A poodle from County Durham along with its creative owner is battling it out with pets from the USA, Japan, Brazil and Russia after being shortlisted for a very unique competition.
John Young, from Newton Aycliffe, and his toy poodle Barney may seem like a classic pet and owner combination, but in their new discipline, they are now hoping to be the best in the world.
As part of the shortlist for The Comedy Pet Photo Awards, which was published yesterday (July 13), John hopes his image is better than every other photo alongside 24 other competitors.
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In John's image, Barney can be seen leaping in the air while pulling a face, but he faces tough competition.
Among the top finalists are, a cat performing his best victory pose, a dog pretending to be Zorro, a free-kick-taking cat and a dog cuddling an orangutan.
The funny pet photo competition was created by Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam, both professional photographers, to celebrate the positive and vital role that pets have in our lives and to encourage engagement around animal welfare.
The 25 shortlisted images are now subject to some serious scrutiny from the judges who are all expert animal lovers to pick the winner.
The panel includes TV presenter, writer, conservationist and animal lover Kate Humble, comedian and TV presenter Mel Geidroyc, TV Vet and animal welfare campaigner Emma Milne and professional pet photographer Elke Vogelsang.
The 2023 Comedy Pet Winners will be announced on 11th August.
Tom Sullam, co-founder of The Comedy Pets said: "Once again we have been treated to some really funny entries in the competition, and such a wide range of animals this year from ferrets to tortoises to donkeys as well as hundreds of hilarious cats and dogs.
"The job is now on to find the Overall Winner of Comedy Pets 2023 and of course, the People’s Choice Award winner where everyone can get involved."
Visit their website to learn how to vote for your favourite finalist.
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