'Mighty Dog' stars to be picked by public

ST. LOUIS, July 3 (UPI) -- Nestle Purina PetCare says the canine stars of the U.S. company's new short movie "Mighty Dog Nation: The Movie" will be picked by the general public.

The Nestle pet food division said in a press release Friday the public will chose among 10 canine finalists to determine which three dogs will appear in the forthcoming 3- to 5-minute film.

The division based in St. Louis will be aided in its efforts by actress Maria Menounos, who will serve as Human Ambassador to the Mighty Dog Nation and help choose the final winners based on finalist videos.

"We have reached an important milestone in the short history of the Mighty Dog Nation," Menounos said.

"I'm thrilled to help select the mightiest of the mighty to star in our dogumentary and am asking dog lovers everywhere to cast their vote with me," she added, offering a fitting misspelling of documentary.

Members of the public can vote for their favorite finalist on mightydog.com starting Friday through July 17. The three finalists will be announced on the Web site the week of July 27.