Whoever had the brilliant/terrible idea to put a camera in cellphones was undoubtedly a pet owner. Scroll through the photo library of anyone with a dog, cat, snake or parakeet, and the ratio of pet pics to those of friends and family will heavily lean toward our furry, scaly and feathered friends.
And why not? Animals are freaking cute. And more interesting. Here’s a hard truth: If you offer to show a stranger photos of you at, say, Niagara Falls or of your corgi-Chihuahua mix, Sir Barney, doing, well, pretty much anything, said stranger will choose Barney. Every. Single. Time.
The only thing we love nearly as much as our pets are photos of our pets. For proof, witness the response to the annual Seven Days Best of the Beasts pet photo contest. Next to the Daysies awards — which you can still vote in! — it’s probably the most popular reader-engagement project we do. Every year, we’re deluged with shots of puppies, kittens, horses, parrots, spiders and even the occasional hedgehog, all vying to be named the Best of the Beasts in a variety of cute-AF categories.
Read on to see who earned top honors this year, from Hank the Belgian Malinois doing doggy things to Bainbridge the cat reading up on her mortal enemies to Molly the mule munching on a well-earned snack.
See all the contestants in this online gallery.
Doggone Adorable
Winner: Hank (Human: Maggie Pyne)
This is a picture I took of my Belgian Malinois, Hank, playing with his favorite toy on the family farm.
Runners-Up
Oakley (Human: Keller Longchamp)
Tahiti (Human: Chelsea Tomat)
Purrfect Poser
Winner: Bainbridge (Human: Stephany Goldzband)
Know thine enemy. This is our black cat, Bainbridge, doing some essential reading at home.
Runners-Up
Gravy (Human: Emma Pearson)
Loup-Garou (Human: Kevin Duniho)
Lady & the Tramp (Best Pals)
Pippin & Birdie (Human: Tina Shoup)
Birdie (cat) & Pippin (llama) — BFFs furever!
Runners-Up
Marshall & Toby (Human: Lauren Traister)
Maddie & Poppy (Human: Rosemary Root)
Wild Card
Winner: Molly (Human: Angela Paladino)
Molly the mule enjoying a snack in Topsham
Runners-Up
Kiwi Cabana Taquito Burrito Hemenez (Human: Paige Bascom)
Sweet William (Human: Kasie Enman)
Best Dressed
Winner: Igor (Human: Michelle Peters)
Igor the ghost dog haunts Burlington’s Old North End — the most adorable phantom you’ll ever meet!
Runners-Up
Zooey & Oliver (Human: Alexandra Lazar)
Acorn (Human: Emma Interlandi)
The original print version of this article was headlined “Pet Project | Meet the winners of the 2025 Best of the Beasts pet photo contest”
This article appears in The Animal Issue 2025.
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