COULD your pet, however unusual, become our Pet of the Year 2010? Is your rabbit ravishing to look at? Does your snake have a ssscintillating skin? Is your parrot a perfect pet? Or is your dog the doe-eyed love of the family? If the answer is yes then you need to book an appointment for a picture to enter.

COULD your pet, however unusual, become our Pet of the Year 2010?

Is your rabbit ravishing to look at? Does your snake have a ssscintillating skin? Is your parrot a perfect pet? Or is your dog the doe-eyed love of the family? If the answer is yes then you need to book an appointment for a picture to enter.

The competition is open to the towns of Great Yarmouth and Gorleston and all the villages in the Mercury's Village Life section as well as those in between.

The Mercury has linked up with Terry Pover, The Pet Photographer from Bradwell, for this competition in which he comes to your home for free to take a picture of your pet in its own environment where it is relaxed and comfortable. And Terry isn't just any photographer - he's the Kennel Club Dog Photographer of the Year.

There are seven categories: rescue, horses, dogs, cats, exotics and reptiles, small furries, and birds.

What will readers vote as the top pet? An iguana, a parrot, a horse, cat or dog? It's so easy to enter; simply call Terry for an appointment to take the picture. Obviously it will be first come, first served but we will be running the information for a couple of weeks on how to enter.

We hope to get enough to choose 10 entries from each category to put to the readers for a final vote. Whittling down the entries will be a panel of judges including the new Mayor of Great Yarmouth, Cllr Michael Jeal, and Mercury editor Anne Edwards.

The competition is open NOW and will continue until July 23. The judges will select the final 10 from each category to go forward to the grand final and these will be published in the Mercury on August 20 with readers voting for the eventual winner, announced on September 3.

Prizes are a framed A3 photo of the winning pet supplied by the Pet Photographer, Terry Pover, an engraved cup, and other prizes.

To enter telephone or email Terry Pover, The Pet Photographer, for an appointment. Call him on 01493 664626 or 07766668178 or email terry.pover@ntlworld.com.