I spent a bit of time on the Suffolk Humane Society website on Saturday, dreaming of what it would be like to have a floppy, friendly dog in the house again. We’re all very happy in the Spears household, but our home lost the special kind of joy and love that only a pet can bring when we had to put our elderly and ailing dog, Inky, to sleep several years ago.

The anniversary of that hard day was Friday, and I suppose that must have been in the back of my mind as I clicked on the photos of dogs waiting for adoption at the Suffolk Animal Care Center. I’d love to have one, but I’ve been consistently overruled on the matter by my wife, who recognizes that my journalist’s hours would leave her almost completely responsible for feeding, walking and cleaning up after a new dog.

I understand her position, but once in a while I still decide to poke around the Suffolk Humane website and see what dogs are up for adoption. They all look so sweet in their photos, but there’s something missing in nearly every picture: It’s the look of love and contentment that a pet has when it knows it’s loved and that its human is the best person in the world.

If you have a pet, you probably know the look (though I can say from experience that cats usually choose not to show it). It’s in the eyes, in the way a dog holds its mouth, in the springiness of its tail. And it’s the kind of thing a dog only gets from being part of a family.

Perhaps you’ve seen that look on your own dog (or your cat, if it thought you weren’t paying attention at the time). Maybe you’ve caught the look on camera. If so, we’ve got the perfect opportunity for you. The Cove/Suffolk News-Herald Priceless Pets Photo Pageant is a chance for you to show the world just how photogenic Fido (or Fluffy) really is.

For just $10, you can enter your pet, and $2 of that fee will go to Suffolk Humane, which is gearing up for its annual Mutt Strut fundraising event May 4, from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m., at the Arrowhead YMCA Conference and Outdoor Center on Kenyon Road. Visitors to the contest website also can register for Mutt Strut there. The contest entry period closes Thursday, so don’t wait.

Visit www.tinyurl.com/PricelessPets for a chance to enter the contest, and be sure to get your friends to click through and vote often. Voting opens at the end of the entry period on Thursday and closes April 24.

Winners will be announced at Mutt Strut, where they will be presented with trophies and prize bags full of terrific treats and other goodies from Mutt Strut sponsors.

Show me your priceless pets. Let’s see if we can get my wife to change her mind.