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Blind dog, brother in running for 'Today Show' honors

If you can't get enough of the two heart warming canines - one blind and his guide dog brother - whose story became an Internet sensation last month, there is more.

Veronica McKee and husband Jonathan Hochman of Springfield, Delco, cuddle with new dog Jermaine as Ava Gutierrez of Operation Ava gets a kiss from Jermaine's blind brother, Jeffrey.
Veronica McKee and husband Jonathan Hochman of Springfield, Delco, cuddle with new dog Jermaine as Ava Gutierrez of Operation Ava gets a kiss from Jermaine's blind brother, Jeffrey.Read moreALEJANDRO A. ALVAREZ / Staff Photographer

If you can't get enough of the two heart warming canines - one blind and his guide dog brother - whose story became an Internet sensation last month, there is more.

The now-Delco duo has now been nominated for the Today show's Orange Room Awards: Pet of the Year.

The tail - oops, tale - of Jermaine and Jeffrey the 8-month-old black and white pit bulls, captured the attention of animal lovers across the planet after their photo was posted on the Chester County SPCA Facebook  page.

The Chester shelter was helping Operation Ava, a no-kill shelter in Philadelphia, get the word out about the brothers who were found wandering in the city. The dogs were soon adopted by Veronica McKee and her husband, Jonathan Hochman, both 44, of Springfield Township.

The Today show contest narrows a year's worth of cute animal stories down to four and ask viewers to vote for their favorite.

Other contenders for the title are Ray Charles, a blind Golden Retriever; Chris P. Bacon, a wheelchair-bound pig with a very strange name; and Maddy the dog who seems to be more mountain goat than Coonhound.

Go here to view videos of all the contestant and to  cast a vote.

Votes must be logged in by noon Friday to count.

You can also catch up on the brothers as they settle in to their new digs by joining the more than 35,000 Facebook fans on their Brotherly Love Pups page. You will also get to meet their new "sister," a Tortoiseshell cat named Blabbus, who seems to rule the household.

mschaefer@phillynews.com

610-313-8111

@MariSchaefer