A Tomahawk dog recently took the top spot in a 2024 campaign promoting safe digging.
Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) customers and dog lovers alike cast thousands of votes in July for the best canine in the company’s first safe digging photo contest.
Arlo, a nine-month-old Aussiedoodle from Tomahawk, garnered the most votes and was named WPS’s new voice for safety as the company’s first-ever safe digging “ambassadog.”
The Tomahawk pup, who is named after folk singer Arlo Guthrie, will now spend the next year starring in a social media campaign to remind everyone to call 811 at least three days before digging.
Arlo was featured on digital billboards across northeast and north central Wisconsin on National Safe Digging Day on Sunday, Aug. 11.
A release from WPS said Arlo’s road to the title of top dog began this spring, when his soon-to-be owners were searching for a new dog after their previous one passed away.
“They initially didn’t want a puppy, but couldn’t get enough of Arlo’s unique coat and his personality,” the WPS release said. “He reminded them of the narrator in the ‘The City of New Orleans,’ so his owners named him after Guthrie, who popularized the song.”
WPS noted that Arlo’s favorite activity is digging, especially when searching for toads in the garden at his home.
“His energetic nature also leads him into playing with other dogs or wrestling matches with pine branches,” WPS said. “He’s got a soft side, too – his owners say he loves to snuggle and sleep on top of his family.”
WPS said digging can be dangerous if you don’t call 811 or go to diggershotline.com at least three days in advance, noting that it’s free, and it’s the law.
