CLICK HERE for the latest PetBook photo contest.

The results are in for AAA’s 5th annual PetBook® Photo Contest, and two traveling dogs, one from North Carolina and one from South Carolina, will enjoy a year of fame as “cover dogs” on the 11th edition of Traveling With Your Pet: The AAA PetBook. 

Top dog Zillie, a German Shepherd/Boxer mix from Raleigh, N.C., will appear on the back cover enjoying a scenic hike in Gatlinburg, Tenn., while second-place winner Michelob, a Welsh Springer Spaniel from Charleston, S.C., will be pictured on the PetBook spine, resting on the rocks near Morris Island Lighthouse in Folly Beach, S.C. 

Not surprisingly, we received a record numbers of entries this year. The job of managing them went to AAA’s Kim Birch, who says:
 
“They say a picture is worth a thousand words and that certainly applies to the PetBook photo contest.  This simply has to be the most enjoyable part of my job!  It’s almost like I get to go on vacation with these adorable pets.  Their cute mugs positioned happily against iconic backdrops such as Mount Rushmore or the Golden Gate Bridge just make me smile.  With each entry comes a story.  Some have actually brought tears to my eyes, like the photo I received of a Marine reaching his hand out of a bus window to give his dog one last rub on the head and his wife another kiss goodbye before being deployed to Iraq.
    
Then there are the photos that just make you laugh out loud because you can almost imagine what the pet might be thinking.  Friendly little faces that are so happy to be traveling alongside their humans.  Some are dressed for the occasion sporting sweaters, backpacks, hats and even sunglasses. I often have to apologize to my cubicle neighbors because I’m sure they hear me giggling and think I must have nothing to do.  Far from the truth, but the brief escapes these photos offer are a welcome diversion. When the entries arrive it’s almost like opening a gift because you just never know what’s waiting inside.  Our panel of judges found selecting just two winners was the hard part, because so many were special.”       

Many of the additional submissions can be viewed now at AAA.com/petbook, which is also the place to find out how to enter your pet photo in next year’s contest.   More information about this year’s winners is available at AAA.com/newsroom