Santa Pets Contest 2009

Raisin, a basenji from Boston, Massachusetts. "Raisin was curious as to why I was bringing the outside in," writes our winner, Melody Henkel. "But she got into the spirit."

Raisin, whose registered name is Bet on Striking Gold at Eldorado, "is a doll, very strong-willed and an independent thinker, like most hounds," Melody continues. "She keeps me on my toes. She is 4 points away from her AKC Championship. This shot was part of a 365-day project where I take a picture of her every day for a year and post them on Flickr. I am in the final months, and its been a great experience. I will have a wonderful document of her, her personality and life when [the project is] over." 

Melody, who is an archaeologist at UMass/Boston and the Fiske Center for Archaeological Research, says she will be donating the prize of a year's supply of Purina ONE pet food to BRAT (Basenji Rescue and Transport). Thanks, Melody and Raisin!

Contributed by dancingnuns.

Kitty Bitty, a cat from Portland, Oregon. "Kitty knew Christmas was coming, because it was time to pose for the camera!" writes JMR10.

Ivy and Cheyenne, dogs from West Palm Beach, Florida. "Christmas in South Florida!" writes jenalon1319.

Bubba, Coco Chanel, Dolce, and Armani, dogs from Portland, Oregon. "Yappy howliday to you!" writes mel1981.

Contributed by null.

Marley Roberts, a dog from Centerton, Arkansas. "Woof, woof! My name is Marley, and this is a picture of me with Santa Paws! I had so much fun getting my pictures taken. I hope you like it as much as my mom does!" Contributed by RandiRoberts.

Snickers, Zoe, and Harli, dogs from Freehold, New Jersey. "Naughty or Nice? In this picture we are little angels! Of course, it only took about a hundred tries!" Contributed by pmresq.

Ginger Reisner, a dog from Saint Louis. "This is our baby, Ginger," writes theresa44. "She has been part of our family only one week! She is a very sweet puppy, and we love her dearly!"

Nellie, a dog from New Lenox, Illinois. "My dog loves getting her picture taken, so she was more than willing to be my model for this photo," writes rtscribbs02.

Binky, a Yorkshire terrier from LaGrange, Georgia, is ready for some Christmas fun. Contributed by Binkytown.

Miss Rosy (Rosy), a cat from Somers Point, New Jersey. "Rosy just got a shot and was pretty tired," writes jgl5858. "She cuddled up in a chair and fell sound asleep! I decided to put a Santa hat on her so she would look cute! It was a month till Christmas, and I figured this picture looks like she's waiting for Santa to come! Isn't she cute?"

Early, a parrot from Jeannette, Pennsylvania. Contributed by laura100878.

Pepper, a cat from Manorville, New York. "Pepper wasn't too excited about the hat...but she was such a good trouper while her picture was taken," writes SweetPepper. "She's looking so Grinch-y here. Bah! Humbug!"

Texas Shotgun Rivas, a French bulldog from Washington, D.C., at the mall shopping for Christmas presents. Contributed by Joer.

Contributed by atier.

Logan, a dog from Orlando. "Okay, Santa. I'm ready to help," writes myshoppingconnection.

Bailey, a dog from Woodhaven, Michigan. "Hey! I'm a jack-in-the-box...BOL!!" writes sophierose.

Barbie and Midge, dogs from Santa Rosa Valley, California. "Barbie and Midge wish you the happiest of howl-i-days and a paw-some new year!" writes divamidge.

Rusty, a dog from St. Petersburg, Florida. "I could be Rudolph any day!" writes cammie3385.

Moose, a dog from Barrie, Ontario, Canada. "Moose posed with his lovely Christmas necklace while waiting for Santa to arrive :)" writes JamieIrving.

Sunny, a cat from Springfield, Missouri. Kancaligirl writes:
4 p.m., wallow in self pity
4:30, stare into the abyss
5 p.m., solve world hunger, tell no one
5:30, Jazzercize
6:30, dinner with me -- I can't cancel that again
7 p.m., wrestle with my self-loathing...
"I'm booked. Of course, if I bump the loathing to 9, I could still be done in time to lay in bed, stare at the ceiling, and slip slowly into madness. But what would I wear?"

Owen, a dog from Nashville. "Owen is a blind golden-retriever mix who was rescued by our organization, Now I'm Home Animal Rescue, from an animal-control facility," writes colleen37212. "This photo of Owen waiting for Santa was placed on Petfinder.com, and Owen quickly found his forever home. Santa brought Owen a new family for Christmas!"

Otis, a dog from Dearborn Heights, Michigan. "One of Santa's helpers taking a little break!" writes lala973w.

Sweetpea, a cat from New Hope, Pennsylvania. "Sweetpea's first Christmas," writes Darini. "And oh how she loves glittery ornaments!"

Rigby, a dog from Douglas, Massachusetts. "Do I have to wear this thing?" writes mabeji.

Pearly Boy, a duck from Goleta, California. "Santa Duck," writes Pearlyboy.

Sydney, a cat from Salem, Massachusetts. "This is Sydney's first Christmas," writes kaliko. "She actually loved the dress. I think it had a lot to do with the feathers!"

Chloe, a dog from Aurora, Illinois. "I've been good this year. I passed my therapy-dog certification, and I love getting my photo taken," writes SchmoopsieGirl. "My mom is so proud of me!"

Cappie, a dog from St. Petersburg, Florida. "Hermie the happy elf...?" writes laurie58423.

Felix, a dog from St. Petersburg, Florida, "aka Rudolph trainee," writes laurie58423.

Lola Fort, a dog from Hallandale Beach, Florida. Contributed by rpowell551.

Maeby, a cat from San Diego. "At age 5 months, Maeby (and sister Surely, bottom right corner) took her first road trip to Seattle from San Diego to enjoy a white Christmas," writes tweetledes.

Bear-Claw, a dog from Modesto, California. "Pink, puppies, and a little bit of bling?" writes noellematthews. "What more could a girl ever need!?"

Edie, a dog from Sherman Oaks, California. "We couldn't afford a tree this year, so we decorated the dog," writes Bliss08.

Sugar, a cat from Orangevale, Colorado. "Sugar loves Christmas!" writes kelcubed.

Kally (aka Kittles), a cat from Hannon, Alabama. "This is 14-year-old Kally, all aglow in the latest in holiday Santa-cat fashions!" writes jannkat.

Kia, a dog from Dallas. "This is Kia hoping to get a treat for smiling for the camera," writes slcrowder.

Chico, a skunk from Newton, New Jersey. "Happy stinkin' Christmas!" writes kcorless.

Digby, a raccoon from Newton, New Jersey. "I thought I had a Christmas present here somewhere," writes kcorless.

CH Rosada's Mojito Madness, a dog from Palm Springs, California. "This tree sings, but MoJo is not sure he's very good," writes pinkyhutch.

Cleo, a cat from Winter Garden, Florida. "Okay, I know Santa will be down any minute!" writes Partaij.

Guinness, a dog from Thousand Oaks, California. "Guinness was putting up with me trying to get a picture of her in a Santa hat," writes CarolynHGC. "She knew there was a cheese treat in it for her, so she was being patient."

Cleopatra, a dog from Coto de Caza, California. "Cleopatra is the sweetest, most lovable little Cavalier girl," writes mishele. "She is a true lap dog and loves to sit and watch TV. She gets super-excited when any kind of animal is on the screen. For some reason, she doesn't like 'Wheel of Fortune' because she barks constantly when it is on. Here, in her Christmas photo, she looks like she's covering up some kind of trouble. She must be thinking, 'Honest, I didn't eat those Christmas cookies!' Love, Cleo."

Miss Switzerland, a cat from Greensburg, Pennsylvania. "Miss Switzerland loves the sparkle of the Christmas lights, especially on this feather tree we bought to match her fur," writes eighthheavensembrace.

Tater, a dog from Seattle. Contributed by tmdoyal.

Bella, a dog from Raleigh, North Carolina. "Bella puts up with a lot every year around the holidays, when I take her picture for my annual holiday card," writes ShereeBella. "She'll pose in just about any attire (including being painted as a baby deer, wrapped in tinsel, and hung in a giant stocking), as long as there are plentiful and yummy treats."

Sophie Pearl and Lola, dogs from Louisville, Kentucky. Contributed by nalang.

Turby, a dog from Kirkland, Washington. "Just a little elf, elfin' around," writes lolliesmith.

Rebel, a cat from Cincinnati. Contributed by Rhondarebel.

Frankie Jane, a dog from Birmingham, Michigan. "Frankie Jane wanted to help Santa out this Christmas," writes frankijane35.

Jack Bauer, a dog from Alpharetta, Georgia. "The best elf ever!" writes rachelg7.

Tucker Monken, a cat from Indianapolis. "This Christmas is all wrapped up," writes tsorningold.

Baby Cakes, a duck from Homestead, Florida. "Baby Cakes is a housebroken pet duck...loves to hang out with people and dress up," writes Tica13.

Ozzie, a dog from Chaska, Minnesota. "From our home to yours," writes moldsberg.

P-Diddy, a cat from Kaneohe, Hawaii. "Well, someone needs to deliver presents to all the good little kitties!" writes diddykitty.

Penny Lane, a dog from Calgary, Alberta. "When Santa left his chair, Penny was more than happy to keep it warm for him," writes nicolemorrison.

Loki, a cat from Canyon Country, California. "I was getting my Christmas decorations out, and I placed all of the poinsettias in one spot. Loki thought it was great fun to hide and jump out to attack and then run back in and hide again," writes dot2.

Chico, Manny, and Bebe, dogs from Pennington, New Jersey. "Chico, Manny, and Bebe are trying to be good doggies for Santa Paws!" writes nikkdiss116.

Cookie, a cat from Duluth, Minnesota. "Hide and Seek," writes cookienme2.

Wrinkles, a dog from Franklinton, Louisiana. "I don't think an explanation is needed as to why his name is Wrinkles," writes Sandstonekennels. "He didn't like the Santa hat, so he closed his eyes and wouldn't move."

Willy and Daisy, dogs from Wilkes Barre Township, Pennsylvania. "Daisy and Willy are Santa Paws's helpers," writes mom2daisy.

Jackson, a dog from Brooklyn, New York. "From my great friend and fab photographer Melissa Wiedemann," writes SerenaLSpiezio

Katie, Piper, Polly, and Robin, dogs from Holliston, Massachusetts. "This is worth more than a crummy biscuit!" writes Waltzerina.

Nelly, a cat from Rockville, Maryland. "Nelly being a very patient Santa," writes Papiya.

Kilo, a dog from New York City. "This photo was made by Ixiana from Petographs in New York," writes kilonsancho.

Nero, a dog from Doral, Florida. Here's "5-year-old Nero posing in his Santa suit," writes Bellafoto.