We received so many furtastic photo entries into our Woofs, Hooves, and Whiskers Calendar Contest! Thanks to our contest participants, voters, and an additional $1,000 sponsor from our friends at Kirby Subaru, we were able to surpass our fundraising goal of $10,000! 

Furry friends receiving the most votes in each category were awarded first place, with an additional overall top-voted pet taking home the grand prize. These four lucky pets will each receive a special prize package, including a month spread in our calendar! The remaining slots for the calendar were chosen by our esteemed panel of animal-loving judges. All of our pawsome participants are winners in our eyes, but keep reading to learn more about our official contest winners!

Top-voted Grand Prize Winner: BZ

Submitted by Lisa Turner, BZ is a 13-year-old chihuahua mix that was adopted as a 1-year-old in 2010 from the HSVC. BZ certainly has a large fan base, as he brought in a staggering 1803 votes to claim his victory. That's $1803 toward helping shelter animals in need!

"He has enriched our lives in so many ways and is a wonderful dog and member of our family. He LOVES cuddles, sleeping under the covers, treats, belly rubs, head scratches, and walks! This picture was taken at Jalama Beach last year," said Lisa. 

First Place Cat Category: Jin Mao

Handsome boy Jin Mao took the gold in our Cat category with an impressive 1452 votes! His mama, Aurora Soriano submitted the adorable photo of her precious fur baby. 

"Jin Mao has been our baby since 2012. He is a flame point Persian rescue who loves to play hide and seek and hide in boxes or bags. He is the heart of our home," said Aurora. 

First Place Dog Category: Arthur

Ojai native Arthur's adorable photo was submitted by his parent, Kate Mack. The HSVC alum was adopted from our shelter in Autumn of 2017 and received 423 votes to secure first place in the dog category!

"Arthur is a smart, energetic, adaptable, wildly funny, and cute little character. People always want to know what breed he is -to which I answer, “He’s a Humane Society Special”! He has a lot of friends and admirers - one of whom sent the link and mentioned that Arthur should be entered for the calendar even at this late date. So here we are. I am eternally grateful to the organization for such a precious addition to my life, so a fundraiser for the Humane Society seems just right to me too," said Kate.

First Place Other Category: Papaya

HSVC's very own Director of Development Amber Landis and her bunny Papaya took home first place in the Other category with 25 votes!

He was adopted five years ago from the Bunny Brigade at Ventura County Animal Services. 

"He is a spoiled indoor bunny who loves hanging out with his two kids and indoor kitty, Miss. Lilly," said Amber. 

Runner-ups in each category will featured on a special spread inside the 2024 HSVC Calendar. Congratulations to Dog Category Runner-Up, Gretchen, Cat Category Runner-Up Pretty Girl, and Other Category Runner-Up Oliver Bird!

Our judges had a tough task selecting the photos for our remaining calendar months! See below for our carefully curated winners!

From left to right:

• Charlie, Chonk, and Cristini - submitted by HSVC's Foster Kitten Program
• Dallas - submitted by Lori Rude
• Bella - submitted by Wendy Taber
• Butterscotch - submitted by Maya Magaraci

From left to right:

• Muffin - submitted by Judy Diaz
• Romeo - submitted by Hadley English
• Sir Pickles - submitted by Erica Jackson
• Tetley - submitted by Karen Conaway

Reminder! All entrants will receive a calendar in the mail and those who purchased a calendar will receive their calendar by the Fall of 2023. Thank you to all who participated, voted, and helped spread the word about our contest!