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Community dog portrait event has raised more than $9,700 over six years to support pets and families in need.
Santa Barbara County, CA — Images by Valerie is celebrating the success of its 6th Annual Pooch Playoffs, a community dog portrait event benefiting Care4Paws, a local nonprofit dedicated to helping pets and their people through essential services including pet food assistance, veterinary care and peace of mind fostering.
Created and photographed by Valerie Villa of Images by Valerie, Pooch Playoffs invites local dogs to participate in professional portrait sessions, with the session fee donated to Care4Paws. Each participating dog is then entered into a March Madness-style online bracket, where the community votes for their favorite pups as they advance through the rounds toward the championship.
This year’s event raised $1,600 through portrait sessions, and thanks to a matching grant with Care4Paws, the total impact doubled to $3,200, reaching Valerie’s fundraising goal for the year. Over the past six years, Pooch Playoffs has raised more than $9,700 to help Care4Paws continue its meaningful work for local pets and the people who love them.
“Pooch Playoffs is one of my favorite ways to bring the community together,” said Valerie Villa, owner of Images by Valerie. “We get to celebrate local dogs, create beautiful portraits for their families and support Care4Paws in the incredible work they do for pets and the people who love them. Reaching our $3,200 goal this year because of the matching grant was especially meaningful.”
The event combines professional dog portraits, friendly competition and community giving. Once the bracket goes live, anyone in the community can vote online for their favorite dogs, helping them move through the rounds until one pup is crowned champion.
Local businesses also helped make the event special by contributing swag bag items for all that participate and prizes for the top placing dogs. Supporters included longtime Pooch Playoffs partner Pet House Goleta, along with La Cumbre Animal Hospital, Blenders in the Grass, Dirty Dog Wash and Goods and other generous local businesses.
Care4Paws has been the longtime beneficiary of Pooch Playoffs, making the event a meaningful annual tradition for Images by Valerie and the local pet-loving community.
Following the success of Pooch Playoffs, Valerie is also continuing her community portrait work this year with Simply Me Kids and Pets, a personality portrait project featuring children of all ages with their favorite pets. The portraits celebrate the joyful, everyday relationships between kids and the animals they love, preserving the childhood memories families never want to forget.
This fall, selected Simply Me Kids and Pets portraits will be featured in a month-long local gallery exhibit, with each participating family represented by a 20×20 framed portrait. A reception will be held to honor and celebrate the children, families and pets featured in the exhibit, similar to last year’s community portrait celebration. Participation in the project will be limited.
Families interested in learning more about Simply Me Kids and Pets or future Pooch Playoffs events may contact Images by Valerie at valerie@imagesbyvalerie.com or visit https://imagesbyvalerie.com/simply-me.
About Images by Valerie
Images by Valerie is a portrait photography business created by Valerie Villa, specializing in meaningful portrait experiences for local families, children and beloved pets. Through community-focused events like Pooch Playoffs and gallery projects like Simply Me Kids and Pets, Images by Valerie uses photography to celebrate connection, create lasting artwork and give back to local organizations.
About Care4Paws
Care4Paws is a nonprofit organization serving pets and pet owners in Santa Barbara County. The organization provides critical support including pet food assistance, veterinary care and peace of mind fostering to help keep animals healthy and with the people who love them.
