Do you have a pet that could pass as a pinup model? Let The Times' readers decide.

Enter your pet's photograph in The Times' 2009 Pet Calendar contest, and Fido just might be featured as "Mr. January."

Readers can submit photos of their pinup-worthy pets through Sept. 29. The entrance fee is $25, and pets need not have fur or wagging tails to participate, said Brent Griffin, circulation manager for The Times.

"If it's your pet, then it qualifies," Griffin said. "Whether it's a snake, horse, llama, donkey, whatever."

The 12 pets receiving the most votes will be invited to a photo shoot and will be featured in the 2009 Pet Calendar. The pet receiving the most votes will be featured on the front cover of the calendar, and its owner will have first dibs on which month the pet is featured in the calendar. All pets entered in the contest will be pictured in the calendar, Griffin said, but only the top 12 will be featured.

On Oct. 6, the ballot listing all the entries will be printed in The Times. The ballot also will be reprinted periodically in The Times. Also, The Times' readers can browse photos and keep track of the vote tallies, which will be updated every day, online at gainesvilletimes.com.

Voters can either mail their votes or drop them off at The Times' Green Street office. There is no limit to how many times a person can vote until the final votes are counted at noon on Oct. 24, but each vote costs $1 and must be made via the ballot printed in the newspaper.

"You can vote as many times as your bank will allow," Griffin said.

The proceeds from the contest will go to The Times' Newspaper in Education program, which provides 1,600 newspapers to classrooms across Hall County every school day, Griffin said.

"Right now, we're actually having to limit the amount of papers schools are getting ... until we can generate more funds," Griffin said.