Pet owners on the Central Coast can now turn favorite snapshots into a fundraiser that helps animals in need: the Woods Humane Society’s fourth annual Pets of the Year calendar contest is open, offering calendar placement in exchange for community donations. The campaign matters now because the nonprofit depends on these grassroots contributions to sustain adoptions, foster care and thousands of spay/neuter surgeries each year.
Entry is free. Participants create a page for their pet and invite others to vote by donating — the more funds raised, the higher the chance of earning a full month in the 2027 calendar. Organizers say the contest blends friendly competition with practical support for animal welfare programs.
Woods Humane Society operates without government funding, so individual donations directly underwrite day-to-day services: intake and placement, foster programs, behavioral training and community veterinary services. Those efforts translate into substantial annual outputs — rehousing thousands of animals and performing thousands of surgeries — all funded by local supporters and events like this contest.
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Foster volunteers also use the contest to show the public what life looks like before adoption. A past entrant shared a playful photo of a kitten named Pearl to highlight how tiny fosters can already have outsized personalities, drawing attention to the work foster homes do in readying animals for permanent families.
For adopters, the contest is a reminder of the connection that motivates giving. Morro Bay resident Zoe Zepp adopted a 7-year-old Chiweenie named Chuck after seeing him online last year; the immediate bond she felt during a shelter visit led to an adoption the next day. Zepp says she entered Chuck to support Woods and to celebrate the second chance the shelter gave him.
- Entry fee: Free to enter a pet photo
- Fundraising goal for calendar inclusion: Raise at least $25 to appear on a collage page
- Top fundraisers: The 10 highest-raising participants each receive a full month in the 2027 calendar
- Deadline: Contest closes Sept. 20
- Calendar pickup: Available Oct. 24 at the Wiggle Waggle Fall Festival
- Where donations go: Directly to Woods Humane Society programs supporting adoptions, foster care, behavioral training and spay/neuter services
Organizers emphasize the peer-to-peer nature of the campaign: entrants post their pages on social channels and supporters leave messages of encouragement alongside donations. That social momentum, leaders say, is as valuable as the funds raised because it builds long-term community engagement with animal welfare work.
Behind the calendar images are measurable outcomes. According to Woods’ leadership, the organization helps rehome roughly 3,000 animals annually, maintains about 800 animals in foster care, provides behavior and training services to roughly 800 dogs, and performs about 6,000 spay and neuter surgeries each year. Those figures underline why the contest is more than a photo competition: it’s a practical fundraising tool for essential services.
Community members say the fundraiser offers a personal way to support those services. Whether entering a beloved pet, donating to a friend’s page, or attending the fall festival to pick up a calendar, supporters are contributing to a cycle that moves animals from shelters into stable homes.
With the Sept. 20 deadline approaching, organizers expect a final push of entries and donations. Calendars will be distributed at the Wiggle Waggle Fall Festival on Oct. 24 for those who want a tangible reminder of the campaign’s role in keeping local animal welfare services running.
