The Humane Society of Pike County is accepting entries for its 2017 Pet Photo Contest through August 1.

“This year’s contest will be five weeks earlier than in years past,” said Donna Brockmann, president of the local humane society. “The reason is so that our 2017 Pet Photo Calendars will be ready for the Peanut Butter Festival in Brundidge in October.

“The community may recall that Bandit, last year’s Pet Photo Contest winner, rode in the Peanut Butter Festival’s Nutter Butter Parade.”

Brockmann said having an entry in the parade is good exposure for the Humane Society of Pike County as well as for the winner of the Pet Photo Contest.

The 2017 Pet Photo Contest will be the humane society’s ninth annual contest, which is a huge and most important fundraiser for the society.

The entry fee for the 2017 Pet Photo Contest is $10. Entries may be made on-line at www.pikehumane.org or at Guynn’s Income Tax and Bookkeeping Service, The Little Framery and Troy Antiques in Troy and Jinright’s Hillside Antiques on Highway 231 south of Troy. Votes of $1 each will be accepted through August 20 and may be cast on line or at any of the participating sites. All funds raised support the Humane Society of Pike County’s spay/neuter program, feral cat program and families-in-need program. The humane society’s spay/neuter program is available to all residents of Pike County and students at Troy University. “The Humane Society of Pike County raised nearly $11,000 in 2016 and allocated $12,000 to the spay/neuter program,” Brockmann said. “These funds go a long way in reducing the number of neglected and abandoned animals in Pike County.”

Brockmann said all pet owners are encouraged to enter their pets in the annual Pet Photo Contest. “The contest is for all pets, not just dogs and cats,” she said. “One year a matched pair of mules won the contest and they were just absolutely the best. So, let’s make this year’s Pet Photo Contest one of the most fun and exciting ever. Let’s do it for the animals.”