Pets at Play Contest

Grace, a cat from Burgaw, North Carolina. "I spend quite a bit of time volunteering for the Pender County Animal Shelter," writes our winner, Elizabeth Charnes, a photographer in Burgaw, North Carolina. "I have found that by taking the pets out of the cages and placing them in a natural setting allows the viewer to visualize them as a pet rather than another 'stray.' This technique has drastically increased the adoption rate, which of course, makes us all very happy. Grace was a big ball of fur and extremely playful. I have many props, but she enjoyed the ribbon the most. She would have played all day if I had let her."

Molly, a bulldog from Benton, Arkansas. "Molly wanted her Mom and Dad to take her to the dog park so badly," writes cmillwood. "She promised she would be a good girl, and she would not get dirty at all. She would be on her best behavior. Little did we know she was part oinker as she slunk down into that big mud hole -- and little did she know she would like it so much! In this photo, Molly is looking at her Daddy after her dirty adventure."

Sonny, a dog from St. Paul, Minnesota. "Sonny loves to play fetch!" writes Tygress.

Terner, a cat from Jeannette, Pennsylvania, "loves to kill paper towel rolls," writes laura100878.

Diego, a dog from Jeannette, Pennsylvania. "Diego loves water. He uses the pool more than we do," writes laura100878.

"Boomer loves to run with his tongue flapping in the wind!" writes Mumbug.

Raspurr and Molly, cats from Layton, Utah. "Molly is making sure Raspurr's fur is perfect for his photo shoot," writes HoMaid.

Darcy, a dog from Hamden, Connecticut. "Darcy is built for speed!" writes Rachel18.

Greystone, a horse from Fairfield, Connecticut. "A good roll is the best, especially after a bath!" writes rpony.

Bronson Shaw Floofenheimer, a cat from New York City. "Shaw LOVES to have us fill the bathtub with a little bit of water so he can splash around with his favorite rubber ducky toys," writes msnycgirl. Sometimes we find him in the tub all by himself staring at the faucet waiting for someone to turn it on for him. He's a silly cat!"

Lobster 1 and Lobster 2, dogs from Denver, Colorado. "We thought that this was a perfect picture for Martha," writes dogswim. This also was an entrant in our Halloween costume contest. See the others at www.dog-swim.com."

Bailey and Aubie Harbach, beagles from Greensboro, North Carolina. "This was taken in the fall of our two beagles playing in the backyard by our dear friend Dano Keeney," writes Harbach. "We love this picture of them!"

Jackson, a dog from North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, "loves being at the park to do anything -- including wearing Mom's sunglasses," writes Teisha. "Can you tell by the smile on his face how happy he is? What a ham!"

A pooch in a tub. Contributed by null

Bear and Harley, dogs from Springfield, Missouri. "Bear is so gentle with his smaller counterpart when they wrestle," writes bearpooh.

Contributed by caligirl4christ.

Walter and Mojito, a dog and cat from Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. "Just another fun day hanging around the house!" writes pascarell.

Ziti, a cat from Richmond, Virginia, "loves to play" writes dena519. "He can even play fetch!"

Feroshi, a cat from Seattle, Washington, "batting at his favorite mouse toy," writes lemonmelon30.

Firestorm, a dog from Richmond, Virginia, "is a happy little min-pin pup!" writes dena519. "Sometimes her ears look so big and her body so small that she looks like a bat. She's our cute bat puppy."

Charlie, a cat from Smyrna, Georgia. Contributed by HelenMB.

Penne and Ziti (as in types of pastas), cats from Richmond, Virginia. Contributed by dena519.

This feline is looking for a seafood meal.

Contributed by Milkshake123.

Brisbie and Brandy, Labrador retrievers from Tampa, Florida. "Two of my three girls, who don't need a toy per se to play," writes ILoveLabs. "They truly enjoy the company of each other!"

Penne and Ziti, cats from Richmond, Virginia. "Penne and Ziti are my pasta cats!" writes dena519. "They like to hang out in the sink."

Penne, a cat from Richmond, Virginia, "sometimes pretends to be a bat," writes dena519.

Contributed by rochb.

Bruno, a dog from Edmond, Oklahoma. "Here is Bruno wanting me to play fetch," writes kaydeejean. "He loves squeakers in toys, and he was just sitting there biting it to make it squeak."

Contributed by MGDudley.

Nixon, a dog from Winnie, Texas, with his favorite pacifier. Contributed by elenasehnert.

Yukon and Jake, dogs from Minneapolis, Minnesota, "are getting a good workout at the dog park," writes gramdal. "They're great buds!"

Contributed by nikkdiss116.

Rosco, a cat from Los Angeles. "I work evenings, and when I get home we have to have a game in the kitchen or Rosco runs from room to room like a crazy cat," writes larene. "He thunders through the house so loudly, I'm sure he wakes up the neighbors. I know he can run quietly, so I think he likes the sound of his thumps on the hardwood floors. He especially loves fetching paper balls."

Faith and Lucky, dogs from Clayton, Georgia. "Here's Faith and Lucky doing what they love and having a blast at it, too," writes flavored.

This cute puppy loves his tennis ball. Submitted by null.

Shelby, an Aussie From Franklin, Tennessee. "Can't wait for her to start agility classes!" writes dezinrgrl.

Lidia, a dog from Forest Hills, New York. "Weekends are Lidia's favorite," writes barbsy.

Contributed by dshopkins.

Contributed by wikked1.

Contributed by trufflepig.

Contributed by Cache33.

Contributed by Sarah845.

Contributed by trufflepig.

Contributed by aldin124.

Contributed by divamidge.

Dorphin, a West Highland terrier from Framingham, Massachusetts. "A forgotten dog toy results in play with a plastic soda bottle," writes Dorphin. "My 8-month-old Westie loves the beach and digging in the sand. Dorphin has her S.T.A.R. Puppy Award from the AKC."