Best in Show: 2024 Tally Top Pet Results

“Every dog owner thinks their dog’s the best,” said Cara Fleischer, mom to Maddie the Wonder Dog. And she’s right. Each year, Tally Top Pet parents provide long lists of compelling reasons why their furry companion deserves to win. This year’s contest, sponsored by and benefitting Be The Solution, saw four rounds of stiff competition from 16 of Tallahassee’s finest and fluffiest. But only one came out on top. Please put your paws together for this year’s winner, Plato, and the other members of the Final Fur.

Plato, 2024 Tally Top Pet

After spending most of his life on the harsh streets of rural Georgia, Plato is enjoying indoor life. Not only is it safe and warm, but “he knows where the food is,” joked foster mom Elisabeth Draper. Photo by Dave Barfield

As many cat owners know, getting a feline to pose for a photo can be challenging. Known for their independent spirits, cats do what they want when they want. Fortunately for those present at the Tally Top Pet photo shoot, Plato loves the limelight.

“I was a little nervous about (the shoot) because I had to take Plato to a big room with other people, and I didn’t know how he would do — with cats, you never know how they’re going to be,” said Plato’s foster mom, Elisabeth Draper. “But he loved it. He looked good and posed away, and then he went up to the photographer and got in his lap.

“When it was time to leave, he didn’t want to get back in the carrier,” Draper laughed.

Plato is a 5-year-old foster cat with Extended Circle Animal Haven (ECAH Animals), a nonprofit, volunteer-run cat rescue. Before that, he was a street cat.

Draper told Tallahassee Magazine that Plato was found in “horrible condition.” He had sustained an eye injury that left an open wound, contracted a terrible skin infection and had formed a thin physique, likely from hunger. Despite all he’d endured, Plato was friendly.

“Sadly, in these (rural) communities, so many people don’t fix their animals and don’t keep them inside,” Draper said. “Since he’s friendly, he was probably someone’s kitten at some point and was either left behind or got lost.”

She took him to the vet and got him neutered. They removed his injured eye, performed surgery on the other eye (it had inherited ocular hair growth) and cleared his skin condition. Over time, Draper slowly — and successfully — integrated him with her cats. Now, he’s ready for his forever home.

“He’s a sweetheart,” Draper said. “When I first got him, he would lie next to me, make biscuits on the blanket like a baby and just start purring … He knows he has been saved.

“He’s such a good boy,” Draper continued, “and he really deserves the best.”

For more information about Plato, visit ECAHAnimals.org/adopt.

Plato would also like to raise awareness about feline FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus). FIV is spread through deep bite wounds during fights (most common in unneutered males). Cats with FIV can live with non-FIV cats. Sadly, FIV+ cats are still shunned by adopters who are scared off by misinformation. Plato would like to change that.

Boudreaux “Bobo” Larkin

Bobo loves helping the community and his companion. Next fall, he will be part of companion Holly Larkin’s dissertation examining whether therapy animals in the classroom can increase students’ mental well-being. Photo by Dave Barfield

Boudreaux “Bobo” Larkin elicits gasps everywhere he goes. He can’t help it — it’s in his DNA.

“People are so excited to see him, and I just hear, ‘Oh my gosh. He’s so big,’” said Bobo’s companion, Holly Larkin. “I just love it.”

The two make a formidable pair. Larkin is a psychology Ph.D. student at Florida State University researching animal-assisted therapy. As of 2022, Bobo is a licensed therapy dog through Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare’s (TMH) animal therapy program. Together, they demonstrate “the healing power of animals,” specifically dogs.

“When a dog is present, a lot of amazing things happen,” Larkin said.

According to Larkin’s research, dogs heal in various ways. They not only help increase endorphins but also help decrease heart rate, blood pressure and cortisol levels; they help students focus in classroom settings (Larkin’s particular field of study); and they serve as a “major protective factor” for those struggling with depression or thoughts of suicide.

“When I’m having a stressful day, I pet Bobo, and I feel less stressed,” Larkin said. “And when I bring him places, people will say things like, ‘I feel better’ or ‘I’m releasing stress I didn’t even know I had.’”

Bobo has lived his entire life with Larkin’s family; they adopted him as a puppy from a breeder in Georgia.

“I know a lot of people say, ‘Adopt don’t shop,’ but I’m very passionate about breeding ethically, so we can preserve different dog species,” Larkin said, adding that the “ethical breeding” route allows a person to know every aspect of their pet’s history. Given that Bobo is a therapy dog, that’s important for Larkin.

“I know Bobo’s not going to bite somebody,” she said, “and he doesn’t have triggers that could make him do something like that.”

While some TMH therapy dogs visit the hospital or assisted living facilities, Bobo and Larkin attend big, public events like Springtime Tallahassee because the friendly golden “loves being around lots of people.”

“I’ve never met a dog like Bobo,” Larkin said. “I think he is so unique and calming and happy, and he does a lot to help people in the community, and he’s just everybody’s best friend … He’s what people need when they’re going through hard times.”

Maddie the Wonder Dog

Maddie isn’t letting cancer stop her from enjoying her favorite activity. Donning a life preserver, she loves to paddleboard with her mom and watch the fish and turtles swim about the water. Photo by Dave Barfield

In May 2022, Cara Fleischer and her family received the devastating news that their precious papijack, Maddie, had liver cancer. She had one month to live.

“We had a big family trip planned to the Grand Canyon in June, and the vet was like, ‘No need to cancel that trip because she’s not going to be here,’” Fleischer said. “I canceled it. Because if she wasn’t here, I would be so sad and didn’t think I’d be up for traveling.

“But here she is two years later,” Fleischer continued with a smile.

Maddie’s abdomen is “puffy,” her legs are skinny and she can’t do everything she used to do. But according to Fleischer, she’s resilient and, most importantly, happy. Feeling both amazed and inspired by Maddie, Fleischer has started referring to her as “The Wonder Dog.”

“I’m telling you — this little dog and I get on the paddleboard, go on walks, walk the beach,” Fleischer said. “She just keeps going and not only being alive but being vibrant.”

Fleischer adopted Maddie from a shelter in Athens, Georgia, after coming across her profile on Petfinder. The shelter didn’t allow reservations or holds, but Fleischer called and placed one anyway. It turns out some things truly are meant to be.

“When we arrived, somebody said, ‘Oh, you’re the one who put Pocahontas (Maddie’s shelter name) on reserve — you’re not supposed to do that.’ I was like, ‘Thank you, shelter!’”

In the nine years since, Maddie has filled Fleischer’s home with joy. She loves people and jumps at every opportunity to hit the road or beach and soak up some sun with her mom. And while it’s hard for Fleischer to live in the unknown, she tries not to dwell on Maddie’s condition.

“After the diagnosis, I was really weepy for a month,” Fleischer said. “Now, I feel like it’s an honor that she’s with us and to be able to help her have joy through this journey that she’s on.

“It sounds corny, but it has reminded me that life is short, and there’s still joy in it no matter what you’re going through,” she continued. “She’s been such a support and a love for our family, and she’s such a little trooper, and I’m so proud of her.”

Lovey

Lovey is a 1-year-old puppy that brings joy to all who know her. Photo by Dave Barfield

When talking about her 1-year-old beagle puppy, Lovey, Dena Coukoulis said, “I didn’t rescue her — she rescued me.”

Coukoulis has been a hairdresser for over 40 years. In 2016, she went viral online for a video she posted gifting her son, a veteran, a beagle puppy named Willa to help with his PTSD. And in 2018, she wrote a children’s book about Willa, the importance of talking about your feelings and the “healing power of animals” — something she’s experienced firsthand through Lovey.

“A couple of weeks before I got Lovey, I was almost hospitalized for my mental health,” Coukoulis shared. “I went to the Apalachee Center to check myself in, and it was so demeaning … So, I came home and came up with this idea to get a puppy.”

Adopting Lovey, Coukoulis explained, was the first time she’d been excited about something in a long time, and the beagle really has been a tremendous help. When Lovey notices her mom struggling, she’ll nudge her like a cat or provide a comforting look. And sometimes, on walks, “she’ll look up at me like, ‘I love you — you’re the best thing in the world,’” Coukoulis said. “She just smiles at me and helps me stay out of my head.”

But Lovey’s healing powers aren’t exclusive to Coukoulis — she helps people wherever she goes, from clients in Coukoulis’ salon to members of Shine Tallahassee, an organization for which the duo volunteers.

“I was at the dispensary one day, and there was a woman just going nuts over Lovey,” Coukoulis, who has a medical marijuana card for her anxiety, said. “When we went outside, the woman told me, ‘When I woke up today, I was so depressed, but seeing your dog and petting her really changed the course of my day.’”

Coukoulis said the interaction speaks to how special Lovey is and the power pets hold.

“My husband said Lovey’s brought happiness back into our house,” Coukoulis said. “I think people who struggle with depression or that might be suicidal feel like they have no reason to live or that nobody needs them, but when you have a pet, they do need you. Having a pet might change your mind.”