Proud pet owners, grab your cameras! Your fur baby could become a pinup model.
Shari Brownlee of Claysville, owner and photographer of Shari Lynn Fine Art Portraits, is raising money for VetPets, a nonprofit that helps veterans suffering from PTSD adopt rescue dogs and complete service dog training programs. We are coordinating a pet photo calendar contest to bring you the best.
“This is the first year we're doing this,” Brownlee said. “We reached out to VetPets to see if they would be interested in being a beneficiary of the contest and they wholeheartedly agreed. They are excited to receive them and are working with me to facilitate their donations.”
Brownlee said the goal is to raise $10,000 to give a service dog to a veteran or first responder in need.
The contest opens on March 11th. The date was chosen due to its proximity to National K9 Veterans Day on March 13, which honors the service and sacrifice of U.S. military and working dogs throughout history. Voting will be accepted until April 19th.
“VetPets is a veteran-based agency that provides service dogs and emotional support dogs to veterans, so we thought what better week to start this?” Brownlee he said.
This contest is not limited to dogs and is open to pet parents throughout the Pittsburgh area. Entrants can submit photos of their pets that they think are worthy of inclusion in the calendar. Professional photos will not be accepted.
“It has to be something they themselves created,” Brownlee said.
Admission is $5. The public can vote for their favorite at $1 per vote with a minimum of 5 votes.
The top 13 vote-getters will be photographed by Brownlee during a professional in-studio photography session.
“The photo that gets the most likes will be featured on the cover of the calendar,” Brownlee said. “The top 13 winners will come to my studio and have a portrait session with me. From that portrait session, the images selected for the calendar will emerge.”
Those who want to purchase an empty grid space and guarantee their pet a small square on the calendar also have the option to reserve a grid space for $10.
Brownlee said several Washington County-based businesses are actively working to donate $1,000 or more as prizes for weekly mini-contests.
“Every Saturday before midnight, the pet photo entry that receives the most votes that week will win that week's prize,” Brownlee said.
Copies of the 2025 Veterinarian's Pet Calendar will be available in mid-September after Brownlee finishes photographing all 13 grand prize winners.
To submit contest entries and vote, please visit www.gogophotocontest.com/vetpets2025/.
