A TEENAGER has won a competition for a picture of her four-legged friend.

Rachel Kemp, 15, took the Pets Personality category in the regional RSPCA Young Photographer awards.

The picture, entitled Finally Happy, was taken in a relative’s garden and shows one of Rachel’s dogs, Archie, who has been through a number of homes.

Rachel, of Carlisle Close, Colchester, said: “I’m really happy. I hadn’t entered a photographic competition before.

“Photography is what I want to do as a career, so this is a good start.

“It was a bit of a lucky shot. We were mucking around and he licked his nose, just as I took the picture.

“We’ve got some lovely pictures of him and our other dog, Luna.

“They are both very photogenic, but don’t sit still for long.”

Rachel, a pupil at Thomas Lord Audley School, in Colchester, won an Olympus camera worth £500.

RSPCA vice-president and TV presenter Chris Packham, who led the judging panel, said: “There were so many photographs which showed real skill and imagination.

“It is such a pleasure to be a part of this very special event and look through the eyes of young people to see their view and joy in the animal world around us.”