Top Dog Adrienne and Dexter.JPG
Adrienne Raglow and Dexter are excited that Dexter has been named Top Dog in Medina County. Adrienne is the first-place winner in Medina County Auditor Mike Kovack's annual Top Dog Essay Contest.
(Ann Norman, special to cleveland.com)
MEDINA, Ohio - Medina County's newest celebrity canine could barely contain his excitement yesterday during the Top Dog Essay Contest awards ceremony.
Dexter, a beagle-dachshund mix, wagged his tail and barked happily as the fourth-grade honorees, their families, their teachers and their pets gathered at the Medina County Auditor's Office.
He managed to calm down and contain himself, though, once the five contest winners - including his owner, Adrienne Raglow - settled in to read their essays to Auditor Mike Kovack and the rest of the audience.
When it was his turn in the spotlight, Dexter sat at the feet of his mistress, let his tongue loll, and listened as Adrienne shared why she thinks Dexter is the Top Dog in Medina County.
The Auditor's Office staff must have agreed, as Adrienne's essay was chosen as the first-place winner and Dexter was crowned as the county's Top Dog for 2017.
Medina County Auditor Mike Kovack poses with the finalists in this year's Top Dog Essay Contest. They are, from left, Adrienne Raglow, Mackenzie Hartman, Carlin Swanson, Mya Kosar and Adam Goe.
He owes the honor - and his home - to Adrienne, a fourth-grader at Crestview Elementary School and the daughter of Michelle and Paul Raglow. For months, Adrienne begged for a dog, leaving notes all over the house to lobby her parents.
In the end, she had to wait until her father recovered from cancer before she could get her wish.
"My dog and I have an unbreakable bond. He taught me that if you wait, good things will come," Adrienne wrote in her winning essay.
"Dexter is the most special dog in the whole world. We just love each other," she said.
Dexter and Adrienne went home with the No. 1 dog license tag for 2017, as well as prizes including a 30-pound bag of Bil-Jac dog food and a certificate for a deluxe party at Amazone Entertainment Center.
The second- through fifth-place contest winners and their dogs also received bags of dog food, as well as prizes from Kitten Krazy/Quick Fix, Medina AMF Bowling Center, Medina/Seville Dairy Queen and Medina Skateland.
The runners-up and their dogs are:
* Second place - Adam Goe and Lucy. Adam is the son of Heather and Charles Goe and attends Ralph E. Waite Elementary School in Medina.
Mya Kosar reads her fifth-place essay about police dog Nico to Nico's partner, Brunswick police officer Mark Luciano, seated, and Medina County Auditor Mike Kovack.
* Third place - Mackenzie Hartman and Bailey. Mackenzie is the daughter of Daniel and Jennifer Hartman and attends St. Francis Xavier School in Medina.
* Fourth place - Carlin Swanson and Daisy. Carlin is the daughter of Amy Swanson and attends Franklin Elementary School in Wadsworth.
* Fifth place - Mya Kosar and Nico. Nico is not actually Mya's dog - he is the K9 partner of Brunswick police officer Mark Luciano. Mya is the daughter of Larissa and Jim Kosar and attends H.G. Blake Elementary School in Medina.
This is the 22nd year that Kovack has hosted the Top Dog Essay Contest to kick off the annual dog-licensing season. Three hundred fourth-graders from around the county wrote essays for the contest.
"I want to thank all of the authors who took the time and effort to tell us about their dogs," Kovack said.
"This contest is a wonderful opportunity for our fourth-graders to practice their writing skills," he said.
Dog licenses are on sale now through Jan. 31. Cost is $10 for a one-year tag, $30 for a three-year tag and $100 for a permanent tag. Visit the auditor's website, www.medinacountyauditor.org, to learn more.