Russian Vet wins Dog Photographer of the Year competition

4 July 2016

The Kennel Club has announced the winners for its annual Dog Photographer of the Year competition. Now in its tenth year, the competition received almost 13,000 entries from a staggering 90 different countries.

Anastasia Vetkovskaya from Moscow has been selected as the overall winner of the competition with an image of Sheldon the English Springer Spaniel entering the water early one morning. The image initially won the ‘Dogs at Work’ category. The winning photographer lives with her husband and two children plus their three dogs, two cats and one horse.

Upon winning the biggest canine photography competition in the world, Anastasia said: “I have loved animals from an early age, which is why I went to Moscow Veterinary Academy and became a veterinary surgeon in 2007. Around this period of time, my husband gave me my first SLR camera and since then I have devoted all of my free time to photography. My speciality is pets and I am inspired most by horses and dogs.  This particular image was taken during dog training one early autumn morning. The dog, Lordsett Just One Look (Sheldon), belongs to a friend and often becomes my model.”

The competition consists of eight categories: Portrait, Man’s Best Friend, Dogs At Play, Dogs At Work, Puppy, new category Oldies, under 18s category I Love Dogs Because… and Assistance Dogs and Dog Charities.

To view all the winning images visit the website here

Rosemary Smart, Kennel Club Chief Executive said: “The entries for this year’s Dog Photographer of the Year competition were some of the best we have ever seen. Choosing the winners was an incredibly challenging task and we commend every photographer who entered. Each of the winning photographers beautifully captured the essence of their canine subjects on camera, demonstrating how important dogs are to us in every walk of life. The winners showed great technical skill and we look forward to seeing more work from them in the future.”

All of the winning images plus the photos that placed second and third for each category will be on display at the Kennel Club in Mayfair, London from 28th June until 12th September. The exhibition is open to the public and free to enter upon appointment. Anyone wishing to visit should contact the Art Gallery office on artgallery@thekennelclub.org.uk