Meet the People’s Choice Pup Contenders

The People’s Choice Pup is a popular social media element of the Farm Dog of the Year competition. Check out the profiles of our three nominees and vote here. The People’s Choice Pup wins barking, er, bragging rights along with a $2,500 cash prize and a year’s supply of dog food from contest supporter Nestlé Purina PetCare. Cast your vote for your top pup by Nov 28.

Bubbles
5-year-old Border Collie
Montana

Like many farmers, Bubbles, a 5-year-old Border Collie, does a little bit everything year-round on her Montana farm. Her main job, herding, involves bringing the sheep in from the pasture each evening and getting her farmer Elena Hovland-Stuker’s poultry flocks into their shelters at night. Bubbles’ work with the sheep also includes herding them for veterinary work and moving them between pastures and pens. And she pitches in to help the guardian dogs keep the livestock safe from rattlesnakes, grizzly bears and coyotes.

In addition, she helps Elena each summer with the water irrigation dams, holding them down while Elena sets them in the ditches.

Bubbles’ responses to Elena’s commands and her intuitiveness with the animals serve the farm well. During lambing season, Bubbles is on high alert, waking Elena if she oversleeps between late-night checks on ewes about to give birth or senses something is wrong.

A nurturer, Bubbles greets each lamb born on the farm to bond with them and helps the ewes clean the lambs. She also helps Elena raise orphaned kittens, cleaning them after they’ve been fed, playing with them and cuddling them while they sleep.

Bubbles isn’t only intuitive with the animals. Since Elena lost her husband three years ago, Bubbles has been a constant by Elena’s side, providing comfort when she senses Elena’s having a tough day. While Elena can’t imagine running the farm without Bubbles’ help, she also very much values Bubbles’ companionship.

Bubbles’ work doesn’t end at the farm gate. She is the official greeter at the greenhouse where Elena works in the spring and summer. And at the Montana State Fair, where Elena is the superintendent of farm crops and gardening, Bubbles is the Agricultural Education Center’s real-life example of the versatility of livestock working dogs.

You can vote here for Bubbles.

Goose
Red Heeler
Kentucky

Goose, a 12-year-old Red Heeler, took quickly to farm work as puppy, following every row as his farmer, Lindie Huffman, set tobacco and helped bring cattle in from the field. He shadowed Lindie in the greenhouse, claimed the passenger seat during hay harvest and greeted every visitor like family.

In 2021, Goose’s family made the difficult decision to remove both his eyes after he went blind from glaucoma. His family hoped for the best of course, but they were amazed at how his resilience carried him through his recovery. Though he can’t round up the cattle or fetch Lindie’s tools anymore, Goose is still a critical part of farm life, using instinct and memory to guide him. Goose enjoys slow strolls to the red barn and is the farm’s most dependable greeter and morale booster. On those tough days on the farm, which sometimes stretch into tough seasons, Goose is a reminder of the power of resilience, adaptability and gratitude. Watching him overcome blindness with grace and grit gives Lindie strength to overcome her own challenges.

Off the farm, Goose makes just as strong an impression. At the farmers market he is beloved for his calmness and friendly demeanor and he’s a crowd favorite at events like Barket at Market. He’s been Lindie’s constant companion since she began her career as a county Extension agent.

Goose thrives on routine and is as eager to share every moment with Lindie as he was when he was a puppy, providing an unconditional love and loyalty that has led Lindie to call him “the heart of the farm.”

You can vote here for Goose.

Ruby Hope
3-year-old red fox Lab
Indiana

At the top of the long list of Ruby Hope’s attributes are steadfast and uplifting. As a certified service dog, red fox Lab Ruby Hope is Travis Burkhart’s constant companion. After Travis was seriously injured in a car accident in 2008, his black Lab, Molly Grace, was a source of happiness through his long recovery, making Molly Grace’s death in 2022 devastating to him and his family.

Ruby Hope was a gift – in more ways than one – from a Minnesota farmer who heard about Travis’ story. Described as “pure joy on four paws” by her family, Ruby Hope bonded with Travis instantly. Not only is Ruby a registered service dog, she knows a fair share of impressive dog tricks; but as smart as she is, it’s her heart that wins everyone over.

Travis and Ruby Hope’s life on the farm was transformed in February when a group of farmers from across the U.S. gifted Travis a track wheelchair, allowing the two to venture across the farm freely. Now, Travis can reconnect with the memories of work he loved – driving a tractor during harvest, stacking straw and pulling weeds from the soybeans – and introduce Ruby Hope to the sights, sounds and smells of farm life.

Ruby Hope takes her job as Travis’ service dog very seriously, staying faithfully by his side, guiding him on the farm and helping with the daily tasks they share. Twice weekly, she accompanies Travis to his workouts, providing both motivation and comfort.

As impactful as Ruby Hope’s physical presence and training have been in Travis’ life, at times the reason to smile and companionship she provides is even more important.

You can vote here for Ruby Hope.