We set out to find the cutest dog in Tri-Cities. All about the winner of your votes, Bear

Last month, the Tri-City Herald set out to find the cutest dog in Tri-Cities. We received over 100 submissions, and put them up to a reader vote. After thousands of votes were cast, a winner has finally been selected: a 1-year-old pomsky named Bear.

Bear was nominated by Tara Symons in Kennewick. With just over 8,000 votes cast in the final round of voting, Bear received 3,552 votes.

Here’s a little more about the crowned cutest canine in Tri-Cities.

Cutest dog in Tri-Cities

Symons has had Bear for just over a year, bringing him home when he was about eight or nine weeks old. She told the Herald that the household got Bear from a friend who breeds dogs. They had seen pictures of the litter and picked out their favorite, the pup who looked like a little bear.

But when they arrived at their friend’s home and met the litter, it was obvious which pup they were supposed to bring home.

While not the little bear they originally singled out, they kept the name they had picked out. Their Bear was immediately friendly and snuggly with them, and that was that. Bear was joining the household.

“Bear’s the heart of the family,” Symons told the Herald in a phone interview. “He is so sweet.”

They visited the litter three times before bringing home their merle-colored Bear. Since then, he has been consistently stealing hearts — and socks — at the household, as Symons puts it.

Average day for Bear

“Bear lives a very leisurely life,” Symons said. He likes to wake everybody up so he can spend the morning on the patio, where a puppy cot is set up for him.

Symons works from home, so Bear will often join her in her office. He’ll sleep in there during the day, before getting a second wind in the evening, ready to play again.

His favorite toys are mini tennis balls, small enough for him to easily carry in his mouth. And with a household rooting for the University of Washington, Bear was given a stuffed duck to chew on that he’s also become quite fond of.

Bear also runs errands with Symons, as he has a car seat and loves going on rides. He loves to be around kids and other dogs, whether while running errands or while at the dogsitter’s during Symon’s travels.

The pomsky doesn’t like dog food, except for treats, so Symons will serve him dog-friendly foods like rotisserie chicken or steak.

Bear enjoys the ups and downs of being the only pet.

“He’s spoiled rotten,” Symons said. “He has a bed in every room of the house, and baskets of toys everywhere.”

Bear “tolerates” being dressed up, according to Symons, and will often have outfits coordinated with his “human sister.” He has a jersey for her softball games, matching holiday sweaters and pajamas, plus his own attire like a sombrero, motorcycle helmet and a lot of ties.

Cute facts about Bear

The family even gave him a middle name, and will sometimes refer to him as Bear Benjamin. He’s also called the “baby” or the “prince” of the family, Symons told the Herald.

She says he is the sweetest boy, charming everyone he meets. There’s even an Instagram account dedicated to the pomsky, dubbed “Mr. Steal Your Girl, And Your Socks.”

Bear notoriously finds socks and moves them around. He won’t chew them up, simply move them around. Sometimes they’ll find stashes of socks around the house that Bear has accumulated over time.

“He’s worse than the dryer with socks…” Symons said. “He always finds them somehow.”

He loves long walks on the beach, watching the sunset and getting attention, particularly in the forms of belly rubs and cuddling. Bear also really loves the snow, and was visibly sad when last year’s snow melted, according to Symons.

Bear can also do a fake sneeze trick on command. It started when Symons had a friend over, and they had a small sneezing fit. After a while, the pomsky started mimicking the sneeze, trying to copy the sound. Since then, if you say “achoo,” Bear will pretend to sneeze.

You can follow Bear on Instagram at mr_stealyourgirl_andyoursocks.