Help Mario Find a Puppy!

"I've been thinking about adopting a dog for many years now," says Mario. "Even though I have a very busy schedule I feel now is definitely the right time to finally get a dog. I'm really excited about all the help that I will get through this campaign at 'Extra' to make the right choice."

For the next five months "Extra" will follow Mario's journey and will enlist the help of many pet organizations, companies, Extra Friends, celebrity guests, experts and many others. Learn how you can get involved!

"Mario has been talking about wanting to get a dog, and when he mentioned that he would need some help, we thought this would be a fun and entertaining way to incorporate into the show," says "Extra" Senior Supervising Producer Lisa Gregorisch-Dempsey.

"Mario's Great Puppy Hunt" will be featured on "Extra" on a regular basis with a wide-variety of entertaining and informative segments including; "Dog For Hire," "Pet Mantourage," "Doggie Undercover," "Mario Look A-Like" (does your pet look like Mario? Upload your pic!) and "Pet Fan Cam" (fans will submit photos of their dog as suggestions for the type of dog Mario should get).

Plus, you can give Mario suggestions directly on Facebook, Tweet your choices on Twitter and chat with Extra Friends in the community.

Mario will also participate in various dog and animal-related events across the country over the next few months -- and the most exciting event he'll be hosting is the Westminster Dog Show in New York City in February 2010! "Mario's Great Puppy Hunt" will culminate at this event as he will have searched the country and talked to hundreds of people to make his final puppy decision.