The judges of the Chronicle’s Pet of the Year competition will have a tough task picking a winner if the first influx of entries is anything to go by.

From Melanie Theaker's "lazy bulldog" Porsha "who loves her home comforts" to Chris  Smith's cat Hazel, fears no one and loves to dance, we have been absolutely inundated with fabulous photographs of your furry friends.

Michell Vincent's pygmy hedgehog Banjo proves you don’t have to be cuddly to enter.

Up for grabs to the winner of our photographic competition is a fabulous £100 hamper plus two runner up prize hampers worth £50 each from HJ Lea Oakes Pet Food Superstores.

So don’t delay and send us a photograph of your favourite furry, or otherwise, friend.

We will publish your family friends in galleries on our website and in our papers over the next few weeks before the big winners are announced.

A judging panel of staff from HJ Lea Oakes and the Chronicle will pick a shortlist of 12 and then it will be up to you to vote for a winner.

Manager of HJ Lea Oakes Margaret Lovatt said: “We all have pets here at the store, including dogs, cats, birds, hamsters, horses and even rats.

“We understand the love people have for their pets and this comes across in the personal service we provide.

“We get to know the pets as much as we know the customers and it’s great to see them coming in to shop for treats.”

See the other Pet of the Year galleries here:

Pet of the Year gallery one              

Pet of the Year gallery three

Pet of the Year gallery four

Pet of the Year gallery five

The deadline for entries has now passed