2026 Triangle Dog Of The Year Calendar & Gallery Contest

BENEFITTING SECOND CHANCE PET ADOPTIONS

February 11th - March 9th 2025

Featuring Adoptable Cove

About Second Chance Pet Adoptions

Featuring Adoptable Jada

Sometimes all you need is a Second Chance.

Second Chance Pet Adoptions is a non-profit animal rescue organization that has rescued stray or abandoned cats and dogs in the Triangle Area of North Carolina since 1987.

MISSION

Second Chance Pet Adoptions is the oldest no-kill rescue organization in Wake County. At Second Chance, our mission is to champion homeless cats and dogs who are healthy or treatable in the quest to find their forever homes and engage with our community to promote responsible pet ownership–ultimately reducing future generations of homeless animals.

OVERVIEW AND HISTORY

It’s hard to believe how far we’ve come from the day when three women, Cheri Sowter, Deborah Ruggero, and Judy Benrud sat down in 1987 and committed themselves to helping homeless animals in the Triangle. They began by “fostering” the stray cats and dogs they would find. Word got around and other people who found strays would bring them to Second Chance. Things began to get bigger and bigger. They built a ”cat condo” in one of their back yards and one of the other women penned off part of her back yard for the stray dogs.

Judy and Cheri had ties to The College of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University and were able to get donated time from some vets and vet students. Things blossomed even more, and in 1989, they decided to apply for non-profit status and became a bona fide 501 (c) (3) rescue organization. They began recruiting volunteers to help them with caring for the animals and with screening applicants.

Other volunteers began fostering animals, raising funds, and introducing rescued animals to potential permanent homes. Throughout this time Second Chance had relied on foster homes for all the animals in its program. However, as Second Chance continued to grow and create more programs, a cageless no-kill facility to house cats was opened in February 2004.

Second Chance will continue to partner with its extended family of supporters, volunteers, and other rescue groups to work toward the common goal of no more homeless animals.

The guiding principles on which Judy, Cheri and Deborah founded Second Chance continue to this day. The central principle is that Second Chance makes a lifetime commitment to each of the animals it rescues, retaining the option of taking them back in the event the new home cannot keep them. All rescued animals will receive the medical care they need, will be shown unconditional love, and will be carefully matched with the best homes for their needs in order to ensure a lifetime of safety, love, and companionship.

Grand Prize Details

Featuring Adoptable Red Rita

THE WINNER’S PROFESSIONAL PHOTOSHOOT INCLUDES:

• A complimentary 30-minute photo session by Five Freedoms Photography in Raleigh; dates, times, and locations to be determined by Five Freedoms Photography

• Winners will receive a social media size image of the chosen calendar photo and of course, bragging rights that their pup is one of the 2026 Triangle’s Dogs of the Year

• Their pup’s image featured in the finished 2026 Triangle Dog Of The Year Calendar

• Their pup’s images featured in an art installation at Second Chance NC (top eight winners only)

• The session is complimentary ($250 value), but no other digital or artwork is included. If interested, additional artwork is available for purchase.

• If you’d like a more customized experience, winners will have the chance to upgrade their session with Five Freedoms Photography after the contest is over.

• If for some reason, you are unable to commit to a photo session during the selected time or if you are unable to travel to the pre-selected location of choice, you forfeit your winning and the next top vote getter will take your pet’s spot in the calendar. No exceptions.

Mini Contest Prize Sponsors

Featuring Adoptable Scully

COMING SOON!

Full Contest Rules

Please read all contest rules before entering your pup into the 2025 Triangle Dog Of The Year Contest.

ENTRIES:

• Each entry is a $10 donation.

• Limit of 1 pup per photo entry. People are not allowed in photos, only your pet. Photos that do not follow these rules will not be eligible to win with no opportunity for a refund.

• If you have multiple pets per household and wish to win a session per each pet, you will need to submit each pet individually.

• Entry photos that include two pets will share a month if they place among the top thirteen vote getters.

• All photos must be uploaded; we cannot accept printed photos.

• We cannot accept any copyrighted or professional photos. The exception to this are photos taken of pups by Five Freedoms Photography are allowed to entered into the contest as given permission by Joanne Wetzel of Five Freedoms Photography to entrants.

• The Entries Period starts on February 11th, 2025 at 10 AM/EST and ends on March 9th, 2025 at 8:00PM/EST.

• Any photograph that includes content that is deemed inappropriate, indecent, or obscene, as determined by Five Freedoms Photography in its sole discretion, will be removed from the contest with no opportunity for a refund.

• Posting more than one photo of your pet does not increase the chances of winning. The winners of the photo contest will be determined by the top thirteen entries that receive the most votes. The same pet can only win once. Attempts to win two spots in the calendar by the same pet will not be permitted.

• Previous years winners may enter into the contest, but the same pet may only win the cover spot once. The second runner up will be moved to the cover spot if the cover model has won previously.

• Entries are non-refundable and are tax-deductible. The email acknowledgement to your online donation serves as your tax receipt.

VOTING:

• Each $1 donation counts as one (1) vote with a minimum donation being $1/1 votes and so on.

• All donations from voting are non-refundable. Entries and donations must be made via the online contest page. Contest payments online are through a secure site.

• Contest votes are tax deductible. The email acknowledgment to your online donation serves as your tax receipt.

• All winners will be determined by electronic vote tabulations under the supervision of Gogo Photo Contest, whose decisions are final and binding, not Five Freedoms Photography or Second Chance Pet Adoptions.

• The Voting Period starts on February 11th, 2025 at 10 AM/EST and ends on March 9th, 2025 8 PM/EST.
  
  

CALENDAR PHOTO SESSION:

• The top thirteen vote getters will win a professional on-location photo session by Five Freedoms Photography at a pre-selected location in the Raleigh, NC area on dates as determined by the photographer in Spring / Summer 2025.

• Winners who want a more customized experience for their whole pack will have the option to upgrade their session after the contest is over.

• If you are unable to commit to a photo session during those times or find yourself unable to travel to the pre-selected locations as determined by Five Freedoms Photography, you forfeit your winning and the next top vote getter will take your pet's spot in the calendar, no exceptions.

• The top vote recipient will win the coveted cover photo for the 2026 Triangle Dog Of The Year calendar. The following twelve recipients with the most votes will be eligible to have their pet featured as a pet of the month chosen by Five Freedoms Photography.

• The photographer, Five Freedoms Photography, will choose the best image of the pets to be used in the calendar as well as which month that image will appear.

• The top eight voted recipients will also earn a spot on a gallery wall installation at Second Chance NC’s physical facility in Cary, North Carolina

WEEKLY MINI-CONTESTS:

• The pet receiving the highest number of new votes each week over the course of the four weeks will win a mini-contest prize from one of the participating businesses.

• Each pet may only win a weekly mini-contest once.

• In the event of a tie, a random computerized draw will be held between the highest vote getters of the week to determine that week's winner.

• In the event that there are no new votes for that week, a random computerized draw will be held for all eligible pets.

• Certain individual business restrictions and limitations may apply and may vary by business. Five Freedoms Photography is not responsible for these restrictions and eligibility requirements as determined by each business.

  
  

THE FINE PRINT:

• By submitting a photo entry, you warrant and represent that your entry is your own original work created by you and that you own or otherwise control all of the rights to your entry materials. If you submit an entry that is copyrighted by another individual, you are responsible for any legal action the copyright holder takes against you.

• Calendars will be available to the general public starting September 2025. Calendars can be pre-ordered through the calendar contest page with all the proceeds benefitting Second Chance NC.

• By participating in the Contest, entrants agree to release and hold harmless Second Chance Pet Adoptions and Five Freedoms Photography and each of their respective officers, directors, representatives, volunteers and agents (the Released Parties) from and against any claims of any nature arising out of participation in the Contest or receipt or use of any prize.