Halo, a golden retriever from Lincoln Park, New Jersey. "My golden retriever, Halo, loves to play with jumbo tennis balls," writes gldngurl. "The dirtier, the better!"

Alaska, a miniature American Eskimo dog from Moosup, Connecticut. "Alaska, running wild through the green grass in the summertime," writes coltonmabry.

Meet the happy-go-lucky winners of our 2011 Pets at Play Photo Contest.

Bunny-Cat and Goober, domestic shorthairs from New York City. "Goober plays hide and seek, and Bunny-Cat tries to find him," writes mahmacat.

Precious, a tiger kitten from Eau Claire, Michigan. "Precious loves to play in my daughter's room and seems to love her play house," writes wafflehouseofamerica.

Nala, an orange tabby from Tracy, California. "Nala is another kitty I fostered," writes kim221. "She had a rough start like her brother and sisters, but she is now doing great. She is such a sweet kitty and is still in need of a home."

Lola , a doodle from Nampa, Idaho. "This is a happy-go-lucky doodle who makes us laugh every day," writes Levon. "Her zeal for living life to the fullest is inspiring and exhilarating! We are so fortunate to be a part of her life."

Daphne, an English golden doodle from Evans Mills, New York. "Daphne, enjoying some greens," writes kking1711.

Bentley and Bella, boxers from Spiceland, Indiana. "Bentley and Bella are 1-year-old boxers," writes MANDY42575. "They do everything together. This is a photo of them playing and rolling around in the grass."

Gringo, Scales and Shaq, from Covina, California. "Gringo, trying to 'play' with the fish," writes GARDITTO. "They seem interested in Gringo, too."

Finn, a golden retriever from Auburn, New York. "Finn, our 10 1/2-week-old golden retriever, is tired from a whole day of playing!" writes mhc386.

Casey, a mixed breed from Mount Clemens, Michigan. "Casey loves the water and gets so excited when we turn on the sprinkler that she jumps in the air," writes woodyswife. "This picture is funny because it looks like the water has shot her straight up in the air."

Oscar, a dachshund from Moscow, Alabama. "Baby Oscar, playing with his toy," writes dariachik.

Minnie, a mixed breed from Spearfish, South Dakota. "Minnie is from a litter of feral cats I found," writes artistsusanelaine. "She is now socialized, happy, and healthy. She loves to prowl around."

Pickles, a bulldog from Virginia Beach, Virginia. "Pickles, playing in her garden," writes JCTnVA.

Jose, Samantha, and Tia, Chihuahuas from Shelby Township, Michigan. "Pups at play," writes jylget.

Rodney, a tabby from Wingdale, New York. "Rodney fell asleep cuddling with a buddy after playing," writes jcc8182.

Mako, a mixed breed from Greenwood, South Carolina. "Our cat Mako, cleaning my fiance's pillow pet, Mr. Panda," writes JennyMarsh.

Bruce, an American bulldog/boxer mix from Jacksonville, Florida. "Bruce is a rescued dog from Jax Humane Society," writes gleniqt. "He was full of scratches and wounds when we first got him. Now he is a very happy and healthy puppy who loves to give Mommy and Daddy lots and lots of kisses."

Jasher, a great Dane/malamute mix from Clarksville, Arkansas. "Jasher loves playing in the snow," writes musicaldrpepper. "We don't get snow often, so this was a great treat for him!"

Buoy, a golden retriever from Troy, Alabama. "Buoy, living up to his nautical name, loves spending his days at the lake!" writes macz.

Penny and Simba, a Lab mix and domestic shorthair cat from Oregon City, Oregon. "Penny was only about 5 months old when I took this photo," writes trishmoore55. "Simba was about 10 years old, but he would still play with Penny."

Echo, a corgi from Puyallup, Washington. "Echo loves to have dogs chase him, especially when he can run free on the beach," writes ameeks.

Violet, a Boston terrier from Hoboken, New Jersey. "Violet, playing with her favorite toy," writes violetdog.

Brooklyn, a boxer from Washington, Michigan. "As a puppy, Brooklyn never stopped moving, except when she wanted to gnaw on this blanket," writes jessicablair. "At first glance, it almost looks like she's tired!"

Baby and Kiki, mixed breeds from Mack, Colorado. "Baby and Kiki are best friends," writes Anette44g. "They are super playful! In this pic they just got done leaping, climbing, pouncing. and sliding -- just another day in a cat's life."

Benjamin, a Saint Bernard from Boulder City, Nevada. "This is Benjamin," writes saraford23. "He loves the camera! You can tell in his eyes that he is such a curious little man!"

Zoe, a tricolor Australian shepherd from Provo, Utah. "Zoe loves playing with all kinds of balls more than anything else -- especially in the snow!" writes ashleycoslett.

Suki, a Pomeranian from Miami Beach. "Suki is my 12-year-old teacup Pomeranian," writes Mikemason. "She likes to go to the park and play on the tires. She jumps inside and lies down to take a nap."

Dax, a miniature dachshund from Cary, Illinois. "I had just gotten Dax from a rescue about two weeks before we went up to our favorite spot in Northern Wisconsin for vacation," writes sparks4stp. "Turns out, he loved to swim and loved going up on the pier to look out on the lake. But every time he had to get down, he took a flying leap off the pier. And one of the times I caught him midflight."

River a Plott hound from Humbolt, Arizona. "River, with our little grandson Ryan," writes oldjoe. "It was truly love at first sight. They are inseparable."

Murphy, a golden doodle from South Ogden, Utah. "Murphy getting his beauty sleep. (Okay, he is a boy and fortunately doesn't realize he's being publicly humiliated -- yet again.)" writes lvcritters. "Murphy is also a certified search-and-rescue dog who loves to work and help teach kids what to do if they are ever lost."

Mollie and Madie, German shorthaired pointers from Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. "My girls love running together in the snow," writes ImBrookster.

Cody, a golden retriever from Snohomish, Washington. "Refreshed after a cool swim, Cody makes a big spray," writes ReneeMarch.

Molly, an olde English bulldogge from Ithaca, New York. "Molly just loves to chew on anything," writes theartsybutterfly. "Squeaky tennis balls are her favorite."

Abby, a beagle from Pittsburgh. "Abby, playing on the day after a winter storm," writes ashleynichol.

Baby J, a Boston terrier from Vancouver, Washington. "Baby J surrounded by a box full of Zanies, her favorite toy!" writes widgetbts.

Rewbee Sass Neil, an Australian cattle dog/terrier mix from Huntington Beach, California. "Rewbee loves to play Frisbee," writes hauntmom. "This photo shows her with all four paws off the ground to get to her frisbee. She's very popular at our local park -- people frequently stop to watch her play. She hardly ever misses!"

Lady and Sammy, dachshund/cocker spaniel mixes from New Smyrna Beach, Florida. "Lady and Sammy, crawling through the tube at the dog park," writes ldmoore.

Bully, a Boston terrier from Belton, South Carolina. "Bully, waiting patiently for his friends next door to come out and play," writes fairydust25.

Sadie, a Maltese from Brooklyn, New York. "This is what happens in New York when it snows all the time, it's too cold to go outside, and you run out of things to do," writes nikkysaks. "You start to annoy -- I mean, play dress up with -- your dog! As you can see by the look on her face, she was not having as much fun as Mom was!"

Cooper, a black Lab from Newberg, Oregon. "Cooper is a 6-month-old black Lab who loves to play and loves to be loved," writes libbylouu. "In this picture, he is trying to get us to throw the ball and play with him."

Kitty Bitty, a Siamese/tabby mix from Kirkland, Washington. "She is poised and ready to attack from her one of her favorite locations: a grocery bag!" writes JMR10.

Lego, a dachshund from Charlottesville, Virginia. "Lego is getting ready to pull a rabbit out of his hat," writes skt61. "He's quite the magician."

Lola, an English Bulldog from Lake Mary, Florida. "Proof positive that bulldogs can swim," writes rdarling82. "PS: The pool water was not chemically treated."

Edward, an American shorthair mix from Auburn, Alabama. "Edward loves to climb and play in the trees in the front yard!" writes Lauren_Johnson.

Kitty Bitty, a Siamese/tabby mix from Kirkland, Washington. "Not just any cat toy will do," writes JMR10. "My cat enjoys bright sparkle balls when feeling playful."

Rainy, a gray shorthair from Greencastle, Indiana. "My daughter rolled up pieces of paper to play with, and the cats were completely fascinated by them," writes sassechic30. "They hauled the paper sticks around the house and chewed on them."

Grant (foreground) and Deuce (rear), shih tzus from Burke, Virginia. "Had to dig a path in the huge snowfall last year," writes crewtondix. "They love to play in the snow!"

Sadie, a Catahoula mix from Missoula, Montana. "Newbie of the Frisbee in a winter playland," writes eak11.

Diego, a Jack Russell from Jeannette, Pennsylvania. "Diego, playing ball and then taking a dip in his pool," writes laura100878.