Armina the ‘warrior princess’ named cutest dog in the country. Meet her
The votes are in, and a “warrior princess” from North Carolina has been picked as the cutest dog in the country.
Armina, a 7-year-old pitbull from the Charlotte area, earned 11,693 votes, or 31% of those cast, in McClatchy Media’s national cutest dog contest, which launched Nov. 10.
Nearly two-dozen dogs from around the country faced off after being crowned the cutest in local contests hosted by McClatchy newspapers. Papers in California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas and Washington state took part on the local level, sending their top dogs to the national stage.
Who is McClatchy Media’s cutest dog?
Armina certainly seems to live up to her name, which means “warrior princess” in German.
She collapsed during a run when she was 2 and got a grim diagnosis: sudden heart failure, The Charlotte Observer previously reported. The condition was connected to a diet without grains.
But the pup is fully recovered now after medication, supplements, changes to what she eats and love from her humans. She even earned an American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen certification.
What pups were runners-up in the cutest dog contest?
Abi, a cutie from the Wichita, Kansas area, was the runner-up in McClatchy Media’s national cutest dog contest, with 8,530 votes, or 23%.
Another Kansas pup – Teddy from Shawnee – took third place with 7,445 votes, or 20%, while Margo from Lacey, Washington, took fourth with 4,595, or 12%.
Reminder, the polls weren’t scientific – they were just for fun. And we had a lot of fun sharing adorable pups with our readers this fall.
Thanks to all who entered and voted.
This story was originally published November 17, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Armina the ‘warrior princess’ named cutest dog in the country. Meet her."
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