Discovery Press Web United States

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Silver Spring, Md. – As Americans waited with bated breath for the results of Tuesday’s U.S. Presidential Election, a race of the four-legged variety heated up online. After months of campaigning and paw-litical attack ads, the Dog Party has come out on top in Animal Planet’s Decision 2012.

After polls closed at midnight last night, Animal Planet can exclusively confirm that Americans have voted for the breed of loyalty and companionship that the Dog Party provided. While the election started out with the Dog and Cat Parties neck and neck, the Dogs pulled away in a stunning victory over the final weeks. When asked for commentary about defeating the mud-slinging Cat Party, top Dog Party chairperson Jughead had only this to say: “Woof!”

While Animal Planet’s Decision 2012 has been decided, it is clear that we are still a nation divided. After a grueling campaign season in which the claws were out (on all sides), the disappointment was palpable at the Cat Party headquarters in Garfield, Indiana after last night’s results were announced.

Though the Dogs pulled away with the win, Animal Planet’s exit polling sheds greater light on the mindset of voters going into this election:

• Dogs are widely considered the “Most Athletic” of the parties, with 65% of the vote and Americans looking for candidates that will walk the walk.
• Although the Dogs pulled away with the win, there was no denying that the Cat Party scored high marks on the “Cuteness” spectrum; however, voters clearly had a tough time moving past this to the substance of the Party’s platform.
• While the Independent Party placed third overall, their fiscal policies were popular among voters, who named them the “Least Expensive Pet to Own.”

In an effort to put cattiness and allegations of pay for play behind them, all three parties have agreed to meet in the coming weeks to set the foundation for greater collaboration, especially as it relates to people-pet relations in the United States. To see the full results of Animal Planet’s Decision 2012, please visit animalplanet.com/decision2012.

About Animal Planet

Animal Planet Media (APM), a multi-media business unit of Discovery Communications, is the world's only entertainment brand that immerses viewers in the full range of life in the animal kingdom with rich, deep content via multiple platforms and offers animal lovers and pet owners access to a centralized online, television and mobile community for immersive, engaging, high-quality entertainment, information and enrichment. APM consists of the Animal Planet television network, available in more than 96 million homes in the US; www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for all things animal; the 24/7 broadband channel, Animal Planet Beyond; and other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service; mobile content; and merchandising extensions.

About Discovery Communications

Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world's #1 nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.8 billion cumulative subscribers in 209 countries and territories. Discovery is dedicated to satisfying curiosity through 149 worldwide television networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science and Investigation Discovery, as well as U.S. joint venture networks OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, The Hub and 3net, the first 24-hour 3D network. Discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools and owns and operates a diversified portfolio of digital media services, including Revision3. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.

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