in the store at their nearest Brashears Furniture store. Best of all, three area Humane Societies will also win, because Brashears will donate $1 to each of the three Humane Societies (up to $500 per Humane Society) for every vote counted during the contest.

The three Humane Societies that will benefit from our 'Dog Tales' contest are:

For the Berryville Showroom: The Good Shepherd Humane Society

For the Branson Showroom: Shepherd of the Hills Humane Society

For the Springdale Showroom: Humane Society of the Ozarks

Robert Hodgson of Brashears Furniture explained the purpose of the contest, which culminates with the firm's annual "Big Dog Clearance Sale" held Aug. 24-25.

"We want to help support local Humane Societies, so we encourate all pet owners and pet lovers everywhere to submit a photo of their dog along with their favorite 'Dog Tale' (up to a 100 words), and encourage friends and family to visit the contest website to vote for their dog, using email or social media like Facebook," he said. "Each vote will earn $1 for their local Humane Society, and everyone wins."

He said Brashears Furniture will donate up to $500 per Humane Society located nearest each of their stores.

Finally, on Saturday August 25, all Brashears Furniture stores will host pets from their local Humane Society inside their stores so shoppers can meet representatives from the organizations to learn more about Humane Societies programs, and possibly even adopt a furry four-legged friend of their own right on the spot.

For full rules and details on the contest, log on to www.CarrollCoNews.com or www.Brashears.com on Aug. 8th to register and submit your favorite "Pet Couch Potato" in your family to the first-ever "Dog Tales" Contest! You can also join in the contest fun at http://www.facebook.com/carrollcountynew... or at http://www.facebook.com/brashearsfurnitu....