Capitol Hill's annual Pet Week serves as an opportunity for advocates, lobbyists and researchers to meet with lawmakers about animal issues.

The most highly anticipated event of the week, "Pet Night," took place on Wednesday night, which features a contest honoring the "Cutest Pets on Capitol Hill."

This year's top honors was a clean sweep by the offices of Republican lawmakers: Sandwich, a dog owned by Megan Guiltinan from Kentucky Rep. Andy Barr's office, Henry, a cat owned by Emily Hall from the office of Texas Rep. Nathaniel Moran, and Razz, a donut-loving horse owned by Kirby Tidmore in Oklahoma Rep. Kevin Hern's office, took the top prize for exotic animals.

The adoptable animals in attendance, some of them under the care of Lucky Dog Animal Rescue, stole the show. They also stole the hearts of the lawmakers and leaders from the pet care community who attended. 

“The people who love and care for pets, which is most of us, have an interest in legislation that helps us take care of pets," said Steven Feldman, President of the Human Animal and Bond Research Institute, which sponsors Pet Week. 

The focus of Pet Week isn’t about any any specific issue or piece of legislation, it’s about bringing together members of Congress and animal advocates to share research and policy ideas.

“We're just gonna be talking about what is going on right now for pets, families and shelters. It's kind of a tough time out there. Shelters are full and they're struggling,” Aimee Gilbreath, the president of PetSmart Charities, told Spectrum News.

Dogs like "Lola", who is up for adoption through the Human Rescue Alliance, is just one of the animals that could benefit from the work that took place during Pet Week. The one-year-old terrier mix was surrendered by her family when they moved away.

"We know that housing is a big struggle, so let's make sure that housing doesn't have unfair pet restrictions," Gilbreath said. 

As Pet Week on Capitol Hill 2023 comes to a close, PetSmart Charities is working on another big project: the first-ever "Pet Hunger Awareness Day" on Sept. 26.

The designation is an effort to educate the public and fundraise around the issue to ensure owners and their pets have the resources they need to stay together.