The nonprofit organization supporting Sonoma County’s 60-plus regional parks is looking for a few good dogs to enter an upcoming photo contest that aims to raise funds for the parks.
Beginning July 15, the Sonoma County Parks Foundation will welcome entries to Sonoma County’s Top Dog Photo Contest for a chance to win a spot on a new monthly calendar among other prizes.
Two winning dogs will also be crowned “Top Dogs” and will have their photos on a banner at the foundation’s upcoming Spring Lake Water Bark. During Water Bark, held annually, dogs are invited to splash and play at the Santa Rosa lake’s swimming lagoon every weekend in September.
The contest runs until Aug. 15. Photo entries are $10 each, and the public can vote for their favorite dogs for $1 per vote. Calendars will also be available for preorder starting July 15 for $20.
Proceeds from entries, votes and calendar sales will go toward parks programs.
Parks Foundation Executive Director Melissa Kelley said that dogs were often featured in the foundation’s first photo contest last year launched as part of the Spring Lake Regional Park 50th Anniversary Celebration, so the decision was made to make them the star of this year’s contest.
“We already were noticing that people like to take pictures of their dogs,” Kelley said. “So we thought, ‘why don’t we just let them take pictures of their dogs?’”
For the contest, the foundation is accepting photos of dogs, no people or faces. The contest is open to all dogs, including visitors, but the photos must have been taken in Sonoma County. Photos taken at regional parks must follow applicable leash laws. Photos of unleashed dogs in parks will not be accepted.
In addition to a “People’s Choice” category based on online voting, the contest will include a “Judges’ Choice” category that will be decided by award-winning local photographer Sherri Oster, Santa Rosa Photographic Society member Ronnie Rosenbach and local nature photographer Alex Glavtchev.
The first place winner of the Judges’ Choice category will be included on the cover of Sonoma County’s Top Dog calendar, and will receive a gift certificate for three nights of boarding, bath and nail trim at Taylor Mountain Canine Retreat in Santa Rosa, a regional parks membership and season pass to Water Bark and two dog washes at Western Farm in Santa Rosa.
Second and third place winners, and people’s choice winners will all be featured on monthly photos in the calendar, and will receive prizes including dog washes at Western Farm and free copies of the calendar.
People can also reserve a spot for their dog photo to appear on a specific day of the calendar for a “modest” donation, Kelley said.
This summer’s Water Bark program runs Saturdays and Sundays Sept. 7-8; 15; 21-22; and 28-29. There is no Water Bark on Sept. 14 due to the 2024 Montgomery Viking Opener Cross Country Invitational.
Tickets to Water Bark go on sale in August. Presale tickets are $8 per dog for regional parks members and $12 for nonmembers; tickets at the door will be $10 per dog for members, $15 for nonmembers. There is also a $7 parking permit fee for those who are not regional parks members.
For more information or to reserve a day on the calendar, go to gogophotocontest.com/sonomacountyparksfoundation.
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