And the Winner is...

Tito is your winner of the 2012 Deaf Dog of the Year award.  Though there were some voting inconsistencies this year and even admissions of voter coercion/persuasion,federal and state election officials couldn't find any concrete evidence of voter fraud and were forced (much to their chagrin) to certify the election results and declare Tito the winner.

This marks the second consecutive year that Tito has won the Deaf Dog of the Year contest.  See last years results in the 2011 Deaf Dog of the Year Poll Results. 

As was the case last year, I'm extremely disappointed in all of you who voted for Tito, especially Alycia's friend Andy (you know what you've done) who seemed to once again be at the nexus of "unusual" voting patterns for Tito.  But like a faithful believer in the Democratic system, I accept the results and endeavor to campaign more fervently on behalf of the good dogs next year.  For now I have two utterly heartbroken pooches (Shakk Ti and Shadowfax) who have lost in consecutive years and are in a state of utter despair.

Now let me again take the opportunity to say how utterly disappointed I am in you all who voted for Tito.  Very disappointed.  In this annual scene of deja vu, I sat down to discuss the poll results with the three pooches, I saw the inevitable looks of sadness from Shadowfax, who wondered if she was cute enough, playful enough, or engaged in an adequate amount of puppy hijinks to satisfy voters.  I wasn't too concerned about her, she's young, and likely has many awards in her future.

I saw in Shaak Ti the all too familiar look of the vanquished and forgotten middle child (I have seen this look many times in the mirror) who appeared crestfallen at her second place finish.  Shaak Ti was inconsolable and cried many deaf dog tears, unable to comprehend why she was again unable to win the Deaf Dog of the Year contest.  You made Shaak Ti cry again, I hope you're happy with yourselves.

Tito celebrated his victory in consummate Tito style, an angry game of Tug of War with Shadowfax and then a thorough oral self-cleaning of his nether regions.  Thankfully the following video is only of the Tug of War portion of the celebration, so watch away.

And in case you're wondering, all the barking from this video is Tito.  He barks more and better with his mouth full than any other dog I've ever met. I'll leave it up to you to decide if that's a contest worthy attribute.