The 2017 Pet Photo Contest was a dog and cat fight to the finish.

When the on-line voting ended at 5 p.m. Saturday, August 20, Kitz the cat of Kim Lester was in the lead over Breanna Barrons’s dog Buster.

However, there was the possibility that the lead could change when the on-site votes were counted Monday that were cast prior to 5 p.m. on Aug. 20.

“And, that’s exactly what happened,” said Donna Brockmann, president of the sponsoring Humane Society of Pike County. “When I picked up the votes at Troy Antiques early Monday morning, there was a check for votes for Buster. It was not a huge check but it was enough to propel Buster into first place.”

Brockmann said final hours of the Pet Photo Contest determined the winner.

“The lead had changed several times during the final hours of on-line voting,” she said.

“It was exciting to watch because as soon as votes were cast, the total on the screen changed. My favorite thing about the Pet Photo Contest is entering photos of the pets in the contest. The next favorite thing is watching the vote count change.”

Buster, with 834 votes, will be the cover pet for the Humane Society of Pike County’s 2017 Pet Photo Calendar and will be invited to ride in parades and perhaps make other public appearances.

The 13 pets that received the most votes will be featured at pets of the month. Those pets and their owners are, Kitz, Kim Lester; Bama, Carol Ellis; Savannah, Bob Curtis; Cali, Joann Echols; Buddy and Bell, Dr. Alice Hayes and Dr. Ginny Hamm; Dash, Collin McCrary; Jake Donna Brockmann; Millie and Max, Sue Ann Boutwell; Bandit, Steve and Dell Stokes; Baxter, Christina Wilson; Pepper, mike and Brenda Penn; Chipper, Hollis Treadwell and John Green; and Bruiser Candy and Richard Shaughnessy.

Brockmann said some contest voters cast their lots in large numbers while others chose to spread their votes among several pets.
“A couple of ladies spread their votes among the pets with the fewest votes,” she said. “One lady cast one vote for the 50 pets with the lowest number of votes. The other voted for the 25 with the fewest votes. To me, that was very touching. It’s wonderful to know that so many people care about the animals and don’t want to see them suffer.”

The funds from the 2017 Pet Photo Contest will support the Humane Society of Pike County’s spay/neuter program.

“By having pets spayed and neutered, the number of unwanted animals is greatly reduced,” Brockmann said. “It breaks my heart to see abused and neglected dogs and cats. Having animals spayed and neutered the best way to reduce the number of unwanted dogs and cats. It’s the humane thing to do.”

Donations to the Humane Society of Pike County are always appreciated and support the society’s spay and neuter, feral cat and Friends in Need program that assists families that, because of emergency situations, have difficulty in caring for their pets.

The humane society meets at 6 p.m. the second Monday of each month at Troy Bank & Trust, next to Lowes. All are welcome.