Carol Gardner: From Destitute to Gratitude for Zelda Wisdom for Hallmark

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At the age of 52, Carol Gardner was facing a divorce that left her with a huge debt, no job, no income, and depressed. Her divorce attorney gave her some advice: “Get a therapist, or get a dog.” Gardner chose the latter and bought a four-month-old English bulldog she named Zelda. They were both underdogs looking for a big dose of unconditional love.  

A friend who knew of Carol’s financial plight told her about an annual Christmas card contest that a local pet store was sponsoring. The winner would receive forty pounds of free dog food every month for a year. Carol used her background as a creative director in advertising to combine the visual of Zelda along with verbal wit and wisdom.

With the Christmas theme in mind, Carol borrowed a Santa hat from a neighbor, filled the bathtub with bubble bath and lowered Zelda into the tub. With the hat on her head and a beard made from the bubbles, Zelda was the perfect Santa imposter. Carol snapped the photo and sent it off to the store with the one-liner: “For Christmas I got a dog for my husband... good trade, huh?” Six weeks later Zelda and Carol won the contest. She remembers asking Zelda how many ways she knew to fix dog chow! www.MaxDaddy.com