I freckle easily, so a high SPF is simply imperative.

Minnie

Photo by: Mary Lyons, Pompano Beach, Florida

"Minnie is my 5 month old rat terrier," says Mary. "She loves to go in the swimming pool and when she wants to rest, she gets on 'her' raft and floats for awhile."

Weekly Winner, Week 3
Daily Winner, September 29th

Week 2 Winner!

We have our second Weekly Winner: it's NitroFish!

As you can tell from our poll, NitroFish was a big winner with the voters. It didn't hurt that NitroFish's owner urged friends from a couple of pet forums to vote, as they helped NitroFish to a very strong showing!

While we appreciate the campaigning, remember that the contest rules state that the weekly poll isn't the only factor in determining our winner:

The ranking that each photograph receives from website visitors will be considered by Sponsor in selecting a Weekly Winner, but will not necessarily be determinative of the Weekly Winner; Sponsor also will consider the creativity, composition, and quality of each photograph.

We're also pleased to announce that the judges have awarded Diane Mathieu's Toby the cat an Honorable Mention for the quality of her photo.

Congrats again to everyone! As we did last week, we'll be posting our next Daily Winner later today, and will be posting some more Paw-purr-ee entries over the weekend. Also, remember that we feature the winner in the AARP Webletter every Friday (you can sign up here--it's free!)

So be sure to check back, click on the Comments link, and tell us what you think! And don't forget to come back next Friday and vote for your favorite.

Week 2 Poll

Voting is closed on this poll. Click on the "Continue reading" link to see the results.

Dog? Cat? Ha! A ferret's where it's at!

Pooh Bear

Photo by: Becky Watson, New Brighton, Pennsylvania

Sadly, Pooh Bear is no longer with us, but he "was the love of our life," says Becky. "He was such a gentle little man. He was forever making us laugh, he stole our hearts and in the end he pretty much took it with him. He is sorely missed here, but we have since fostered a little guy named Willy. Here is my picture of Pooh. Please enjoy as he was about 1.5 years old in this shot."

Daily Winner, September 28th

This is low-fat milk, right? Oh, who cares.

Cassie

Photo by: Judy Hallowell, Fort Worth, Texas

Once Cassie "took over" Judy's daughter's frappucino, "the cat had full control long enough that we took about ten photos. She had foam all over her nose before she was finished!"

Paw-purr-ee selection, September 28

Duuude, what was in those Milkbones?

Nitro Fish

Photo by: Kathleen Fuller, Cincinnati, Ohio

Says Kathleen, "Those big blue eyes belong to my dog, Nitro Fish. She is the classic American mutt. Who knows what her lineage is? She is definitely daddy's girl and loves to cradle her head on his chest in the evening before going to sleep. She loves it when he gives her a piece of licorice (her favorite treat). She will eight years old this November."

Weekly Winner, Week 2
Daily Winner, September 27

Oh yeah? Well you should see the OTHER dog!

Zara

Photo by: Diana Harris, Gwynn Oak, Maryland

Says Diana, "Zara is 2 1/2 years old, a mixed Shepherd/Rottweiler. She had some minor surgery and had to wear her 'Party Hat' as we called it." (Looks like the "party" pooped poor Zara!)

Paw-purr-ee selection, September 27

I love the feel of the warm sun on my whiskers.

Toby

Photo by: Diane Mathieu, Falmouth, Maine

Says Diane, "Toby sometimes thinks he's a dog. He has protected my four children more than once and now takes care of our little dog. He is a remarkable and very beautiful kitty."

Honorable Mention, September 29
Daily Winner, September 26

Dog person? Cat person?

This poll is now closed. Thanks for voting! A new poll will be posted next week. Click on the "Continue reading" link below to see the results.

Splendor in the grass.

Meanie

Photo by: Lilly Garcia, Houston, Texas

Daily Winner, September 25th.

Sweet dreams!

Gracie

Photo by: Suzanne Sordo, Plantation, Florida

Paw-purr-ee selection September 25th.

Free bird!

Cutie the parrot

Photo by: Glenna Leonhardt, Clearlake Oaks, California

Cutie's buddy is Poppy the parakeet.

Paw-purr-ee selection September 25.

Best friends forever!

Photo by: Ken and Valerie Greenfield, Bay City, Oregon

Paw-purr-ee selection September 24th.

"Maybe someone will drop one!"

Charlie

Photo by: Luanne Toohey, Wall, New Jersey

Says Luanne: "Charlie was spying the Christmas cookies and showing great restraint." Good dog!

Daily Winner September 22nd.

Week 1 Weekly Winner!

Thanks to all who have participated, we have our first Weekly Winner: Alex and Ford!

In our voting today, it was really close between them and Lily, our basset hound, but a late push (probably by friends of RAGOM) made our golden retrievers the audience favorite, and the judges agree.

However, we have decided to make Lily our first Honorable Mention!

Congrats again to everyone! We'll be posting our next Daily Winner later today, and will be posting some more Paw-purrpee entries over the weekend.

So be sure to check back, click on the Comments link, and tell us what you think!

Week 1 Poll

Voting is closed on this poll. Click on the "Continue reading" link to see the results.

Hmmm, let's see here. N-E-U-T-E-R...Oh no.

"Smarty Cat" Ernie

Photo by: Carolyn Davis, Rancho Palos Verdes, California

Says Carolyn, "The love of reading is a value that everyone in our family shares, but we never dreamed that it extended to even the feline member of our family !"

DAILY WINNER September 21st.

I said kitty "litter," not "critter!"

Gwyndolyn (cat) and Rex (iguana)

Photo by: Meredith Alleruzzo, Pasadena, California

Says Meredith, "Gwyndolyn and Rex have made peace and found a way to live together. Rex's hobbies include cycling and computer programming. Gwyndolyn's hobbies are food, keeping out of Rex's sunspots on the floor, and speech/communications. They are sooo cute!"

Paw-purr-ee selection September 21st.

Maybe we should move away from that nuclear plant!

Frosty and Bandit

Photo by: Nancy Ellis, Mesa, Arizona

Frosty and Bandit are "purebred mutts from the pound" who love to sleep on top of each other. They "make the very best of friends."

Paw-purr-ee selection September 21st.

It's TUMMY time! Pbbbbbbbbbtttttttt!

Alex (Mr. Mom) and Ford

Photo by: Jane Nygaard, St. Louis Park, Minnesota

Jane, a founder and board member of Retrieve a Golden of Minnesota, Inc. submitted this picture of her rescued Golden Retriever Alex. His puppy friend is 10-day-old Ford, who was found in a trashcan along with his siblings--he was the only survivor. Alex took on the duties of cleaning and caring for Ford from the time he was two days old and weighed only one pound. Ford was bottle fed, and Alex licked and comforted him. Alex helped raise Ford and died recently at 13 years old. The two visited elementary schools for two years together to teach children about pet responsibilities.

Weekly Winner, Week 1
Daily Winner September 20th.

Why don't ewe and I play Leap-sheep?!

Gouda the goat and friends

Photo by: Robert and Margaret Andrews, Haines, Alaska

Says Margaret, "Gouda spent the day jumping from one sheep to the other. The tan faced ewe had triplet lambs the next day. Not sure if the jumping on and off of the goat led to them coming sooner! But the goat sure had fun!"

Paw-purr-ee selection September 20th.

Paw-purr-ee: More fun photos

Wow, do AARP members have a lot of adorable pets! In fact, we’ve gotten so many wonderful submissions (thousands of them in fact!) that we’ve created an additional category, Paw-purr-ee, to show off more of the smiling snouts, pudgy paws, and fuzzy faces you’ve sent us!

The selections for Paw-purr-ee are still eligible to be Daily, Weekly and Grand Prize Winners—we just thought we’d give you a sneak peek first!

Don't forget -- we're using your comments to help us pick the Weekly Winner. Got a funny caption or quote for a picture? Does a photo remind you of a celebrity?

Check back each day and click on the Comments link below each photo and tell us what you think!

Pssst, Mom? I love you!

Bettie and Barney

Photo by: Helen Trimble, Rising Sun, Maryland

When he's not with Mom, Barney also has the Trimble family's other "pets"--Harry the squirrel, Crickey the frog, Lab mixes Daisy and Spanky, Chip the calf and Buffy the pomeranian--to play with.

Daily Winner on September 19th.

Who needs paws for pillows when you've got your sister?

Begonia and Mia

Photo by: Jane Tallman, Belington, West Virginia

"Cute as buttons, both of these rescued kittens bring joy to our lives," says Jane. Ours too!

Daily Winner on September 18th.

"Sorry pal, can't let you in. You're not on the list."

Lily

Photo by: Patricia Mayer, Cincinnati, Ohio

Lily is a nine-year-old Basset Hound, "who will wear hats and costumes, ride floats and walk in parades to raise money for Basset Hound Rescue."

In her off hours she works as a bouncer at Kennel 54.

Honorable Mention, September 22
Daily Winner, September 15