NATCHEZ — She’s the queen of your life; you know it. Or maybe it’s a king who is calling the shots at your house.

Boy or girl, shedder or not, if you are a pet owner you know the blessings of having a best friend by your side.

Now it’s time to return the favor and bring your pet the attention he deserves, all for a good cause.

The Democrat is sponsoring a special contest to crown the area’s Pet Idol.

Dogs, cats, birds, iguanas, horses and gerbils and more are all eligible to compete for the title.

The winners will be featured in an upcoming edition of The Democrat where they can claim community-wide bragging rights as the best pet around.

To enter your pet, simply submit a clear photo of Fluffy or Rover, a completed entry form and a $10 donation to The Democrat’s office at 503 N. Canal St.

Entries can be mailed to Pet Idol, The Natchez Democrat, P.O. Box 1447, Natchez, MS, 39121 or e-mailed to petidol@natchezdemocrat.com.

A complete entry form is available at www.natchezdemocrat.com and has been published in a recent edition of The Democrat.

Proceeds from the entry fees will cover the cost of placing newspapers in area school classrooms at the teacher’s request.

And, if more 100 pets enter, 25 percent of total proceeds will be donated to the Natchez-Adams County Humane Society.

Entries must be received by 5 p.m., Tuesday, July 27.

All submitted entries will be published in a special edition to The Democrat on Aug. 8.

The general public can cast votes for their favorite pet for 25 cents per vote until Aug. 17.

Proceeds from this and all other rounds of voting will help place newspapers in area classrooms.

Winners from the first round of voting will be published on Aug. 22, and second round voting will end Sept. 7

After one more round, the finalists will be published Oct. 3 for the last round of voting.

Winners will be announced Oct. 24 and will reign supreme as the Miss-Lou Pet Idol 2010.

For more information, visit www.natchezdemocrat.com, call 601-442-9101 or e-mail petidol@natchezdemocrat.com