We are pleased to announce the winner of our 2026 petMAINE Cover Contest: Eddie from Hawley, PA!
Once again, the decision was no easy task—there were so many wonderful submissions. In the end, Eddie claimed his spot as this year’s cover star.
You’ll have to wait until the guide is released this spring to see his official cover photo, but in the meantime, enjoy this photo of Eddie posing with his prize: a gift basket full of goodies generously provided by our contest sponsors. The prize includes a custom-made cookie from Mountain Dog Cookie Co., a gift certificate to Loyal Biscuit, a gift certificate and tote bag from Fish and Bone, dooloops, a CoatHook grooming tool, products from Sit. Stay. Forever., and a bowtie from Tealight Studios.
Once again, we’d like to extend a heartfelt thank-you to our sponsors for making this contest—and Eddie’s win—so special.
Eddie also has a special backstory. One day, Eddie’s mom, Suzanne, received a call from her boyfriend about a dog darting in and out of the road near a quarry—a pretty dangerous stretch. Without hesitation, she grabbed a can of wet cat food and rushed to the scene, spending an hour coaxing him to her.
Eddie wasn’t neutered, was covered in fleas and ticks, and didn’t have a collar. Suzanne carefully picked him up, placed him in her car, and took him to the vet to be scanned for a microchip. Nothing. Undeterred, she brought him to a car wash that had a dog wash station and scrubbed him from head to toe. Next, she bought him a collar from the dollar store and posted him on every lost-dog site in the area. She even filed reports with the state and local police and held him for a week.
Soon after, she made an appointment to have him neutered, purchased a proper collar with a real dog tag—and Eddie officially became part of the family! Suzanne jokes that he was a little menace, and she has a pretty good idea why he ended up in that dangerous spot. Over time, he’s calmed down—and is now literally the best boy. He still occasionally terrorizes their other two dogs, but she insists he’s the best.
Eddie was originally named Roman (for obvious reasons), but the kids renamed him Eddie, after the wonky hyena from The Lion King who likes to chew his leg—just like Eddie himself. And that’s his story!
