Meet Finley, Springfield's 2023 Top Dog, who loves swimming, tug of war and Frisbees

Finley, a miniature Australian Shepherd, may not operate a vacuum cleaner or clean windows, but she does know how to cheer up the folks at Brokate Janitorial. As the cleaning service business' unofficial mascot, Finley also appealed to the greater Springfield public, taking home this year's title of Springfield's Top Dog.

The Top Dog competition is a fundraiser for Community Partnership of the Ozarks. Earlier this year, community members had the chance to submit photos of their dogs and voting was conducted by the public. Each vote was $1.

Out of 48 total contestants, Finley took home first place, raising $1,600. In total, just over $15,000 was raised by the competition, CPO Vice President of Communications Justin Lockhart said. This figure includes both individual voting and a few larger donations gifted to CPO.

One-year-old Finley is the furry friend of Cheyne Brokate, chief operating officer of Brokate Janitorial. He adopted Finley in spring of last year when she was eight weeks old.

When looking for farm equipment online, Brokate came across a listing created by a woman based in Sparta who had a new litter of miniature Australian Shepherds.

"I actually went to look at a little boy dog and then I saw her, the runt of the litter, half the size of all the other ones, getting trampled on," Brokate said about Finley. "She has the bluest eyes in the world and she was just perfect. I had to take her."

Finley joined Brokate's family of two other miniature Australian Shepherds, Rue, 10, and Aria, 8. Brokate said it took Rue and Aria a little bit of time to adjust to a puppy in their space, but now the three dogs get along well.

Bonding with folks she meets, whether human or canine, comes easy for Finley. Brokate said she warms up to pretty much everybody.

Initially, Brokate held off on naming Finley. But after she jumped into the Finley Creek without hesitation on her first visit, he knew a name that would fit well. Brokate said Finley loves the water and enjoys swimming. She also enjoys a good game of tug of war with her favorite bone or sticks, and she's always eager for a game of Frisbee.

CPO held its Springfield's Top Dog competition for the first time last year, and Scout, a six-year-old treeing walker coonhound, won first.

"We really enjoyed the Springfield's Top Dog last year and all the excitement and engagement we got from the community," Lockhart said. "We saw, as we kind of assumed, everyone loves their dogs. We thought it was a really cool way for people to celebrate their dogs and lift up their pets into a public forum."

As this year's winner, Finley received a hefty prize package, including a custom embroidered Springfield's Top Dog bandana, photoshoot for the 2024 Top Dog calendar, six-week private dog training, doggy daycare punch card from Howliday Inn Pet Resort and other gift cards to local businesses. Last year, only Scout received a prize package, but this year, the second place pup, Cooper, received a package worth $400, Lockhart said.

As Springfield's Top Dog, part of Finley's "duties" include managing the Springfield's Top Dog Twitter account, @SGFTopDog.

Brokate said he hopes to use the social media platform as a way to encourage others to get involved in the community through silly posts featuring Finley.

Springfield's Top Dog 2024 calendars will be available in late fall. Lockhart said 2023 calendars, which feature Scout on the cover, are still available, for folks interested. To inquire about Top Dog calendars, email CPO at info@cpozarks.org.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Finley, a mini Australian Shepherd, is Springfield's Top Dog this year