A portrait by a Cheddar photographer of a family's pet dog has won a top prize in a national award.

Jo Connor received second place in the National Dog Portrait Awards for her photo of Earl, the pet of the Pople family from Cheddar.

Jo said: "In the early part of 2019 I became an approved photographer taking part in the National Dog Portrait Awards.

"Thirty-eight studios from around the country actively participated and a total of 376 images were entered.

"I entered 50 from my studio alone, which was the highest number of any photographer. The competition closed on October 31 and a creative team from the organisers selected the top 50 finalists.

"I was thrilled to have 11 of my entries in the final 50. The public were then invited to vote on social media for their favourites.

"A group of industry-acknowledged dog photographers also then voted on that final 50. The social media votes were then added to those of the judges.

"I was thrilled to have one of my entries come in second place - apparently I missed out on first place by just one point.

"The family with the winning woofer is the Pople family of Cheddar - dad Lee, mum Fiona and their daughters, Hallie and Imogen.

"Their dog is called Earl and he is a Bedlington/Whippet cross, and he was rescued by them last year.

"The family won £1,000 in cash and a canvas wall portrait of Earl's winning image. The competition was run to also raise money for local dog charities, and my nomination of Westbury-sub-Mendip-based Dogs Friends was chosen to be a recipient of the shared funds."