cute

Cooper the cocker spaniel/poodle mix is officially Arlington’s Cutest Dog. Cooper captured a whopping 1,238 votes in the final round of our inaugural contest.

Cooper and his owner, Joe, will receive a brand new Apple iPad courtesy of Siena Park, the new pet-friendly luxury apartment community on Columbia Pike.

If you’re still not convinced that Cooper is, in fact, Arlington cutest dog, we present the following photographic evidence:

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Meanwhile, Lucy the Dachshund made a spirited run at first place but came up just short. For placing second, Lucy and her owner, David, will receive a $100 gift certificate to Wylie Wagg in Clarendon (2509 N. Franklin Road). We think Lucy may appreciate the store’s great selection of healthy food and supplies for dogs (and cats) more than some fancy techno gizmo.

Bentley the English lab placed third and will receive a $50 Wylie Wagg gift certificate.

The three top finishers will also receive a soccer ball fetch toy in honor of the World Cup, which we tried to tie-in with the contest but then sort of gave up on (whoops).

Prizes will be presented at a reception at Wylie Wagg. We’ll announce the details later this week.

Congratulations to the prize winners and a big thank you to all contest participants. Your enthusiasm helped make this contest such a smashing success. We hope to see you all at the reception.

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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We know you’ve probably already started the weekend, but before you fire up the grill or get on that plane, you might want to know the results of Group D in our Arlington’s Cutest Dog contest.

With 3,724 votes cast and 148 comments registered, this was definitely the most competitive and active group of the contest. But in the end, Cooper (a.k.a. Coopini) the Cocker Spaniel / poodle mix came out on top. Cooper captured 800 votes, the largest single vote total so far.

Cooper “escaped from the evil clutches of New Jersey to reside here in luxury,” his owner says. “He is the guard dog and is always on alert to keep off pesky robbers and the most stubborn of mail carriers.”

Cooper is “is a sucker for bacon and eggs, as breakfast is his favorite meal of the day.” Plus he “loves to play with bouncy balls.”

But Cooper isn’t the only contestant from Group D advancing to the final round, which will start on Monday.

Lucy the miniature Dachshund captured the “at-large” spot in the final round with 671 votes, the most of any second-place finisher.

A graduate of the Olde Towne School for Dogs, Lucy is an educated but otherwise lackadaisical lady. Her interests include “sleeping, napping, lounging, sunbathing, resting, kicking back, relaxing and siestaing.”

“In between her daily 20 hours of sleep, Lucy enjoys begging for bacon at the table (this bacon thing seems to be a trend -Ed.) as well as chasing squirrels in Butler Holmes Park.”

Lucy “has been the greatest impulse purchase our family has ever known,” her owners say.

A tip of the hat to Tito the Chihuahua, whose enthusiastic supporters propelled him to 601 votes, the next-highest vote total in Group D.

Thank you again to all our great contestants and congratulations to the very worthy finalists. To those who did not make it to the final round: we look forward to seeing you at Wylie Wagg for a reception after the contest (you will receive details via email).

McGruff isn’t the only dog making news today for his looks. Bentley the English lab has bested the competition in Group C and will advance to the final round of our Arlington’s Cutest Dog contest.

Bentley amassed a whopping 560 votes out of the 2,967 that were cast. The closest competitor was Cooper, the teddy bear-like toy poodle who has “a strange obsession with popcorn.” Cooper received 456 votes.

Hats off to Cooper and the other 10 strong competitors in this group. And a special shout-out to Waffles the Dachshund, who gets the honorary (and arbitrary) award for cutest name and most patriotic photo.

Some background on Bentley: he was born on St. Patrick’s Day four years ago (a bit ironic for an English lab) at a farm in Winchester, Va, but moved to Arlington shortly thereafter. He’s a big fan of the Clarendon dog park, he eats only the finest organic dog food, and he is an accomplished swimmer. Bentley considers himself a lucky dog, his owners say.

See results from Group C here. And be sure to cast your vote(s) for our final group of 12, Group D, by 2:00 tomorrow afternoon.

Voting in the final round of the contest will start Monday.

Mago, a female whippet-beagle mix, has captured the most votes in Group B of our Arlington’s Cutest Dog contest. She will advance to the final round of the contest, which starts Monday.

Mago garnered 280 out of 1,520 votes cast. A special tip of the hat to her closest competitor, Fred the Dachshund, who waged an especially spirited campaign.

A bit about Mago: she 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 last February and now resides in Rosslyn.

Mago is allergic to dog food and eats “a prescription vegetarian diet.” But that doesn’t stop her from participating in long walks or from sneaking into her owners’ bed late at night.

Congratulations to Mago and thank you to all the fantastic Group B contestants. We’ll be sending you details about a reception at Wylie Wagg for all contest participants.

In the meantime, don’t forget to vote for Group C and Group D.

With 431 votes out of 2,222 cast, Buster the Chihuahua has claimed the top spot in Group A of our Arlington’s Cutest Dog contest.

Buster’s owner says he is “very friendly” and is the “best dressed” Chihuahua in town. Also, “he loves to Hoover around the house and eat anything that is edible and sometimes non edible.”

Congratulations, Buster!

The final round of the contest will begin on Monday. Meanwhile, voting for groups B, C and D will be ending at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday respectively.

Thank you to all our great Group A contestants. Check back for details about a reception Wylie Wagg will be hosting to honor all contest participants.

For 12 adorable contestants, it all comes down to this. Only one can be guaranteed a spot in the final round and a crack at an Apple iPod and other great prizes.

With an hour left to go in the voting for Group A of our Arlington’s Cutest Dog Contest, Buster the Chihuahua has a sizable but not insurmountable lead over Sadie and Dora.

If you haven’t already, vote here.