Announcing the winners of the 2015 Adventure Dog Photo Contest

At Vermont Sports, we’re serious dog people. Our canine companions spend almost as much time at the office as we do and join us on our adventures in every season, no matter the weather. A few of our office regulars include a collie, poodle, dachshund and a gang of shih tzus. A handful of labs have also been spotted on occasion.

As dog lovers, the April of Vermont Sports is one of our favorites not just because it means a return to the warmer days of spring, but also because it means the return of the Adventure Dog Photo Contest.

The contest has been a tradition 12 years in the making and this was one for the record books. Thanks to you, our inbox was blasted with well over 200 shots of every imaginable breed and then some more indiscernible varieties. Every last one was welcome and we set about the difficult task of picking out the best.

Entries were placed into three categories; “Best Looking,” “Face shot” and “In Action.”

In the following pages, you’ll see dogs at their best; at rest, play and generally loving life. The full gallery is available on our website, www.vtsports.com.

Also, a special thank you to this year’s contest sponsor, Dublin Dog, who will be providing our winners with some great dog gear.

 

Best Looking 

This year’s deluge of entries had some of the finest looking dogs around. From lakeside sunsets to picturesque snowfalls, these top three shots demanded our attention.

 

First place goes to Raice, a Boxer from South Burlington. According to his owner, Rio Demers, Raice loves to swim, play and hike — an all around great companion for the Vermont outdoors.

 

 

 

 

Coming in second place is Stew, named after the “stew” of dog breeds. He’s a rescue dog from Portland, Ore., who now lives in Richmond, Vt. Owner Christopher Drumm says this stately looking guy “has the patience of a saint,” and it shows in this photo.

 

 

 

In third place is Heidi, a Bernese Mountain Dog who clearly loves split boarding and really any activity in the snow. “She’d live out in the snow, if we’d let her,” says owner Nick LaCour, of Burlington.

 

 

 

 

 

Face Shot

In addition to showing some incredible character and emotion in their faces, the amount of snow or mud featured on these winning canines was also an important factor.

If we had a separate category for best hair, this Sheltie would have easily cleared the field. Our first place winner, Levi, loves the Vermont outdoors and accompanies his owner David Br as they snowshoe, canoe and hike around Lake Eden and Northfield.

 

 

 

Second place goes to Busta, a Pitbull and Shephard mix, who is happiest when sailing with his owner Jessica Wetherby from Saint Albans. That smile says it all!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Third place goes to Fargo, a Golden Retriever from Charlotte who loves squirrels and finding powder stashes while snowshoeing with his owner David Hurwitt. He’s still got some on his nose.

 

 

 

 

In Action

Dogs are creatures of action and the winning shots here captured some of their finest moments on and off the water.

 

 

In first place, Chief, returns from his latest adventure with a suspicious souvenir, much to the surprise of his owners Peter and Nicole Dernier from Weston.

 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, Wilbur takes flight off of a duck boat on Lake Iroquois. The shot was captured by Thomas Venezia of Broomfield, Conn.

 

 

 

 

Mainer, our third place finisher, flies down B Slope at Pico Ski Area with tongue dangling and spirits soaring. Owner Jeffrey Leonard of Rutland says this guy loves to ski.

 

 

 

 

 

Want more pictures of great dogs? Check out the full gallery here: