dogs

Bentley Heads to Finals from Group C

By ARLnow.com

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 Advances from Group B

By ARLnow.com

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.

Buster the Chihuahua Tops in Group A

By ARLnow.com

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.

One Hour Left to Vote for Arlington’s Cutest Dog Group A

By ARLnow.com

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.

VOTE: Arlington’s Cutest Dog Contest (Group D)

By ARLnow.com

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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VOTE: Arlington’s Cutest Dog Contest (Group C)

By ARLnow.com

It is darned hot outside today. It’s so hot, that June is starting to feel like, dare we say, the dog days of summer.

Speaking of which, today we’re voting on Group C in our Arlington’s Cutest Dog Contest. So avoid unnecessary perspiration: stay inside and vote for up to three of the cool pups below.

Voting for Group C will end on Thursday, July 1 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!

(more…)

VOTE: Arlington’s Cutest Dog (Group B)

By ARLnow.com

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!
(more…)

VOTE: Arlington’s Cutest Dog (Group A)

By ARLnow.com

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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Voting Starts Tomorrow for Our Expanded Arlington’s Cutest Dog Contest

By ARLnow.com

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.

Call For Entries: Arlington’s Cutest Dog Contest

By ARLnow.com

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.

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