Pooch Playoffs fundraiser raises $1,600 for Companions Animal Center

Best Life Photography’s Pooch Playoffs brought in about $1,600 for Companions Animal Center, a small-dollar fundraiser that still added real support for a shelter handling thousands of animal services across Kootenai County. The winning pup, Loki, paired with pet parent Emma Hinebaugh, was crowned the Ulti-Mutt Cutie of Kootenai County, and all four finalists came from the Coeur d’Alene shelter.

Loki’s win did not stop at the county line. The local champion advanced into the international Pooch Playoffs vote-off and finished in the Top 10, giving the fundraiser a broader spotlight while keeping the payoff close to home. For Companions Animal Center, formerly known as Kootenai Humane Society, the campaign tied a playful contest to a practical result for animals still waiting for homes.

The shelter says it has been saving the lives of unwanted, abused and neglected animals since 1979 and operates with a no-kill philosophy. It reported 1,976 adoptions in 2025 and 419 adoptions so far in 2026, along with 12,280 community animal services in 2025 that included spay and neuter procedures, vaccinations and microchips. Against that backdrop, even a fundraiser measured in the low thousands matters because it helps sustain the day-to-day work that keeps animals healthy, visible and ready for adoption.

Dawn Best, owner of Best Life Photography, said in a February preview, “This year has been especially hard for charities.” She added that photographers across the country have joined together to support local animal organizations through the Pooch Playoffs fundraiser.

The event also showed a model that other Kootenai County businesses and nonprofits could copy without staging a gala or charging high ticket prices. It relied instead on portraits, online voting and the kind of social-media energy that can draw neighbors, local companies and animal lovers into a shared cause. In a county where small fundraisers often depend on trust and repeat participation, that low-barrier formula proved workable.

The Pooch Playoffs fit a pattern already visible in North Idaho. Big White Dog Photography donated $2,250 to Companions Animal Center in December 2024 through its Into the Wild campaign, and more than 300 people attended the shelter’s Finish the Journey fundraiser in July 2023. Together, those efforts show a community willing to back animal rescue in different ways, from formal events to photo-driven campaigns that turn local attention into usable support.