Meet Our 2025 Pet Photo Contest Winner

More than 400 entries were submitted for our 2025 Pet Photo Contest, including dogs, rabbits, mice, cats, birds, and—yes, even a horse! This year’s winner was photographed by Rusty Williams along the trail at Seven Oaks Nature Preserve.

5 hours ago

Charlotte Mag Content Studio,

Cmag Teddy K3a3052 — Photo by Rusty Williams

Meet Teddy, Our Winner!

Name: Teddy
Breed: Goldendoodle
Age: 1.5 year

Teddy first entered Dr. Flavia Crovesi’s life as a patient “who unfortunately had a habit of eating things he shouldn’t.” Crovesi is a veterinarian at Baxter Veterinary Clinic in Tega Cay, S.C., and the goldendoodle came in with intestinal blockage—his third in about 7 months. “Due to the financial burdens of prior surgeries, his owners were not able to afford the cost of yet another surgery,” she says. “They surrendered him to our clinic, and I was able to perform his life-saving surgery. I thought I would foster him through his recovery prior to getting him adopted. As you can probably guess, after he healed up from his surgery, I couldn’t imagine life without him, so he found his forever home with me and my family.”

Teddy’s winning photo saw him beaming against a wooded backdrop, capturing the 3-year-old pup in one of his favorite environments. “Teddy loves being outside and really enjoys hikes and nature trails; however, he does not like the heat!” Crovesi says. “He will often find any shady spot, whether that’s under the bed of a parked truck or the smallest sliver of shade, and plops down when he’s too hot. But when the weather is nice, he loves exploring and sniffing every single blade of grass he can find. He isn’t a huge fan of the water, but loves the sand on the beach and also enjoys kayaking.”

As for his favorite spot when he’s back inside Crovesi’s home? “Upside down, legs in the air … doesn’t matter the location!”

RUNNERS-UP:

Name: Ollie
Breed: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Age: 7 years old
What is your pet’s favorite spot at home? The sofa, on his round pillow where he can be the royalty that he is!

Name: Biscuit
Breed: Golden Retriever
Age: 16 weeks
What is your pet’s favorite spot at home? She is still a puppy, so staying in one spot isn’t really her thing‚ but if we had to choose, definitely our bed, belly-up with all four paws in the air like she pays the mortgage. When she’s not snoozing, her other ‘favorite spot’ is right behind me, playing tug-of-war with my pants as I walk down the hallway. Yep, my pants. Toys? Overrated. Mom’s outfit? Now that’s entertainment.

Name: Odin
Breed: All-American Dog (Rescue)
Age: 10 years old
What is your pet’s favorite spot at home? On this red couch as you can see! Odin was diagnosed with low-grade Lymphoma in March and will be on chemotherapy for the rest of his life to manage the disease and keep him in remission. His demeanor, joy for walks at Freedom Park and playful energy level is unchanged, so we are very grateful for how well he is living his best senior life. We are grateful for the loving care of his oncologist at Carolina Veterinary Specialists Matthews, Dr. Claudia McFadden.

Name: Potato & Puddles
Breed: Corgi & Dachshund
Age: 3 & 2 years old
What is your pet’s favorite spot at home? Our dogs love to snuggle in bed with us, especially in the mornings. On a sunny day, they can be found roasting out on the balcony.

Name: Marcelino
Breed: Yorkie
Age: 2 years old
What is your pet’s favorite spot at home? Marcelino’s favorite spot is the ENTIRE house. He owns it…and I pay the mortgage!

Name: Bella
Breed: Mini Bernadoodle
Age: 5 years old
What is your pet’s favorite spot at home? On the back of the couch where she can survey her domain

Name: Eddie
Breed: American Eskimo
Age: 12 years old
What is your pet’s favorite spot at home? Sitting on the cool tiles in front of the fireplace.

Name: Beans
Breed: Torbi cat
Age: 2 years old
What is your pet’s favorite spot at home? Sitting in front of the window staring out at nature.