Hi Randall,  
My only thought was that the photo cropping is quite close to the dog's face and he is looking out of frame.  it does not let the "reader" connect with the dog.  It gives the dog a disinterested look, as opposed to an I'm sorry look.
 
That's just my thoughts.
 
Stephanie

Thank you guys!  
 
No Doreen, actually I have a high opinion of you, I think people misinterpret what I say a lot as I'm usually quite blunt.  You know photography and especially after the shot editing.
 
Personally I like the offset box, but if several of you think it makes the overall composition of the card look unbalanced, then you probably are right.  I do know what you are saying about the lighting and of course this was shot outside at a car show with bright light overhead.  Didn't think the reviewers would be that critical.  After all it is going to be a 4X6 image when printed but if it's that noticeable I'll work on it a bit more.
 
I'll go to work with a mask as you suggest Doreen and see if I can find a smooth edged bubble or draw one in.  This should be a great little learning project.  See what I can do to improve this design from so-so to superb.  
 
Dang reviewers are so picky now!
 
I only hope they don't decline these and give me a chance to improve the image if that's all it is as I submitted six different versions of this design.  Cross my fingers!
 
Best always, Randy

Hey Randall,
 
The border and bubble issues are certainly a big improvement.  I don't see much difference in the lighting issues.  Just to be able to let you see what I'm talking about, I did a screen print of your card and balanced the tonal range to help you visualize what I see.  When I did that, the whites on the head and bridge are completely washed . . . in other words, there is no detail to recover, so you have to figure out how to fix that or try another photograph.
 
What I did is simply paint on both some deeper values and then since there is no recovery, there is no texture, so I painted on some light texture to the top of the head.  Then as I mentioned above, used another layer to paint some light on the darker portions of the face to help balance the lighting.
 
I darkened the ground and more of the dog, again painting with a masked layer and then cloned over the sun spot on the ground by the front paws. What I think you will now see is how much that dog face pops out at the viewer.  There are no more washed out areas and the eye no longer wanders away from the subject.
 
Keep in mind I did this in a matter of minutes, so it was not done with a lot of care, but I wanted you to see what is possible and see it the way I see it.  Now, of course I can not give you any guarantee that the image I modified would be accepted, I can only say from a professional photographer's standpoint the technical errors from capture have been corrected.
 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34356472@N04/6967181283/in/photostream/lightbox/

Quote from Donna_137698 on Mar 9^th, 2012, 3:17pm:

 
Hi Donna - I'm a Photoshop CS-5 user and that does break the bank unless you can buy upgrades like I did.  However, a new version of elements would probably allow you to do this since all I've done is apply a mask to a Levels or Curves layer and painted with a brush light or shadow only in the parts I wanted the adjustment.  The same technique was used to blend in a texture over the washed out parts.
 
I've heard great things about the later versions of Elements.  It's affordable, usually under $100 and I'm sure it would be a great stepping stone for you.  Of course GIMP is free and I'm told does pretty much every thing Photoshop does, but I've never had the need to use it so I can't give any advice in that arena.

Quote from Donna_137698 on Mar 9^th, 2012, 3:40pm:

 
Donna, I may be mistaken, but somewhere, I believe I read that you are a teacher.  If that's correct, you should be able to use an educational discount to buy photo editing software.  Most software companies will offer special 'student' packages, that might not have every bell and whistle, but certainly enough that it should help you out.
 
 
Penny

Quote from Donna_137698 on Mar 9^th, 2012, 3:57pm:

 
Donna,
When I homeschooled my kids, we purchased educationally priced items from Academic Superstore (I've always had great experiences with them).
 
Here's a link to the Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 Design Premium at their site: http://www.academicsuperstore.com/products/Adobe/Creative+Suite+Design+Premium/1 525607
 
And their requirements for Teachers, Faculty, Staff:
 
One of the following:
*Link to your faculty web page
*Faculty ID
*Letter of Employment on school letterhead
*Pay Stub (cross out confidential information)
 
Cindy

thanks again folks for all the info...
 
Doreen, I have a Windows 7 64 bit custom built PC with quad core processor (hoping to save up to go to something even higher at some point - yeah, I'm turning techno geek!!).  I requested a "monster machine" from the gent who built it making sure he completely understood my needs for a machine that will handle graphics programs and the like for my photography and digital "art" endeavors.  
 
I'll certainly check in with him before ordering any software to confirm compatibility.

nice knowing his family too - his mom will tan his 41 year old hide if he doesn't follow through