This one’s for all the Milk-Bones. The final round of our Arlington’s Cutest Dog contest is here, and five of the area’s most charming canines are competing for your affection.
Like the group stage, voting for the final round will last a week. Unlike the group stage, you’ll only be able to vote for one contestant, so choose carefully.
Here is what’s at stake in the final round:
- Grand Prize: Apple iPad (courtesy of Siena Park, the new pet-friendly luxury apartment community on Columbia Pike)
- Second Prize: $100 Wylie Wagg gift certificate (courtesy of Wylie Wagg in Clarendon, featuring healthy food and supplies for dogs and cats)
- Third Prize: $50 Wylie Wagg gift certificate
- All top three finishers will receive a soccer ball fetch toy from Wylie Wagg, in honor of the World Cup.
Voting closes at 3:00 p.m. on Monday, July 12.
See the contestant “biographies” and vote for your favorite, after the jump.
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Buster — Buster is “very friendly” and is the “best dressed” Chihuahua in town, says his owners. He also “loves to Hoover around the house and eat anything that is edible and sometimes non edible.”
“He makes our life very interesting and has changed it in many ways,” says Ruchi and Arun, his owners. “He is the best thing that has come our way for a long time.”
Buster is one and a half years old.
Mago — Mago (pronounced MAH-go) was “born on the mean streets of Kentucky and lived her first few months foraging through dumpsters.” She eventually wound up at Wagamuffins rescue in Frederick, Md. She was adopted and brought to live in Rosslyn (zip code 22209) on Feb. 22, 2009 (or 2-22-09).
Mago, who is believed to be a whippet-beagle mix, is allergic to dog food and eats “a prescription vegetarian diet.” But that doesn’t stop her from participating in long walks or from “ninja-ing” into her owners’ bed late at night.
Bentley — Bentley was born on St. Patrick’s Day four years ago (a bit ironic for an English lab) at a farm in Winchester, Va. He moved to his new home in Arlington shortly thereafter.
He’s a big fan of the Clarendon dog park, but he could do without some of the thieving dogs who steal his toys. He eats only the finest organic dog food and is an accomplished swimmer.
Bentley considers himself a lucky dog, his owners say. Probably because everywhere he does people can’t seem to resist petting him.
Lucy — A graduate of the Olde Towne School for Dogs, Lucy is a miniature Dachshund whose interests include “sleeping, napping, lounging, sunbathing, resting, kicking back, relaxing and siesta-ing.”
“In between her daily 20 hours of sleep, Lucy enjoys begging for bacon at the table as well as chasing squirrels in Butler Holmes Park,” we’re told.
Lucy “has been the greatest impulse purchase our family has ever known,” her owners say.
Cooper — The biggest vote-getter in the first round, Cooper resides in a small townhouse in Fairlington with his owner, Joe.
Cooper “escaped from the evil clutches of New Jersey to reside here in luxury,” Joe says. He “is a sucker for bacon and eggs” and “loves to play with bouncy balls.”
An unlikely guard dog, Cooper “is always on alert to keep off pesky robbers and the most stubborn of mail carriers.”
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Thank you again to our fantastic sponsors, Siena Park and Wylie Wagg.
