Amy Boucher never thought her new puppy would become a champion.
The Eudora Times Pet March Madness tournament concluded Thursday with about 1,400 votes across the four days.
Boucher’s dog Hank, an 11-week-old lemon beagle, was crowned the winner in the second annual competition.
Boucher and her co-workers at the Eudora Animal Hospital looked forward to the results of each round of the Pet March Madness competition this week.
“We really enjoyed watching it here. It was fun,” Boucher said.
Hank was part of a litter that a vet client brought in about a month ago, she said. The owner had only a couple of puppies left, and Boucher had been considering adopting another puppy to be a sibling to her 10-month-old lab, Maizy.
Before she knew it, she texted her husband and came home with a new puppy. She’s been working at the vet for about eight years, but never had she come home from work with a dog before, she said.
“It’s a dangerous place to work sometimes,” she said.
The competition is especially special to her because she can identify pretty much every dog competing, she said. She and her co-workers at the vet’s office keep tabs on the competition, and enjoy remembering the pets and owners of participants.
Boucher entered the competition with no expectations of winning, but she and co-workers joked it might happen, she said.
Hank is energetic, ornery and loves to follow his furry sister everywhere she goes.
He loves to sleep on the back of the couch or spend all day on the sunny deck and chew on anything he can get his paws on, she said.
Hank is a lazy boy who has no problem sleeping all day, Boucher said.
“He’s really, really sweet. He’s a good dog. He loves to cuddle. If you sit down on the couch, he’ll just hop up next to you and just dig in,” she said.
Nike, owned by Jill Stutler, and Bear, owned by Heidi and Greg McNary were this year’s runners-up.
Six-year-old Yorkie, Nike, is never far from one of her toys. When Stutler gets home, Nike’s special trick is welcoming her with a toy or two.
She is the true definition of a lady with a routine. Stutler said when the clock strikes 5:30, she knows it’s time for her next treat, and she will wait in the kitchen until she gets it.
If Stutler is home, Nike is cuddled up by her neck.
Not only did Stutler describe her as her permanent shadow, she’s also inseparable with her Yorkie sister, Remi. From the day Stutler brought Nike home, she and her sister have been the closest friends.
“They’re pretty tight. They look out for each other,” Stutler said.
Stutler saw a posting about Nike online and traveled to Oklahoma to get her. Remi needed a sister, and Nike was the perfect fit, she said.
From day one, she’s been an affectionate pup, Stutler said.
Stutler had no idea Nike would make it to the championship round and felt accomplished just with that honor, she said.
Another runner-up, Bear, a 2-year-old German Shepherd, was born the day after Valentine’s Day, and he lives up to the title with his lovable demeanor, Heidi McNary said.
McNary had joked about getting a sibling for their other German Shepherd, Idgie, but hadn’t seriously considered it.
Until one day, they were on the Kaw Valley Farm Tour and pulled up to a farm with German Shepherds puppies. After being begged by her 12-year-old to get the dog, McNary stood there for an hour debating it. She called her husband to propose the idea, but instead of saying no, he said how much, she said.
They got him on a whim, but it’s proven to be worth it.
“It’s been a really good decision. He’s a good dog,” she said.
He is smart, but he’s even more goofy, she said. He’s protective of the kids and lovable, too.
When the family is getting especially loud during a Chiefs game, he lays on top of everyone because he thinks they’re upset, she said.
McNary has considered taking him through dog therapy training so he can go to hospitals and nursing homes because he’s a caring dog.
His favorite thing to do is play with Idgie because any toy that’s hers is also his, she said. He’s a simple dog: a walk followed by laying on the couch is his ideal day.
Reach reporter Sara Maloney at [email protected]
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