4-legged friends compete in races, vie for 'Best Puppy' award at charity dog show in Carol Stream

CAROL STREAM, Ill. (WLS) — Sun’s out, tongues out!

Dozens of tail-wagging, four-legged friends and man’s best friends united on Sunday for a special cause in Carol Stream.

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Sunday marked the 7th Annual VetBros Charity Dog Show.

Dr. Mondrian Contreras is in charge of VetBros, a nonprofit organization working to help owners cover life-saving pet medical expenses while also educating the community on pet health.

“Carol Stream has an unbelievable pet-loving community,” Contreras said. “The mission of the event is to really have fun, help people see the uniqueness of our pets, but also to provide education. We have so many pet vendors here to help education and push that mission of ‘Here’s how we can take care of our pets.’”

The dog show began with the best puppy competition. Five good boys and girl vied for the coveted title of “Best Puppy.”

Four-month-old Estelle, an American Eskimo, took home the crown.

“I didn’t expect it. I thought a different dog would win, but I was really happy to see her come in first,” said Harper Vaughn, one of Estelle’s owners.

Her loving family from Glen Ellyn was right there to cheer her on.

“It’s crazy. I didn’t know she would win,” said Tommy Vaughn, one of Estelle’s owners.

“She’s been such a good girl. We’ve had her for two weeks, and she’s just been amazing with the kids and sleeping through the night. You’ve been the best puppy ever,” said Jessica Vaughn, one of Estelle’s owners.

Just minutes later, some of the fastest local dogs went paw-to-paw in the first race of the day.

Bailey, a 4-year-old Bichon Shih Tzu, proved yet again that size doesn’t equal speed. The reigning champ is back for more hardware.

“This is her third win. She won last year and the year before,” said Lori McNally, Bailey’s owner.

Lori said at the end of the day, everyone wins when the community comes together to better the lives of local pets.

“My husband and I brought singles. Every single tent, we tried to donate a dollar to the tent, because we think it’s so important,” she said.