ACDR would like to thank everyone who participated yesterday in our National Puppy Day contest, either by sharing their beautiful puppy pictures, or by voting to help us select a winner. We were overwhelmed by all of your participation. And we are now so happy to announce the winner is….Mallory Wilcox with her darlings Quill, Hector, Ellie and Ivy!

We asked Mallory if we could share her puppies’ story…and what a touching story it is. Both heartbreaking and heartwarming. It will be sure to pull on your heartstrings, the way it did our’s. Congratulations Mallory & puppies!

Quill was their very first doxie, and he is now 4 years old. He was the runt of his litter, and they fell in love with him from the moment they saw him. They ended up getting Ellie 6 months after him, then Hector 6 months after her. Unfortunately Ellie and Hector were both diagnosed with DCM (dilated cardiomyopathy) and didn’t have long life expectancies, so the 3 of them lived together as the cutest (and most spoiled) little trio for 2 years until Hector crossed the rainbow bridge in April 2022. Seeing Ellie and Quill grieving and grieving themselves, they decided not long after they needed another wiener in their house… so along came Ivy, who is now just 11 months old. She very quickly won everyone’s hearts with her saucy attitude and cuddly nature and was part of the pack in no time! Sadly, they lost Ellie to DCM only last month. Their hearts break for Quill, who has had so many losses in his little life. But thankfully, both he and Ivy are very much inseparable. Her playful youth and his high energy definitely make them a perfect duo. 💕🐾💕