Tacoma rescue dog competes for world’s cutest dog title. How to vote for Sugar
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Sugar the rescue dog is a finalist in People’s 2025 cutest rescue dog contest.
- A $1,000 prize will go to the Tacoma Pierce County Humane society if Sugar wins the national vote.
- Sugar’s story highlights foster care success and adoption challenges for shelter dogs.
Sugar the rescue dog was dealt a tough hand. Discovered on the streets of Tacoma with her front paw nearly severed in 2021, the pit bull terrier mix went through months of rehabilitation and surgery before she could run again.
Now, the 5-year-old pup is a finalist for People magazine’s ‘2025 World’s Cutest Rescue Dog Contest’. Sugar is one of ten dogs chosen out of thousands of entries nationwide. Voting runs online through Sept. 15 and if she wins, she’ll be featured in People magazine and a $1,000 prize will go to the Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County, where she was adopted out of. The winner will be announced Oct. 8.
Sugar’s owner, Paige Calcagni, said she saw a photo of Sugar on the humane society’s website and was immediately drawn to her unique striped coloring. Calcagni agreed to medically foster Sugar for about four months as she recovered from a tendon surgery on her front paw. At the time Sugar also had a torn ACL on her back leg and a sprain on her other back leg.
“Her front paw, basically, you could see all the way down to the bone,” Calcagni said, as the two played in Irving Park on Wednesday. “They don’t know if something got wrapped around it and then tightened. Ferry Dog Mothers — Fay Krokowler and her husband — they were able to provide the funds to get that surgery … and the rehab. We did swim therapy [because] really she only had one front working leg for a while.”
There’s not much known about Sugar’s backstory, but her vets say Sugar likely had two litters of puppies before she was adopted. Calcagni said she worked from home, which helped her care for Sugar as she recovered.
“At the beginning of it, we knew we were gonna sign on to have her forever,” she said. “It was really great to have everything funded and just kind of be a support for her.”
Sugar has worked hard to get better with socializing with dogs and people and now is best friends with other dogs in the family, Calcagni said. Her favorite treats are chicken and chicken feet, and Sugar loves to run in the waves of the Pacific Ocean and play with her squeaky toys, Calcagni said.
“I always fall in love with her story, just because she’s a little street dog. She is tough around the edges, but she’s, like, the biggest cuddler, the sweetest,” Calcagni said, who is pregnant with twins. “She has loved my pregnancy more than me, just because we sit there and sleep all day. You see her smile, and it’s huge, and she’s happy. She’s just a little ball of joy. I want everyone to see that.”
Sugar is already destined to be a star. Last year she won a contest to be adorned on the side of a Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County shelter van. The humane society’s rooting for her to win the national cutest dog prize.
“We’re super stoked,” said Lauren Green, the humane society’s director of marketing and communications. “To have a pit bull-type dog with an unknown history and a foster success story be on a world stage and represent Washington and shelter animals, both here in the state and across the nation, is really special.”
Green said it can be challenging for larger breed dogs to be adopted, especially since some housing providers have size restrictions for pets on their leases. As one of the few open-admission shelters in the state, Green said the humane society’s space is often limited, and “It’s never not a good time to adopt or foster, because even a few days outside of the shelter makes a tremendous difference for the animal, and for us to maintain space for our life-saving operations.”
You can find more information about volunteering, adoption and fostering on their website, as well as see photos and descriptions of pets ready for adoption.
“There’s so many dogs and animals in shelters, and they all have something to give to a family. Whether that’s a home you can give them, just love you can give them — I think every single dog in the shelter deserves that,” Calcagni said. “There’s really one you can find that will fit into your family any way you need.”
This story was originally published September 7, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
