Readers, we got 546 votes in our Georgia Top Dog contest and our runaway winner is boxer Maya Sweetheart with a whopping 121 votes!
When you’re competing in a field of 10 finalists, that’s a big chunk of the voting.
Five-year-old Maya lives with Heather and Brodie Gruver, their two children, and another boxer in Dacula.
“She’s protective over the kids and over the house, very loving and very smart,” said Heather Gruver, who entered Maya’s photo into our contest.
“She’s part of the family. Like any dog owner would say, she’s definitely become another family member, not just a pet.”
May was born on Feb. 14, 2007, making her a Valentine’s Day puppy.
The Gruver’s took Maya home when she was about six weeks old. One day, when Maya was about 10 months old, Heather Gruver found a lump in the area you’d refer to as the armpit, if it were on a human. The lump turned out to be cancerous, but vets were able to remove it. In December, the family found three more cancerous tumors that had to be removed.
But, like most dogs, Maya hasn’t been fazed by such things.
And what’s Maya’s favorite doggy thing to do?
“She’ll do anything for food,” Heather Gruver said. “She’ll do tricks, she’ll sit or roll over.”
Maya and her family will receive a $100 gift card and some nice Patch swag. That should buy a few good doggie treats!
Read about the other Top Dog nominees, and view our gallery of more than 700 photos of awesome dogs submitted by Patch readers.