Meet the winner(s) of the Mars Petcare Comedy Pet Photo Awards

Over the summer, the Mars Petcare Comedy Pet Photo Awards called on all pet and animal lovers to submit hilarious images of their pets for a chance of winning £3,000 – plus the added bonus of raising money for the Blue Cross Pet Charity, who will receive 10% of the sponsorship fee and 10% of all entry fees.

The winner of the Dog Category, and overall winner, was the photo “Guard Dog on Duty” (above) featuring Noodles, a rescue from Spain who now lives in Germany with the Vogelsang family – and rescued them in turn.

Owner Elke Vogelsang said, “Our dogs are not only pets, but also family members, muses, friends. Ten years ago, the dogs (Noodles and my other girl Scout) alerted me that something was wrong by barking and howling. They ran straight to the bathroom door, where I found my husband unconscious in the bath.”

Elke’s husband had suffered a severe brain haemorrhage due to a ruptured aneurysm.

“If it hadn’t been for the dogs, I would have found him too late,” Elke said. “Thanks to them and great doctors he survived, but during the stressful months that followed, I found photography as a creative outlet.

“Hurrah to two Spanish mutts, once abandoned and sentenced to death, then rescued and adopted, now life-savers themselves. We are forever grateful to have them in our lives. I hope I can give them back at least a tiny bit of what they give us.”

Despite his silly expression, Noodles turned out to be quite a good guard dog! Elke now plans to reinvest some of the prize money back into an organisation for pet rescue.  

Other winners include:

Helen Warren Piper, General Manager at Mars Petcare UK, said, “Celebrating our pets is central to our business, and this competition has been hugely enjoyable to be a part of. The benefits of having a pet in the home have never been clearer, and we have loved seeing so many pet lovers sharing their amazing images.

“We’re delighted to be partnering with Blue Cross and in addition to the funds we are raising, we hope the competition will raise much needed awareness for homeless pets in the UK.”

The new competition kicks off in the spring next year. For further information on the Mars Petcare Comedy Pet Photo Awards and to enter next year visit www.comedypetphoto.com