Welcome to the Wednesday Dogs of Dogster! Every Wednesday, we share a story from one of our Dogsters. This week is about Kate & Gizmo, her scruffy Pug mix.

There are a lot of adorable dogs out there, and I’m sure most dog owners think theirs is the cutest. I actually have proof, though! People Magazine runs a “World’s Cutest Rescue Dog” contest every year, and I knew I had to enter Gizmo for it. I mean, just look at that face!

Entering the Contest

The only hard thing about entering the contest was choosing which photo to use. How can you capture the many adorable expressions of a dog in just one image? I ended up submitting this one because it showcases his happy little grin:

We also had to submit a little bio (picture a dating app: Gizmo enjoys long walks on the beach, holding paws, and as many treats as you can handle!).

Let the Voting Begin

The main part of the contest allowed the general public to vote for different dogs based on their photos and bios. There were a ton of entries, but you could share a specific dog’s profile, and you could vote once a day.

My best friend threw together a little website and we both sent it to absolutely everyone we know. Since I work at a pet company, I got some voting assistance from my dog-loving coworkers (thanks, guys!).

Round Two: Making the Top Ten

After a few weeks of anxiously waiting while everyone voted, we heard from People: Gizmo was in the top 10 and would be featured in the print magazine itself. The day the issue came out, I ran all over town looking for copies. I did end up finding three at a Barnes & Noble. When I brought them to the front, the cashier nodded knowingly at me – apparently, my town is full of magazine stars, and buying multiple copies is a dead giveaway!

Gizmo’s TV Appearances

That’s right: Gizmo’s 15 minutes of fame even included TV appearances. After he hit the top 10, we were contacted by local news and set up a couple of appearances. I was really nervous about the first one, which was airing live – how would he behave? We’d only had him for a few months and his biggest behavior issue was barking. This would be a totally new environment for him (and honestly, for me, too).

On the day of the TV show, we drove down to the studio in Denver. In the sleek lobby, we waited for a producer to descend from on high, then followed her up the elevator and down a warren of hallways. She opened a soundstage door and left us at the edge of a big studio room filled with different news desks. The show was going on live in front of us, and when the weatherman finished his piece, he gave Gizmo a wink.

In new and overwhelming settings, sometimes Gizmo just goes into “big eyes mode” where he just silently watches everything around him. Luckily, that’s what he did here: in my friend Chelsea’s arms, he just waited patiently (and silently, thank god) through several news segments and phone-checking commercial breaks. Then it was his turn, and he was perfectly calm like he does this all the time. You can watch him being a star here!

My parents watched the segment on their TV at home, and they later told me that their dogs (Gizmo’s best friend Aussies) seemed to recognize him.

There was a second TV appearance, but even though it wasn’t live, it didn’t go nearly as smoothly. This reporter and his cameraman met us on the street in front of the studio building in Denver. It’s a super busy street, and unlike the other appearance, my friend was asked not to hold him. The result was a whole lot of barking and not much adorable dog campaigning. But oh well! You can watch that appearance here (but I don’t recommend it if you have a dog who’s prone to barking, too…).

Life as a Stage (Dog) Mom

It really isn’t all it’s cracked up to be! Although there were definitely fun parts (taking him into the studio, buying magazines plastered with his face, and the world agreeing that my pup actually is one of the cutest in the world), it was also just a little stressful. Toward the end of the competition, we were asked to film short videos that would be used if he advanced to the final round. Chelsea and I took Gizmo to a local lake at golden hour to try to capture his cuteness in video form, but he absolutely refused to cooperate and the resulting videos were not quite what I had imagined.

On the plus side, Gizmo was actually recognized in public after his TV appearance. He was going to doggy daycare a couple of days a week at the time (yes, I work from home, but he was really that crazy), and there was an attached pet store with a giant window into one of the daycare rooms. When I picked him up one day, the daycare owner told me that someone had recognized him through that window!

The Results: Did He Win?

We waited anxiously for the results: was he going to make the top three? Sadly, he did not, and the prize was ultimately won by an adorable dog named Gordon. Gordon was adopted from Korea after being hit by a car and uses a doggy wheelchair. Although Gizmo didn’t win, I’m glad the prize went to such a deserving pup. And Gizmo is now a happily retired civilian dog, content with the oohs and aahs from people we pass on walks (people have literally fallen over while looking at him!) and my coworkers across the Zoom screen.