YOUR BEST FRIENDS: Readers share pictures of their pets, July 17

The Miale family of Las Vegas shared this photo of their miniature schnauzer, Vango, 9. "When we adopted him, his left ear was stuck to the top of his head so it looked like he was missing that ear... so what else could we name him but Vango? About eight weeks later, his little ear popped up, and he has been a model ever since. He is proudly wearing his winter collection Snuggie in this photo."

"Here is a picture of Bally enjoying the dog days of summer in Las Vegas," wrote Nancy Naylor. "Bally loves the pool and particularly enjoys racing to the end of the pool and back. He knows the step is base and the first one back to the step wins. Sometimes he cheats, and halfway to the wall, he turns around and goes back to the step and waits for you to get there. He has a big grin on his face thinking that he won. He cheats, but we let him win because he is so darn cute"

Jason and Abel Reyes of Las Vegas shared this photo of Pancho, a Chihuahua, getting ready for bed after a long, fun, playful afternoon.

“We rescued Emma 24 hours before she was to be put down,” wrote Karen Crowley of North Las Vegas. “She was about 20 pounds underweight and fearful of nearly everyone. She is half-collie and half-Afghan. We ... are so grateful for having found her and all the love and joy she brings to our home. As you can see, Emma loves her ice cream so much that she is willing to give up breathing for a while. She is no longer underweight. Must be the ice cream.”

“This is Bianca, our female German shepherd from the German shepherd rescue in Pahrump,” wrote Ron Teril of Summerlin. “She is very smart, protective and loving. She is so smart you could say a word once and she knows what you’re talking about. Don’t think you can get a good dog from a rescue? This one is worth a million.”

Ariana Rodriguez of Las Vegas shared this photo of Princess. ”She’s a 7-month-old cockapoo. She’s very energetic and very playful. She was an unforgettable present. She loves modeling for pictures. She is very intelligent, and she loves to cuddle. She is my best friend.”