This year-old Havanese from Coon Rapids has her own Chewy Vuitton purse, a Wolfgang Pup pizza toy and a Growlex watch. And now the pooch that has more than 200 toys also has the title of America's Most Pampered Pup.
Sasha Goc Radivojevic, named after a Minnesota Wild player, outpolled 11 other furry competitors in a recently completed Internet vote sponsored by the Pampered Pup, a designer dog boutique in West Palm Beach, Fla. But the contest experience was not entirely pawsitive for Sasha.
Some of the competitors' owners dedicated Internet sites and MySpace pages to their dogs and monitored the progress of other dogs religiously, said Derek Hovey, owner of the Pampered Pup. Sasha, who has her own e-mail address, wrote to the Star Tribune after the newspaper published a story on Jan. 5 about her candidacy:
"I was ahead of everyone ... until a massive negative campaign kicked in. I had 2,000 votes against me in a couple of hours, which dropped me from first place all the way down to third. These people didn't vote in favor of any other dogs. They just voted against me. My moms said humans can be cruel."
But Sasha's owners decided not to howl. Instead Tracy Andrews, the Andover chiropractor who cleared all the coats in her closet to make room for Sasha's toys, and Susan Brendemuhl, Andrews' office manager and neighbor, decided not to stuff the ballot box or protest. They simply voted once a day for the 7 pounds of fluff, who has paraded around Andrews' office wearing designer sunglasses. A birthday party for Sasha that drew 18 people was the extent of their campaigning.
Apparently, Sasha, named after Wild right wing Branko Radivojevic, could still sniff victory. To their amazement, Sasha's owners learned earlier this month that she had won. She defeated, among others, a pup that last year netted more than 20,000 Pup of the Month votes after a massive e-mail campaign, Hovey said.
Sasha will receive a $500 gift certificate to the dog boutique, Hovey said. The gift certificate has yet to arrive in Coon Rapids, Brendemuhl said, but Sasha's not panting anxiously in anticipation of her next shopping spree. And while a visit to Florida might seem enticing during those subzero walks in Coon Rapids, Sasha's not yipping about spending her prize money by shopping online.
"We always put on her fleece jacket to cover her belly," Brendemuhl said of their winter walks. "And she does have boots that she wears -- even if we carry her most of the way."
