Five Freedoms Photography in partnership with Charley’s K9 Rescue is proud to announce the
2025 Triangle Dog Of The Year Calendar Contest.
All proceeds from the calendar contest and calendar sales will be donated directly to Charley’s K9 Rescue to help them on their mission to rescue overlooked bully breeds left behind in our North Carolina shelters.
We encourage you to submit a favorite photo of your pup(s) and ask family, friends, and loved ones to vote for them. It’s that simple!
Please carefully review all submission guidelines below before entering. Entries that do not follow contest rules will not be eligible to win.
The Fees for entries, votes, and calendar sales will go back to assist Charley’s K9 Rescue to
Pictured above is Charley’s K9 Alum, Bonnie
About Charley’s K9 Rescue
Charley's K-9 Rescue, located in Butner, North Carolina, is a non-profit, veteran-founded organization that provides assistance to North Carolina high kill shelters and community pet owners.
At Charley’s K9 Rescue, it is our mission to give dogs a second chance at being recognized as a loving and important part of the family. We place our focus on overlooked bully breeds left behind in our NC shelters. It is within this mission that we promise to be a safe haven where they begin a journey of rehabilitation, gaining confidence and preparing for a new life of acceptance. This journey begins with a decompression period before finally adjusting to a home environment that emphasizes socialization with trainers, volunteers, children, cats and fellow canine comrades. Then, through regular behavioral assessments, our dogs become well-trained and ready for adoption.
As an intimate rescue, we believe in the quality of our dogs’ rehabilitation, and take on an amount best for their wellbeing. Though we would love to save all the fur babies, it is our responsibility to provide the best for our dogs without compromising their recovery and quality of life.
As North Carolina ranks 3rd in most avoidable euthanized shelter pets, Charley's K-9 Rescue is dedicated to the following goals:
Supporting NC Kill Shelters by pulling the forgotten and overlooked.
Helping our Community Dogs
Finding Great Homes For Even Greater Dogs!
Charley's K-9 Rescue offers group dog training services as well as one on one mentoring to potential dog adopters. We also provide extensive dog training, individualized coaching and support for new dog parents, dog socialization with other dogs, cats, and kids, full vetting and resources for all adopters to be successful in their first year.
Calendar Contest Prizes
Thirteen Grand Prizes
The thirteen grand prize winners will have their pet professionally photographed by Five Freedoms Photography and be featured in the 2025 Triangle Dog Of The Year Calendar either as the cover or as one of the months of the year.
Winners will be determined by the entrants that get the most votes with the top winner receiving that coveted cover spot of the calendar
The twelve runner up winners will have their pup featured as a pup of the month as determined by Five Freedoms Photography
Weekly Mini Contest Prizes
One pup each week who receives the highest number of votes for that week will receive a mini-contest prize from one of our awesome participating sponsors including Underbite Pet Boutique, The Dog Mom’s Closet, Wicks For Wags, and Honey&Oliver.
In the event of a tie for that week’s number of votes or if there are no new votes for that week, the weekly mini-contest prize winner will be selected at random through a computerized drawing held for all eligible pups
Grand Prize Details
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 2025 Triangle’s Dogs of the Year
The session is complimentary ($250 value), but no other digital or artwork is included. If interested, additional artwork is available for purchase. Winners will have the chance to upgrade their session 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.
Photo of Charley’s K9 Alum, May
Mini Contest Prize Sponsors
WEEK 1 MINI PRIZE SPONSOR:
UNDERBITE PET BOUTIQUE
WEEK 2 MINI PRIZE SPONSOR:
THE DOG MOM’S CLOSET
WEEK 3 MINI PRIZE SPONSOR:
WICKS FOR WAGS
WEEK 4 MINI PRIZE SPONSOR:
HONEY&OLIVER
Is your dog ready to be a Triangle Dog Of The Year?
And help support homeless pups in need right here in Wake County and beyond?
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 $5 donation.
Limit of 1 pet 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 13th, 2024 at 10 AM/EST and ends on March 12th, 2024 at 8:00PM/EST.
Contest entry fees are tax deductible. The email acknowledgment to your online donation serves as your tax receipt.
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 $5/5 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 Charley’s K9 Rescue.
The Voting Period starts on February 13th, 2024 at 10 AM/EST and ends on March 12th, 2024 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 2024.
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 2025 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.
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 2024.
By participating in the Contest, entrants agree to release and hold harmless Charley’s K9 Rescue 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.
Your Dog Photographer
HEY THERE, I’M JOANNE!
I’m your Pet Photographer specializing in natural light pet portraiture that celebrates dogs being dogs based in Raleigh and beyond. It is my greatest honor to help you craft a session completely unique to your pup and design digital and physical artwork that you will gush over for years to come.
Using those same skills, I also donate my photography services to local shelters and various rescues in need across Wake County to help more animals, especially harder-to-adopt, be seen, valued, and loved among the millions of animals available for adoption. It is my goal through rescue photography to help reduce animal overpopulation, encourage adoption, and change perceptions about often overlooked shelters pups!
Plus, for every product sale I donate 10% right back to a rescue of choice each quarter to keep the feel good, do good vibes going.
With more than 500+ pups and almost three years under my belt, I have photographed and worked with many pups who are high-energy, shy, deaf, blind, elderly, or deal with other physical limitations. In other words, I’d love the honor to photograph your special pup, too!
I am also a member of the International Pet Photographers Club, a HeartsSpeak Artist, and a WakeGov Pets volunteer.
Contest FAQs
DOES MY DOG HAVE TO BE A RESCUE TO ENTER?
No, in fact, we encourage pups from all walks of life to enter! The more entries, the stiffer the competition - and more funds raised!
WHEN DO THE CALENDARS GO ON SALE?
The calendars will be on sale sometime in early September. There will be a calendar launch party for the official reveal and sales launch of the finished calendar.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO ENTER?
It’s $5 to enter and $1 per vote! All entries, votes, and calendar sales are being donated directly to Charley’s K9 Rescue.
HOW MUCH WILL THE CALENDARS BE?
The calendars are usually between $25-$50 for various sizes plus shipping with a large percentage of that being donated directly back to Charley’s K9 rescue!
DOES MY DOG HAVE TO BE A CHARLEY’S K9 ALUM TO ENTER?
Nope! While it would be awesome for Charley’s K9 Alum’s to enter the contest, all entrants do not have to be from the rescue itself.
