Get ready to strike a pose and make a difference—our Calendar Contest is back with a new twist!
This year, the top 12 DBL dogs with the most fundraising dollars will earn a featured spot as one of the monthly stars in our 2025 Dogs for Better Lives calendar. And the dog who raises the most overall? They’ll land the coveted cover photo!
Entry is just $10 – your dog must be one of the following DBL dogs to be eligible for a month feature:
- Hearing Assistance Dog
- Autism Assistance Dog
- Facility Dog
- Career Change Dog
- Breeder Dog
- DBL Puppy in training
But all dogs can join in the fun!
For just $10, any dog can reserve a special day-block in the calendar. Choose their birthday, adoption day, or any date you'd like and include their photo to celebrate them all year long.
*Note: This calendar is of dogs only – no people in photos, please!
Reserve Your Day Here →
Order your 2026 calendars
Preorder calendars for $25 (plus $3 shipping) and support DBL’s mission to place life-changing Service Dogs with people who need them.
Calendar Order →
The top 12 winners will also receive a free calendar and a DBL bandana for their superstar pup!
Start gathering your favorite photos—it’s your dog’s time to shine for a great cause!
Prizes
The winners of the photo contest will be determined by the top 12 entrants that get the most votes.
Top Winner:
- The top winner will earn the coveted cover photo for the 2026 calendar, as well as a spot as a featured pet of the month!
2nd-12th Place:
- Second through 12th place winners will have their pet featured as a pet of the month.
The top 12 winners will receive a free calendar and a DBL bandana.
All entries and votes must be submitted by the deadlines listed below to be included in the final vote count. Entries can include animals that have passed away.
Photo entries must be no smaller than 1575 pixels x 2100 pixels, in RGB, .jpg or .png format. Photos must be high resolution for printing purposes. Please be sure to capture your image at the highest possible setting to meet resolution criteria.
Featured Month Contest
To be eligible to win one of the calendar spots, your entry must feature a DBL dog. Dogs may be current Service Dogs or retired. When you enter, identify what type of DBL dog is represented in the photo: DBL Hearing Assistance Dog, Autism Assistance Dog, Facility Dog, Breeder Dog, DBL Puppy or Career Change Dog.
If your dog has a vest, please submit photos of them wearing the vest. If possible, submit a photo where the dog is not wearing a gentle leader.
Reserve a Day Photos
Any dog is eligible to be included in the calendar on the “reserve a day” feature.
- You may also honor your pet or celebrate the month of their gotcha-day or birthday by reserving an empty grid space for their photo in the calendar (before or after the numbered squares).
- It’s easy – just choose a favorite photo, a month, and pay.
- Each month has a limited number of squares in each grid and will be filled on a first come, first served basis; don't delay!
- Each grid space is just $10 and will benefit DBL
Photography Requirements
- People are NOT allowed in photos, but photos of domestic animals can accompany your featured dog.
- Multiple animals are allowed in one photo if they are domestic animals. We will NOT accept entries with photos of wildlife.
- We cannot accept photos with digital overlays, photo stickers, doodles, or any digital effects. Copyrighted photos may only be included with the written permission of the copyright holder. Approvals from the copyright holder must be submitted to Dogs for Better Lives in advance of the September 30th deadline.
- Once entered, photo submissions become the property of Dogs for Better Lives to be used at its discretion for print and marketing purposes.
- Dogs for Better Lives reserves the right to decline the publication of any photograph for any reason. Should this happen, we will notify you and, if an appropriate replacement cannot be obtained, Dogs for Better Lives will refund your entry fee (votes), if desired. Dogs for Better Lives has final approval on all photos submitted and reserves the right to replace any photograph to overcome production issues.
- Photos with professional photographer watermarks will not be eligible to be included in the calendar
The submission and voting periods begin on 8:00:00 AM (Pacific Time) on Tuesday, September 2, 2025 and end on 8:00:00 PM (Pacific Time) on Tuesday, September 30, 2025.
Winners will be announced on Facebook and Instagram on October 15. Winners will be contacted by email by the second week of October.
Voting
Each vote is equal to $1, and there is no limit to the number of votes one may cast for the duration of the contest. Each contestant must purchase a minimum of ten votes at the time of entry for a minimum charge of $10 - voting for your own photo. You can vote as much as you want for your own photo, but you must place at least 10 votes to enter your dog(s) into the contest. Online voting begins as soon as the photo is registered and ends at 8:00:00 PM (Pacific Time) on Tuesday, September 30, 2025
To make sure a vote is credited to the correct photo, voters must identify the pet and owner's name.
Dogs for Better Lives (formerly Dogs for the Deaf) is an award-winning national nonprofit that rescues/breeds, trains, and places Assistance Dogs throughout the United States. We place Hearing Assistance Dogs, Autism Assistance Dogs, and Facility Dogs - all, at no cost to the client.
Learn more about Dogs for Better Lives Dogs, make a gift, or apply to volunteer with us at dogsforbetterlives.org.