The votes are in, the bracket is decided, and we have our champion. After weeks of voting, four finalists emerged. Two cats. Two dogs. All personality.

Champion

One of the foster home’s dogs tried to sniff her. She smacked him in the face.

“I knew right then I had a sassy queen,” her adopter Karina said.

Chispita goes on leash outings to pet stores, climbs trees in Karina’s parents’ backyard, and every morning starts the same way: she hears the alarm, walks up, gives head bumps, and starts making biscuits.

She chose Karina early. After visiting daily for over a week, Karina had to leave town for two weeks. When she came back, Chispita walked over, paused, sniffed her, and licked her.

“That’s when I realized she remembered me,” Karina said. “That she was already imprinting on me, even as such a tiny baby.”

> Read more about the crowned champion in our latest Happy Tales post.

 

Runners-Up

When Honeydew first came home, his family was advised to keep him in a small, quiet room to adjust. He vetoed that plan immediately by opening the door on his own and making it clear he wanted full access to the house, including the bed.

Two years later, not much has changed. He sprints through the house, jumps high enough to snag aerial toys mid-flight, and has turned multiple self-proclaimed “not cat people” into cat people. He’s figured out how to open doors and cabinets in multiple homes, which his family says really shows how smart — and a little nosy — he is.

The only shift? Cuddles now happen on his terms. His family calls it his “teenage boy” phase.

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Ace’s family adopted him nine months ago, and he immediately bonded with his brother Diesel. The two are inseparable: zoomies at home, walks at the park, naps that go on forever.

His DNA test came back as a mix of just about everything, but his family still sees a full German Shepherd. He turns one in April, and his family can’t wait to celebrate.

Ace says hello to everyone at HSSV who helped him find his people.

 

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Willa is up for whatever the day brings: sunshine, walks, playtime with kids, or just being in the middle of whatever excitement is happening. She also barks at the wind – and at the leaf that falls off the tree five miles away.