2024 Comedy Pet Photo Awards Announces Winners, Dog Stuck In A Cat Flap Brings Home Top Prize

A dog who is obviously too small for a cat door wins big at the 2024 Comedy Pet Photo Awards.

“Not just for the cats!” – that’s the title of this year’s Overall winner and Dog Category winner of the Comedy Pet Photo Awards, which was announced on Thursday, June 06.

The image was by the Comedy Pet Photographer Of The Year, Sarah Haskell, featuring Hector the dog sticking his head into a cat door, which was obviously too small for him.

The Comedy Pets wrote, “Her shot of Hector trying to get through a catflap and the obvious disappointment at not quite being able to make it won the show!”

Haskell explains the story behind the adorable and funny photo to DIY Photography saying, “Hector saw the cat do it…so thought he would give it a try.”

“This is about as far as he got before reversing out the way he came. I can imagine him thinking…’But the cat made it look so easy’ Not so for Hector!”

Haskell said she is delighted to be part of the Comedy Pet Photo Awards and is “tremendously proud” to be the winner of this year’s contest.

“These Comedy Pet Photo Awards have been a good natured, friendly competition with comical animal characters that you feel you can somehow relate to, that make you smile, and you want to know more about,” Haskell said.

As the overall and dog category winner of the 2024 Comedy Pet Photo Awards, Haskell receives a £500 (approximately $639) cash price, a ThinkTank camera bag, and a bespoke trophy.

When Digital Camera World asked Haskell what she’ll do with her cash prize, she said, “A bigger cat flap and then some camera equipment!”

Haskell also shares the story of Hector and how he’s “a much-loved member of my extended family” and her “unwitting and unknowing” muse for a few years now.

She reveals, “He has a kennel club name that sounds more like a what-3-words location; he is much better suited to Hector, and it is much easier to say!”

The UK based photographer also reveals that Hector will turn 14 years old in July. “So all his visitors make a great fuss over him – Hector has no idea why, quite clearly, but just loves the attention,” she reveals.

Other winners at the 2024 Comedy Pet Photo Awards include:

• Cat Category Winner: “Cat in a trap like Super Mario” by Kenichi Morinaga
• Horse Category Winner. “I think I saw a mouse!” by Debby Thomas
• All Other Creatures Category Winner. “The New Rose” by Jonathan Casey
• Junior Category Winner: “Tired Donkey” by Charlotte Kitchen
• Pets Who Look Like Their Owner’s Category: “The Proud Pup and his best friend” by Darya Zelentsova

The Comedy Pet Photo Awards, now on it’s fifth year, “wants to promote positive awareness of animal welfare issues and celebrate the incredible and valuable contribution that pets can and do have on our lives.”

You can view all the 2024 Comedy Pet Photo Award winners here.