ZEELAND, Mich. — A West Michigan dog has won a major title through BARK, the makers of BarkBox.
His name is Charlie, and he is a 100-pound golden retriever from Zeeland.
Now, he's also one of America's Next Top Dog Models.
"We found out he won, and it was very much a surprise to us, because it was nationwide," said Charlie's parents Andrew and Emily Bult.
The couple submitted a photo of him back in October as part of a contest.
"It was a really funny picture, and it just kind of really exemplifies just how goofy Charlie is," said Bult.
The two said he is a goofy pup. His place of choice to sleep? Their bathtub.
"He’s just weird and goofy like that and loves food. I think I put in our application that he once rotisserie chicken off of our countertop when we weren't paying attention," said Bult.
"Charlie the local dog, we just fell in love with his photos, and his story and his obsession with food. So we were thinking, ‘You know what? This dog seems like he would be a good one’," said BARK Director of Communications and Content Stacie Grissom.
The contest stems from BARK's launch of their new breed-specific food featuring premium kibble, supplements, broths, toppers and treats.
"We thought what better way to launch a new product than to use real dogs, some of our customers and find some of those quirky and derpy pups across the country, said Grissom.
The most shocking part to them was that Charlie won out of thousands of applicants across the country.
"I just could not stop laughing when we found out we won just because of the picture that actually won. It's not even like a good picture of him. It's just a goofy picture of him," said Bult.
Charlie was one of ten other dogs who was chosen through BARK's contest. His photo will be featured in the company's marketing materials.
He also won $500, a professional photoshoot as well as toys and treats from BARK.
