This pigtailed pup was voted the Olympia area’s cutest dog. See Margo’s ‘sparkle’

Julie Olson was in a store a while back with her pup, Margo.

Margo is teeny-tiny and often dons pigtails to keep the hair out of her eyes. When she meets new people, she gets excited and wags her little tail, which is sometimes dyed fun colors.

Bottom line, she’s adorable.

Another customer in the store noticed. The customer was older and became emotional when she spotted Margo, saying the pup reminded her of a dog she’d loved.

“Margo climbed in her lap for a bit. It was so sweet,” Olson told The Olympian by phone. “She brought so much joy to that woman. It made me happy.”

Margo has a way of spreading happiness to her people and others, too.

The 2-year-old Maltese, who lives in Lacey with her humans, Julie and Jerry Olson, recently captured the hearts of The Olympian’s readers, who voted her the cutest dog in the Thurston County area.

The contest launched in October, and Margo emerged as the winner through two rounds of voting. Nearly two-dozen dogs were submitted.

The runner-up was a 13-year-old pup from Shelton named Pepper, who sadly died after being submitted. Pepper’s human, Doug Christian, said the pup enjoyed fishing and was deeply loved by her family in Washington and in Southport, North Carolina.

Margo will now be entered into a second contest to determine the cutest dog in the country across more than 20 McClatchy newspapers, launching Monday, Nov. 10.

‘Kind, loving little soul’

Julie Olson reported that Margo is as sweet as she appears.

“She’s a lapdog. She has a very calm demeanor. She doesn’t let things get her riled up,” Olson said, noting that Margo especially loves to lounge outside.

If anything gets the pup’s heart rate up, it’s the squirrels that chirp at her from the fence while she lounges. Margo will sometimes give chase, but “I don’t think she’d know what to do if she caught one,” Olson said.

Margo also loves to play with her interactive laser toy.

“She knows that as soon as it gets dark, it’s time for her laser,” Olson said, adding that the good girl’s “tail wags the most when she’s playing with her laser.”

Margo came into the Olson family after they lost their previous dog and cat during the COVID-19 pandemic. She’s brought so much joy, Julie Olson said.

“She’s a kind, loving little soul who wants to be with her people as much as possible,” Olson said. “(Margo) is very outgoing. Anytime we go anywhere, if dogs are allowed, she comes with us. Everywhere we go, people are drawn to her.”

Her humans describe it as her “sparkle.”

For them, Margo “definitely filled a hole that was in our hearts,” Olson said. “She’s just a happy little girl, and she’s friendly and loves everybody.”

While she’s unquestionably cute, Margo has also been something else, too — an example.

“Dogs — they love us unconditionally,” Olson said. “They teach us to be nice to everybody. It’s kindness that creates kindness.”

Sara Schilling

mcclatchy-newsroom

Sara Schilling is a former journalist for mcclatchy-newsroom