TUPELO - Melanie Elmore of Tupelo won a North American greeting card contest this month thanks to a wicked sense of humor and help from her hamster, Doc.

Elmore, who attends the University of Mississippi at Tupelo, was among 39 winners of Hallmark's "Fuzzy, Frisky and Funny" contest, which asked participants to design and write their own birthday card featuring a four-legged pet.

Announced Monday, the winners hailed from the United States and Canada and will have their cards sold on Hallmark's website. The company also will choose a few of the cards to sell at Kroger stores starting in July, but it hasn't yet decided which will make the cut.

Elmore's entry features a photo of her hamster pawing at a frosted cupcake above the caption, "I left some extra-special sprinkles on your cupcake." The inside of the card says, "They're the brown ones! Happy Birthday."

For her creativity, Elmore earned $250 from Hallmark. If her card makes the second cut in July, she'll get an additional $250.

This actually is the second winning card for Elmore. She submitted one last year featuring her seven dogs posing in front of a fence above the caption, "There's one in every crowd." Inside, it says, "Today is your day. Don't forget to shine! Happy Birthday."

Elmore said she enjoys the challenge and likely will participate in future Hallmark contests. With seven dogs, three hamsters and three guinea pigs at home, she said she'll probably never run out of inspiration.

emily.lecoz@journalinc.com