Winning Comedy Pet Photos Are Silly Fun

Pets crack us up. Whether it’s the goofy face your dog makes when it’s time to eat or how your cat chases light across the living room floor, pets give us a reason to smile and laugh. That’s just one of the ways pets are good for your health. 

Particularly now when everyone needs a good chuckle, the Mars Petcare Comedy Pet Photography Awards highlight some of the best antics of our furry best friends. The winning images include laughing dogs, dancing cats, and even a dramatic bunny.

"Because we absolutely love our pets, they have been so important to us this year especially and we also need something to smile about,” co-founder Paul Joynson-Hicks tells Treehugger. “It’s so exciting seeing so many wonderful funny images of people’s pets, when life has been hard for so many, for so long. Let’s hope that these images bring smiles to people around the world and keep getting that message of pet welfare out there.”

The overall winner, shown above, was Elke Vogelsang’s silly photo of her dog Noodles, called “Guard Dog on Duty.” Noodles also won in the “Dog” category.

“She is the clown, sometimes overly motivated and clumsy, the eager-beaver, curious, friendly, open-minded, extremely funny if not unintentionally comic sometimes,” Vogelsang said. “She is the funniest dog you could possibly imagine. Always with her humans, always ready for some mischief and adventures.”

Noodles is a galgo Espanol or Spanish sighthound mix breed that Vogelsang rescued from a kill shelter in Spain when she was 8 months old. She had been abandoned at the end of the hunting season. Vogelsang “fell in love with her gorgeous face and funny ears immediately.” 

Now in its second year, the photo awards were created by the founders of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards. A portion of sponsorship and entry fees will be donated to the U.K. pet charity Blue Cross to help rehome pets and provide vet treatment.

Here’s a look at the rest of this year’s winners.

Cat Category - Our Fabulous Feline Friends

“This is our one-year-old still kitten cat Basil. He is very playful, agile and loves our garden we used a lot during lockdown,” said Malgorzata (Gosia) Russell. “It is our daily, morning routine to chase each other around the garden."

The Mighty Horse Category

"I was photographing horses in a pasture, and these three got together and appeared to have a chat, gossiping like giggling schoolgirls," said Magdalena Strakova.

All Other Creatures, Great or Small Category

"There is almost nothing more beautiful than to see a hearty yawn of a rabbit," said Anne Lindner, of this expressive rabbit.

Junior Category

"Our cat, Fox Mulder, AKA Squishy, Little Squishy Guy, Squishface, Squish, Foxy, loves to spread himself out on his back when he sleeps," said Ayden Brooks, who won in the Junior category. "He likes to sleep anywhere including in the middle of a room on a rug or even on the wood floor. I love to take photos of him because he is so cute and funny. I caught him as he was waking up from a nap and yawning."

Pets Who Look Like Their Owners Category

In the look-alike category, Hannah Seeger won with this photo. She describes it as, "Me and my rescue dog really tired in the early morning."

Highly Commended Winners

“Hold on tight! We're running late”

"Dani, the puppy, hangs on for her life when Gabby is at the wheel. (The car wasn't actually moving so it wasn't really scary.) We intended to take a photo of the dogs looking at the camera but both pups looked forward instead which was much funnier!" Karen Hoglund said.

"Just to be on the safe side, we kept both dogs on leashes. What you can't see in these photos is my husband crouched down in the back seat, holding both dogs' leashes. He is such a good sport!"

“That moment you realize you've gone through half a jar of snacks"

"Bear's expression looking into his jar of dog food is far too relatable," Candice Sedighan said. "I simply cut a hole into the food container, taped my iPhone camera to it, and snapped a shot before he dug in to his tasty meal."

“The Dancing Cat”

Iain McConnell took this winning photo of his cat Edmund playing at the top of the stairs.

“Friends don't let friends do silly things alone”

"This photo is an outtake," said Kerstin Ordelt. "Actually, the dogs tried to hug and that's what happened :) The picture was taken in Linz (Austria) in a pedestrian zone early in the morning."

“Look Mom – I Can Walk on Water”

"He was so proud for a split second," said John Carelli. "He thought he was going to walk across the lake and avoid retrieving the bumper. But alas, gravity won the day."

"SQUIRRELLL!!!"

“This dog definitely is a mood-lifter," said Elke Vogelsang of her dog, Noodles. "Happy to share her funny, gorgeous face with the world.”

“Over Dramatic Cat”

Iain McConnell described this as "Edmund being dramatic."

“Ohhhhhhhhh”

"This happened in a fraction of a second and I couldn't stop laughing," said Dimpy Bhalotia.

“Living Trophy”

"This border collie lives on a farm and his name is FOFO. Always cheerful and playful, FOFO also likes to watch the movement on the farm and in this particular photo he is inside the stall of the horses with his head placed in a hole in the wall that gives access to the outside to see me and my cousins walking," said Antonio Peregrino.

"I took advantage that I had my camera at the time and took the photo. I called this photo a living trophy because it reminded me of a sad culture that we humans have in killing animals and putting their heads on walls. FOFO proves how much more beautiful, healthy and happy it is for us humans to appreciate free and living animals."

“The Dancing Kitten”

Iain McConnell captured this shot of Edmund playing with his toy.