[photo credit: Pasadena Humane]
For the first time in the history of Pasadena Humane’s annual calendar photo contest, two pets will land on the cover — front and back — of the organization’s 2027 calendar.
The Pasadena-based nonprofit, which operates out of its Raymond Avenue shelter and serves 11 communities including Altadena, has opened its annual contest for entries through June 30, according to an announcement from the organization. The two pets that receive the most overall votes will be featured, respectively, as the front and back cover animals — in addition to their own month spreads — a new addition to a contest that previously awarded only monthly page spreads. Winners also receive a custom pet portrait and a special photo shoot, the announcement stated.
The contest is one of Pasadena Humane’s signature fundraisers. The 2024 edition drew 192 entries, and a cat named Federer topped the voting with more than 7,000 individual votes, according to a Pasadena Humane press release at the time. That year’s contest raised nearly $40,000 for the organization’s animal care programs.
Pet owners do not need to have adopted from Pasadena Humane to enter. Any pet qualifies. In prior years, the contest has accepted entries in categories including dogs, cats, and other pets, with the top vote-getters in each category earning a full-month spread. Entries that receive at least five votes are guaranteed inclusion in the 2027 calendar or on the collage pages, according to the organization.
In prior contest years, entry fees were $25 per photo. Each vote costs $1, with a minimum of five votes, and contestants typically rally friends and family to support their entries. All proceeds go to Pasadena Humane’s programs and services.
“It’s all in the spirit of creating a compassionate community for both animals and people, and our mission doesn’t extend to just pets,” Chris Ramon, Pasadena Humane’s president and CEO, told the Pasadena Weekly.
Founded in 1903, Pasadena Humane provides animal control services to Pasadena, Altadena, Glendale, Arcadia, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta-Montrose, Monrovia, San Marino, Sierra Madre, South Pasadena, and Bradbury. During the January 2025 Eaton Fire, the organization assisted more than 1,500 animals and reunited over 1,600 pets with displaced families, according to an organizational press release.
Voting and entries close June 30 at 11:00 p.m. PDT. For more information, visit pasadenahumane.org or contact the organization at (626) 792-7151 or hello@pasadenahumane.org.
Every vote cast is another dollar for an animal on Raymond Avenue waiting for a home — and every entry is a pet one step closer to the cover.
