Judy A. Totts | The Gazette

SEVILLE — Say “cheese” — and “chow.”

To celebrate National Pet Week, May 4-9, Seville Animal Hospital invited clients to submit photos for its second annual pet/owner look-alike contest.

“Dr. (Patricia) Faust always tries to think of a way to enhance the pet owner bond,” said Kim Fish, hospital manager. “They’re not just animals, they live with us, they’re a part of our families.”

“And some of them look a lot like their owners,” added Bobbi Jo Kennedy, a veterinary assistant at the hospital.

“It’s good for us, too,” Fish said. “We get drained emotionally when there’s a loss, so this is something fun for us.”

They encourage clients to get creative with the look-alike aspect. Photos can capture pets and owners who actually resemble each other, owners who go to great lengths to create a look that reflects their pet’s features or critters and owners caught napping or interacting in similar positions.

Last year, Ron Sehulster of Seville, pasted on a short beard and moustache, donned a black beret and posed with Susie, his shih-tzu.

“She’s a hard one to look like,” said Sehulster, who stops in the hospital twice a day on his walks with Susie just to say hello. “Even with the beard on, I still didn’t look as cute.”

Lois Eads, who submitted a photo of herself with her dog, Sheltie, told hospital staff the picture has special meaning for her beyond the fun of being in the contest. It was a favorite taken by her late husband, Vern.

“The photo is a reminder to her of the connection the three of them had at the moment that the photo was taken,” Fish said.

With the cuteness criteria, it’s going to be a tough choice for this year’s judge, Velvet Eby, owner and operator of Velvet’s W. Main Framing in Seville.

“After they asked me to be the judge, I wondered how many people look like their dogs,” said Eby, adding the first thing that sprang to mind when they asked her to officiate the contest was an old TV commercial that depicted a man and his bulldog, each sporting significant jowls, mugging for the camera.

Eby said creativity will play a part in her decision to pick the winner of the contest, which closes May 11. “It will be exciting and interesting to see what they come up with.”

Fish said the top winner will receive a 12-month supply of heartworm prevention and flea control, a National Pet Week T-shirt, framed photo, a free bag of pet-care goodies and a pet spa day at the hospital, complete with a bubble bath.

For information, call (330) 769-3838.

Contact Judy A. Totts at (330) 721-4063 or religion@ohio.net.