Pets on deck: Check out some of the cutest faces on the Central Coast 

In New Times' first ever Pet Issue photo contest, readers submitted more than 1,000 entries of their dogs, cats, chickens, horses, bunnies, and more. A panel of five judges narrowed the slate of images down to seven winners, who each get a gift certificate from issue sponsor Lemos Feed and Pet Supply, and 11 others that were too sweet to not mention! It was tough, with so many cute faces to look through, but we've uploaded a flip-book of all the entries to our website, so you can take your time meandering through a very happy scroll. This issue is about more than photos though! We have a few animal-oriented stories for you to read, too. Plus, our readers donated a total of $6,000—we distributed $3,000 each to the Woods Humane Society and Santa Barbara Humane.

—Camillia Lanham

Reptile rave

The annual Reptile Expo slithers through SLO with exotic creatures, education, and enthusiasm

BY BULBUL RAJAGOPAL

Pecking order

SLO County chicken enthusiasts share pro tips for keeping backyard birds as healthy pets

BY SAMANTHA HERRERA

Ready for anything

The SLO Horse Emergency Evacuation Team works to save animals during disasters

BY ADRIAN VINCENT ROSAS

More Pet pics, please

View the winning entries as a slideshow.

View all of the entries of this year's photo contest.

Read the entire issue here.