Forget Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, Valentine's Day, March Madness, Easter, Halloween, 4th of July, or all three months of summer...this is our favorite time of the year: 7x7's annual Dog Poll. It's the city-wide search for the cutest, most awwww-worthy pup, and it starts here and now.

Here's what we want from you: The most adorable photo of your dog imaginable (we want to be squealing aloud at our desks), along with his or her name, sent to pets@7x7.com with the subject line "2013 Dog Poll," OR Tweeted/Instagrammed with the hashtag #7x7CutestDog and the name of the dog. We'll take submissions through noon on March 9th.

We'll put the Top 49 on 7x7.com on March 11 (chosen by our editors), but from there, it's up to you guys to rally your troops and get the votes in to crown the winner of this year's sure-to-be-epic 2013 Dog Poll.

Here's the full schedule, so mark your calendars:

March 11 – Top 49 Finalists up for voting.

March 20 – Top 21 Finalists announced, second voting round begins.

April 1 – Top 7 Finalists announced, third and final voting round begins.

April 8 – Winner announced.

What does the Top Dog get in return?

Honorary inclusion in our annual HOT 20 issue, the chance to serve as a judge at our annual Whole Enchihuahua Catwalk Costume Contest in May 2013, and a Pet Portrait Session on-location or in-studio courtesy of Nuena Photography, valued at $350!

Let's get that eye candy rolling in, people!

The 2013 Dog Poll is proudly sponsored by the San Francisco SPCA.

Don’t have a dog of your own? We can fix that! See all of our adoptable pups and kitties online at sfspca.org.

Help us help them. The San Francisco SPCA is San Francisco’s oldest animal welfare organization. For 145 years, we’ve been saving and advocating for San Francisco’s animals, but we can’t do it without you. The San Francisco SPCA is a non-profit that depends wholly on the generosity of individuals and corporations to support our programs that find new homes for over 5,000 animals a year and save the lives of more than four animals everyday through our charity care. Be part of the team to end animal abandonment in San Francisco by 2020 – support San Francisco SPCA Vision 2020.