Top Dog 2021: Indigo!

Damon Perrott

The story below is a preview from our March/April 2021 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you! 


Meet Indigo, our Top Dogs 2021 winner!



Indigo’s dad, Ben Carlin, shared this about his beautiful dog:  

“An Australian Shepherd has always been my dream dog. One year, on Alyce’s birthday, a friend who was dog-sitting Indie brought her as a special guest when she was only a puppy. I played with her for the whole party and facetiously said that if whoever owned Indie ever wanted to send her to a new home, ours was open! We never expected that to happen, but a couple of months later, the phone rang and Indie became a part of the family. Indie LOVES to play fetch, chase our other dog Chewie around the house and perch on her favorite spot on the couch and watch for the mailman.”

Fast Facts

Proud Parents: Ben and Alyce Carlin

Age: 3

Breed: Australian Shepherd (Blue Merle)

Favorite Hobby: Playing with Chewie, her fur-sibling! Favorite Toys: That one spiky orange ball that used to squeak even louder.

Favorite Place(s) to Visit in Roanoke: All of the breweries! GoFest! Carvins Cove!


Our sincere thanks to everyone who submitted and voted, and to those who generously donated to the Roanoke Valley SPCA in addition to their nomination. All proceeds, totaling $710, benefited the RVSPCA. Owners entered 148 dogs in the Top Dog photo contest in late December 2020, and more than 3,000 votes were cast on the contest page in January 2021. As the winner, Indigo was professionally photographed by Damon Perrott of Dog Splendor Image and appears with a full-page photo and bio in the March/April 2021 issue of The Roanoker Magazine. Be sure to keep up with our social media pages for our next Top Dogs contest! 


The story above is a preview from our March/April 2021 issue. For more stories, subscribe today or view our FREE digital edition. Thank you for supporting local journalism!

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