Congratulations to the Winners of Down East‘s Fifth Annual Cutest Pets Photo Contest

Thank you to all the proud pet owners who nominated pets for the contest and to our contest sponsor, TriPom Chews. Thousands of photos were submitted from all over the country. A portion of the proceeds went to support the Bangor Humane Society, a nonprofit organization serving more than 200 communities in northern and eastern Maine and rehabilitating and rehoming homeless pets through adoption. Here are this year’s winners:

TOP DOG

Chewy (dog)

NAME: Chewy
AGE: 3 years old
FROM: Portland

Chewy was adopted in February 2021 and has been melting hearts ever since. He loves playing with his toys (Maine moose antlers are a favorite, as well as his collection of chipmunks), napping, and taking walks along the ocean.

CUTEST CAT

Wilhelmina (cat)

NAME: Wilhelmina
AGE: 1 year old
FROM: Sebago

Wilha is an adventurous and easygoing Maine Coon. While she is an indoor cat, she fully embraces the outdoor Maine lifestyle with her humans, including camping, biking, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, cross-country skiing, paddleboarding, and hanging out at the seashore. She aspires to visit many national parks after her awesome trip last summer to Acadia. To follow Wilha on her adventures, visit her Instagram page @wilhageorge.

ADORABLE OTHERS

Karu (dog) and Will (horse)

NAME: Karu and Will
AGE: 1 year old and 20 years old, respectively
FROM: Georgetown

Karu (“Bear” in Estonian) is a bouncy, wound-up White Swiss Shepherd and Will, a Cleveland Bay, is a little bit of a snob. They both live on Tide’s End Farm. Known as “mom” to both, Liia Becker waited for months, taking numerous camera and iPhone shots to catch a moment where the two connected in a sweet, curious way.

See all of this year’s submissions at: pets.downeast.com