Local woman wins grand prize in national PetCo Love competition

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – PetCo Love held a nationwide competition for pet owners to share how their animals changed their lives, and one local woman won.

KOB 4 spoke with the winner and learned why a big check is going to a local animal shelter. 

Carol Driggs was married to her husband for 54 years before his passing turned her world upside down. So she visited Animal Humane to look for companionship in a feline friend.

“I said I think I should adopt a cat,” said Driggs. 

That’s when she was naturally drawn to “Treetop.”

“When I looked at Treetop, and she looked back at me and I knew this was the one, and she is the one,” Driggs said. 

Not only was Driggs’ story selected as one of the winners, she got the grand prize, and she didn’t even know sharing her story about “Treetop”  was a competition.

“When I was writing my little blurb I thought I was just submitting it put entry, like maybe he means newsletter or website or something like that. I had no idea this was in existence, but so nice surprise,” said Driggs. 

Animal Humane – which is the shelter she adopted Treetop from won $100,000 – to support their rescue work of dogs and cats.

“It’s just, it’s just surreal. It’s a surreal feeling,” said Abby Norris, a donor engagement manager at Animal Humane New Mexico. 

Driggs isn’t going home empty-handed either, she received $1,000 for a PetCo Love shopping spree, and a pair of shoes from Bobs Footwear who partnered with PetCo Love for this contest.

“That’s the power of pets and like the human and animal bond is just something that’s so special,” said Driggs.