The three dogs who made it to the finals of the Chicago Fire Top Dog Contest were each worthy of being named this year’s Top Dog. However, only one furry finalist could emerge as the winner. Dempsey, Smokey, and Wilshire were chosen to compete for the title, earning a spot in the finals over 100 other firehouse dogs, but when the votes were counted, it was Smokey who wound up in the top spot and is this year’s Top Dog.
Smokey is a Labrador/Retriever mix who works with the fire crew of Station 2 in Jacksonville, Illinois. As the winner of the Chicago Fire Top Dog Contest, Smokey will get a cameo role on an episode of NBC’s popular Chicago Fire series later this season.
Smokey took home the title by collecting 51% of the vote. Coming in second was Dempsey, a 2 1/2-year-old Boxer/Mastiff mix from Indianapolis. LA dog Wilshire – a Dalmatian – came in third.
Smokey’s Biography:
As a 6-month-old puppy, Smokey was inside a home that was engulfed in flames. Eventually, her lifeless body was brought out and, with the aid of firefighters and a veterinarian, was kept on oxygen for three days, hand fed, and nurtured. Now she is a training tool for school children and the community as the firefighters have taught her safety techniques such as “stop, drop, and roll,” among other civic duties the 4-year-old pooch performs.
