What would you do with an extra $3,000? Pay a few bills? Take a family vacation? When Dawn Shultz, a military spouse formerly of Bremerton, discovered she was the grand prize winner in the Purina Pro Plan Military 9 of 9 Best in Show Sweepstakes, that answer couldn't have been easier.  She'll be spending her windfall to give her dogs, Jax and Ryder, a safe place to play at home.

Dawn, who describes herself as a "huge dog lover," says her family's first pet, a Shiba Inu named Jax, came into their lives just over four years ago as her husband, a Nuclear Machinist Mate previously stationed aboard the USS Stennis, was preparing for his first deployment. Jax was a "deployment puppy," brought into the family to keep Dawn company during the long months her sailor would be away from home.  A second puppy, Ryder, came into the family shortly after that first deployment as a buddy for Jax, and both fit into the Schultz family like pieces of a puzzle.

Recently though, as the family began building their dream home, they had to make some choices about an issue that many pet owners face: providing a safe space for their pets to exercise outside. With two dogs, one of whom is a notorious climber, Dawn knew a fenced backyard would be an absolute must but a pricey one.

"I had no idea how expensive fences are!"

Lucky for Dawn, she's recently won the perfect prize to finance it.

The Purina Pro Plan Military 9 of 9 Best in Show Sweepstakes ran from Sept. 1 to Oct. 31 last year in military commissaries and exchanges nationwide as well as through the website, www.mymilitarysavings.com. Three lucky military families were randomly chosen from thousands of entries, and each was given a choice of prizes: a trip to New York City to attend the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show or a cash prize of $3,000.

After recovering from the shock of winning, Dawn says she knew immediately she would take the cash and invest it into the health and safety of her dogs.

Many military families enter into pet ownership to provide comfort and for a feeling of safety while a servicemember is deployed. Nestle-Purina Military Account Manager, Debbie Kesler, says that the brand understands the unbreakable bond this builds in the families of our servicemen and servicewomen.

Kesler adds, "We are proud to serve our military family pets and their owners."

The Shultz family has recently begun a new chapter in their life with a move to Illinois, and as their plans for building their dream home become a reality, they are grateful that thanks to Purina Pro Plan, they will be able to provide Jax and Ryder with a tall fence around their backyard so the pups can run and play safely in their new home.

"Our dogs already loved Purina Dog Foods, but now they've earned our family's business for life!"