American Dog Rescue Foundation put a new spin on dog rescue with a national contest that wrapped up on Valentine’s Day. The “You Rescue Me” contest was intended to celebrate man’s best friend in an entirely new way—by focusing on how dogs rescue humans, rather than the other way around.

Contestants from across the U.S. entered to tell their human/dog rescue story on the American Dog Rescue Facebook page and voters turned out in droves, introducing approximately 3,000 new Facebook fans to American Dog Rescue.

Winners included:

1. Ruff Start Rescue, nominated by Christine Kozanda, got 1,314 votes to take the grand prize of a $1,000 donation.

2. paws4people, nominated by Lisa Swiger, took the second-place prize of a $500 donation with 1,186 votes.

3. HELP Humane Society, nominated by Tamara Howard, received a $250 donation with 459 votes.

“We were thrilled to hear the many heartwarming rescue stories from the participants,” American Dog Rescue Foundation founder Arthur E. Benjamin said. “And we were even more grateful to be able to contribute funds to rescue organizations making a difference for dogs every day.”

In the coming weeks, keep an eye on the American Dog Rescue blog as we’ll feature some of the stories “You Rescue Me” brought out—including both winners and non-winners.