If you're a proud pet parent, it's probable that your camera roll is full of photos of them – some cute, plenty blurry and a good handful of comedy shots.
It's the latter that Mars Petcare is celebrating with the Comedy Pet Photo Awards 2020. Divided into six categories, adorable animals, and their humans, have been recognised for giving the world some much-needed light relief.
Click through the gallery above to see all of the winning photos and highly commended entries.
Elke Vogelsang was the overall winner for her shot of pet pooch Noodles, a Galgo Espanol mix breed. The winning shot is titled Guard Dog on Duty and it also won the dog category.
Upon hearing that she had won, Vogelsang said: “It's wonderful to be associated with something that makes people happy. This dog definitely is a mood-lifter. Happy to share her funny, gorgeous face with the world.”
This summer, the pet food and care company put out a call for the best comedy photos of beloved pets, for which entrants stood a chance of winning £3,000 ($4,000). Plus, 10 per cent of all entry and sponsorship fees went to UK animal charity Blue Cross.
The awards aim to raise awareness for homeless and abandoned pets in the UK, with the company's Ending Pet Homelessness mission. It happens to also be a cause close to Vogelsang's heart, as Noodles was adopted from a kill shelter in Spain where she had been left at the end of the hunting season.
Vogelsang says she "fell in love with her gorgeous face and funny ears immediately". They now live in Germany, with two other rescue dogs.
