The Heavy Petting Issue: Readers’ Photo Contest Winners

So for the last couple of years in advance of V-Day, we’ve asked readers to nominate the hottiest hotties in their lives for something called The Lust List. Photos were posted, comments were made, parties were held. But this year we shifted our focus from the lust-worthiest guys and gals to love affairs of a more cuddly variety: We asked you to submit photos of the dogs, cats, turtles, iguanas, pigs, goats, parrots and other animals in your lives.

Then, in a group task that proved a lot more tough (but also a lot less icky) than rating our fellow human beings, we went through the more than 300 pet pics submitted via Facebook and Instagram and selected the most irresistible of the lot.

We know, we know — everyone’s pet, like everyone’s child, is the cutest in the world. And we thank you for sharing all of your adorable animals with us. But the ones on these pages had something extra — we call it The Awww… Factor — and earlier this week, at our Heavy Petting Party at St. Pete’s Green Bench Brewing, we recognized them with the following awards. To see all of the photos submitted, go to CL’s Facebook page.