These Stunning Photos of Dogs Prove That Pups Are Humans' Best Friend
Bringing a new dog into your household usually coincides with new owners getting way more acquainted with their cameras. And thankfully, The Kennel Club — a UK-based organization that's devoted to canine healthcare, training, and welfare — ran its Dog Photographer of the Year contest for the 13th year straight, and the results are nothing short of incredible.
Out of 10,000 entries from over 70 countries, Monica van der Maden, a woman from the Netherlands, won first place overall as well as the top spot in the Oldies category with a stunning photo of her Great Dane Noa looking pensive in a forest (above).
"I am very grateful to be the overall winner of the Dog Photographer of the Year competition," said Monica in a press release. "Photography is what I love doing the most. I always try to capture the image of a dog in a way that you can see the emotion in their eyes, when I took this picture in the forest early one morning, Noa looked at her owner and you could feel the love between them."
Although Monica took home the grand prize, there were nine other smaller categories that have equally adorable winners, including: dogs at play, dogs at work, portrait, and of course, a puppy option.
Read through to see the winners from the other categories, and do everything in your power not to run out and adopt a new pooch of your own.
1st Place, Assistance Dog, Dean Mortimer
1st Place, Dogs at Play, Elinor Roizman
1st Place, Dogs at Work, Tracy Kidd
1st Place, I Love Dogs Because, Tamara Kedves
1st Place, Man's Best Friend, Joana Matos
1st Place, Oldies and Overall Winner, Monica van der Maden
1st Place, Portrait, Carol Durrant
1st Place, Puppies, Klaus Dyba
1st Place, Rescue Dogs, Sonya Kolb
1st Place, Young Pup, Mariah Mobley
2nd Place, Assistance Dog, Maria Cristina Nadalin
2nd Place, Dogs at Play, Steffi Cousins
2nd Place, Dogs at Work, Richard Lane
2nd Place, I Love Dogs Because, Elise Finney
2nd Place, Man's Best Friend, Sherilyn Vineyard
2nd Place, Oldies, Rachele Z. Cecchini
2nd Place, Portrait, Katarzyna Siminiak
2nd Place, Puppies, Charlie Nunn
2nd Place, Rescue Dogs, Leslie Plesser
2nd Place, Young Pup, Sienna Wemyss
3rd Place, Assistance Dog, Craig Turner-Bullock
3rd Place, Dogs at Play, Sarah Beeson
3rd Place, Dogs at Work, Ian Squire
3rd Place, I Love Dogs Because, Kirsten van Ravenhors
3rd Place, Man's Best Friend, Cheryl Murphy
3rd Place, Oldies, Philip Wright
3rd Place, Portrait, Michael M Sweeney
3rd Place, Puppies, Robyn Pope
3rd Place, Rescue Dogs, Christina Roemmelt
3rd Place, Young Pup, Maisie Mitford
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