It’s the talk of the dog parks and cat runs all over Victoria – Lort Smith has announced the winners of its annual Backyard Hero Calendar Competition.

People’s Choice (popular vote)
Winner: Snowy – 3 year old Samoyed/golden retriever cross
Runner up: Gizmo – 1 year old Chihuahua

Panel’s Choice (selected by our judges)
Winner: Indi – 15 month old lilac agouti short-haired guinea pig
Runner up: Nacho – 4 year old border collie/kelpie cross

“Congratulations to Snowy and Indi – as well as their human carers – on winning a place in next year’s Lort Smith calendar, and thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s competition,” said Lort Smith CEO Fiona Webster.

“We were so excited with the interest the competition generated – we received more than 1,000 entries and 8,000 votes.”

“It just goes to show how important the relationship with our pets can be, and how much we love to share our furry friends with the world,” she said.

Each year, Lort Smith creates a fundraising calendar featuring a selection of beautiful animals that have been treated by the Animal Hospital or rehomed through the Adoption Centre. In recent years, two prized spots have been reserved for winners of the Backyard Hero Calendar Competition.

Snowy, Gizmo, Indi and Nacho will each receive a professional pet photoshoot, with winners Snowy and Indi appearing in the 2019 Lort Smith calendar.

The 2019 calendar will be on sale from October, with all profits going directly to supporting Lort Smith’s work caring for sick, injured and vulnerable animals, and their carers.