Funniest, wackiest, most adorable pix are winners of the 2003 PAWS/Tulsa World photo contest

Tulsa World readers never cease to amaze us.

For this year's Pet Assistance and Welfare Society/Tulsa World pet photo contest, they sent in some of the funniest, wackiest, most adorable photos of their cats and dogs.

They also donated more than $3,000 dollars -- more than twice the amount raised last year -- to help PAWS provide veterinary services and find new families for homeless, injured and abused pets in the Tulsa area.

This year's competition was tougher than a rawhide chewy bone.

A judging panel of PAWS volunteers and Tulsa World staffers pored over hundreds of entries and found out just how much Tulsa World readers love taking their pets wherever they go.

We saw a dog at the wheel of a speedboat, a cat named Monte sprawled sunny-side up on his owner's desk, a pretty golden retriever named Sunshine enjoying a winter snowfall, and even a guinea pig.

After much debate, our judges finally came to a decision. So let's put our paws together and applaud the winners of the 2003 PAWS/Tulsa World pet photo contest.

BEST DOG

Top honors in the Best Dog category and a party package from the Dog Dish went to Chloe, a 4-year-old beagle belonging to Sally Altman-Holt of Tulsa.

Altman-Holt's cute candid shot shows Chloe, also known as Chloe the Hog-Dog (a reference to her unwavering support of the University of Arkansas Razorbacks), happily slurping peanut butter from a jar of Jif Extra Crunchy.

A graduate of the Tulsa Dog Training Club school, the mostly obedient Chloe displays a knack for certain tricks such as playing the piano and saying her prayers, her owner says.

She's also very good at being a beagle -- she has the trademark beagle howl, fondness for food and super-sensitive nose down pat.

"She's a very food-oriented dog," Altman-Holt said of her peanut butter-loving hound. "And she's usually out in the yard looking for rabbits to chase."

FUNNIEST DOG

We didn't think Rudy Nasser stuck his paw in an electrical socket, but it sure looked like it.

The 3-year-old silky terrier's hair-raising photo made our judges laugh so much that they decided to award him the prize for funniest dog, a $50 gift certificate to the PAWS store in Tulsa.

Rudy's owner, Chris Nasser, said he and his canine buddy, who is named for the movie, "Rudy," which stars Sean Astin, were playing on the family trampoline when he caught this electrifying photo.

"We were jumping around and the static electricity started to build up and his hair just stuck out all over the place," Chris Nasser said.

BEST PEOPLE AND DOG

Murray Musa found his family 2 ¹/2 years ago during a chilly winter, so it seems fitting that his photo, which captured the Best People and Pet category and a Healthy Pet package from Woodland Animal Hospital Central in Tulsa, is a snowstorm shot.

In the winter of 2001, the fluffy black mixed breed made his way into Julia and Rick Musa's backyard, where he was discovered freezing, hungry and suffering from a broken leg.

After the Musas took him to a vet to be fixed up, they adopted him.

"He's the best dog -- we couldn't ask for a better one," Julia Musa said of the family pooch, describing him as "spoiled rotten."

She snapped her award-winning photo this past winter, when her son Michael, then 11-months old, was playing in the snow with Murray.

"Michael was just learning to walk and he leaned over to pet Murray," Musa said. "Murray decided to reach up and to give Michael a kiss."

BEST CAT

Alexandra, a 5-year-old, green-eyed calico from Tulsa won the Best Cat category and a Feline Gift Pack from Feline Specialties in Tulsa.

Her owner, Susan Caperton, was enjoying a leisurely afternoon on the patio when she caught her feline friend peeking through the side of a planter.

"She climbed up on the shelf and was looking all around, and I just happened to have the camera with me," Caperton said.

When she's not busy investigating new hiding spots, Alexandra likes to lounge on sunny windowsills and chase catnip mice.

FUNNIEST CAT

Of the cat lovers on our judging panel, not many had ever heard of a cat that likes water. But we found one kitty who does: Mr. Bean, a 6-year-old tabby belonging to the Barnard family of Muskogee.

Mary Barnard snapped this award-winning photo one afternoon when Mr. Bean decided to take a dip in the family pool.

"He swims a lot and doesn't seem to mind the water," she said, adding that the kitty has earned the nicknames of Swimmin' Bean and Floatin' Bean because he spends a lot of time lounging on air mattresses in the pool.

BEST PEOPLE AND CAT

Nichole Hastings and her 8-month-old, half rag-doll kitty, Purr, won the Best People and Cat category along with designer cat duds provided by Phoebe's Phashions and the Dog Dish.

Nichole's mom, Cheryl, snapped this cute shot of her daughter and Purr, who was lounging in a baby buggy.

Purr, who was adopted by the family along with one of her littermates, lives up to her rag doll name, Cheryl Hastings said. She enjoys being cuddled and carried around like a doll.

"We feel so lucky and blessed to have Purr," Hastings said.

BEST OVERALL

Matthew Smith of Tulsa took home the prize for the Best Overall category -- a professional pet portrait by Matt Moffett of M-Squared Studios -- for his shot of 3-year-old littermates, Cyrus and Hannibal, snoozing together. Judges were impressed by the simplicity and clarity of the photo.

Smith, an amateur photographer, said the feline brothers are so used to being followed around with a camera that they didn't even wake up when he snapped this photo of them nestled in their pet bed.

Though they're quite different in personality -- Cyrus is the naughtier of the two -- the kitties are inseparable, he said.