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 of 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 Hovland-Stuker each summer with the water irrigation dams, holding them down while Hovland-Stuker sets them in the ditches.
Bubbles’ responses to Hovland-Stuker’s commands and her intuitiveness with the animals serve the farm well. During lambing season, Bubbles is on high alert, waking Hovland-Stuker 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 Hovland-Stuker 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 Hovland-Stuker lost her husband three years ago, Bubbles has been a constant by Hovland-Stuker’s side, providing comfort when she senses Hovland-Stuker’s having a tough day. While Hovland-Stuker 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 Hovland-Stuker works in the spring and summer. And at the Montana State Fair, where Hovland-Stuker 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.
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 Huffman 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 Huffman’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 Huffman 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 Huffman’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 Huffman as he was when he was a puppy, providing an unconditional love and loyalty that has led Huffman to call him “the heart of the farm.”
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 Burkhart 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 Burkhart’s story. Described as “pure joy on four paws” by her family, Ruby Hope bonded with Burkhart 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.
Burkhart and Ruby Hope’s life on the farm was transformed in February when a group of farmers from across the U.S. gifted Burkhart 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 Burkhart’s 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 Burkhart to his workouts, providing both motivation and comfort.
As impactful as Ruby Hope’s physical presence and training have been in Burkhart’s life, at times the reason to smile and companionship she provides is even more important.
