In this snap of her red heeler kelpie cross, Wally, Jessica Strain is reminded why she has always thought he was a "once-in-a-lifetime dog."

The cheeky pooch is known to put on his most serious 'you know I adore you' face - a way of picking up his owner's spirits.

"That's him," she said. "He is a bit of a goose but he is very loyal."

Jessica's mother captured the shot of Wally when he had jumped up on Jessica's bed just to let her know he was by her side.

"I wasn't feeling that good and he can always tell," she said. "He'll come close and try to fix you. He follows me around the house, brings me a toys and if he can he will sit right beside you, or on you, just to make his presence felt."

Ms Strain spends her spare time volunteering for the RSPCA but loves coming home to Wally and his brother, Alfie, and watching them gleefully run flat-chat around the park.

Kazz Henderson, of Holder, entered a fun photo of her and her dog Ruby, better known as "the queen of selfies."

The small Papi-poo, papillon toy poodle cross, had raced up the steep slopes of Mount Ainslie and after over-estimating how far her little legs could go, needed to be carried down.

"That was a work out, for both of us," Kazz joked. "Being a small dog she throws herself into things she thinks she is big enough for, which is cute."

Kazz was 14 when she got Rubi and laughed recalling how her little dog had learnt to pose whenever a phone was in sight.

"As soon as I get my phone out she will sit and cock her head and try and get her face right near it," she said.

The Me and My Pet photo competition is running in conjunction with the National Portrait Gallery's new exhibition, The Popular Pet Show.

By sharing a photo of you and your pet with us, you could win a double pass to see the exhibition. Your winning photo could also score you a paw-some summer staycation at Canberra Crowne Plaza and a meow-vellous merchandise pack

There will also be a people's choice award, where the winning photographer will land a professional shoot for you and your pet with one of the Canberra Times' photographers.

To enter send a maximum of three photos to photocomp@canberratimes.com.au as attached JPEG files and include your name, address, phone number, photo title, a description of the photo and the date it was taken. Your jpeg photos should be attached to your email, be at least 150 kilobytes and should not carry a watermark.

The Popular Pet Show runs at the National Portrait Gallery from November 4 to March 13.

For full terms and conditions, see the photo competition rules and regulations page on the Canberra Times website.