contest

It’s Friday. That means everybody is leaving work early to get ready for a weekend of beach/barbecue/cheering on Team USA/etc.

So in fairness to Group D of our Arlington’s Cutest Dog contest, we’re getting voting started early.

Before you run out of the office, vote for up to three of the dogs below (after the jump). It’s the perfect way to start the weekend, really.

Voting for Group D will end on Friday, July 2 at 2:00 p.m.

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Here’s a reminder of 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.

Good luck to all the contestants!

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After Team USA’s heart-stopping stoppage-time win, you may not think you have any energy left to become emotionally-invested in another thrilling competition. But with faces like these, how can you resist?

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Vote for the pooch you think should advance to the final round of our Arlington’s Cutest Dog contest (you can vote for up to three), after the jump.

Voting for Group B will end on Wednesday, June 30 at 2:00 p.m.

Here’s a reminder of 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

Good luck to all the contestants!
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Get your vuvuzelas out, it’s finally here. The first round of our Arlington’s Cutest Dog contest has begun.

Below you’ll find our first 12 contestants (out of 48). Take a look at the photos below, then make the jump to cast your votes (you can vote for up to three). The top vote-getter will advance to the final round, and the second place finisher will have a chance for an at-large bid.

Voting will end on Tuesday, June 29 at 2:00 p.m.

Here’s a reminder of 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

Without further adieu, here’s Group A:

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Vote for your favorites, after the jump.

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Last week we asked you to submit entries for our inaugural Arlington’s Cutest Dog contest. Thanks to a tremendous response, we’re happy to announce that we’ve picked up another great sponsor. And both of our sponsors have pitched in additional prizes for the winners.

Siena Park, a new pet-friendly luxury apartment community on Columbia Pike (see photos of the apartments, the pool and the lobby here), has upped the ante by supplying an Apple iPad as our new grand prize.

Wylie Wagg, Clarendon’s new hometown pet store, will now supply a $100 gift certificate as our second prize, a $50 gift certificate for third prize, and soccer ball fetch toys for all three top finishers, in honor of the World Cup. Plus, Wagg will be holding a patio party for all contestants at the end of the contest (well-wishers will also be welcome to attend).

The deadline for submissions has passed and a field of 48 is now set. Taking some inspiration from the World Cup, we’ll divide the field into four groups of 12. Voting for Group A will begin on Tuesday, Group B on Wednesday and so on. Voting for each group will last a week. We’ll advance a final group of five — the four top vote-getters from each group, and the second place finisher with the most votes. After a week of final round voting, we’ll announce the winners on July 12, a day after the championship game of the World Cup.

Arlington, I hope you’re ready for three weeks of canine cuteness and cutthroat competition.

As if Arlington didn’t have enough good looking people, the county is also blessed with an inordinate number of cute dogs. In some places it’s hard to walk down the street without encountering some adorable mutt.

But whereas people have beauty pageants, what do local dogs have? Bupkis.

That’s why we’re teaming up with Wylie Wagg (2509 N. Franklin Rd.), Clarendon’s new hometown pet store, to bring you the Arlington’s Cutest Dog Contest. And in honor of the World Cup, we figured we’d do it tournament-style.

In a nutshell, here’s how it will work:

• Email [email protected] with a clear photo of your pooch, along with his or her name, sex, breed, age and a one paragraph “biography.”
• Next week the public will begin voting on the contestants by groups. A “Final Four” will be chosen from those votes.
• The public will then vote on a Grand Prize winner.

The Grand Prize winner will receive a $100 Wylie Wagg gift certificate, good for anything from their selection of healthy food and supplies for dogs and cats (see below), and a very World Cup-appropriate mini soccer ball chew toy.

Note that if we get a large number of entries, we may have to narrow down the field by random drawing.

Photo above by christaki.