Table of Contents
Dockside rescue dog advances in national pet contest
Get our free local reporting delivered straight to your inbox. No noise, no spam — just clear, independent coverage of Marblehead. Sign up for our once-a-week newsletter.
A 6-year-old camper once stood on the beach in Marblehead, crying and refusing to step into the water.
“Lolo came over and walked the camper to the water with the instructors,” Avery Wysor, a seasonal operations manager at SUP East Coast Style, said. “He was instantly happier with Lolo’s support and pet her on the way to the water. She stayed by the boy’s side until he was on his paddle board.”
On the water, the camper “did an amazing job and wanted to tell Lolo how much fun paddling was when he got back to the beach,” Wysor said.
For years, moments like that have played out along the shoreline, where Lolo — a 9-year-old brindle-coated rescue listed as a lab mix — greets campers, accompanies paddleboard lessons and keeps watch on the docks. Now, the dockside fixture is in the quarterfinals of the national “America’s Favorite Pet” competition, drawing support from Marblehead and beyond.
Lolo belongs to Leah Beth Goodman, who runs SUP East Coast Style, a paddleboard company that operates in Marblehead during the summer and in Florida during the winter. Goodman’s husband, Christopher Douroudis, also works with the business.
“Lolo’s journey in the America’s Favorite Pet contest started as something lighthearted and fun, but it has quickly grown into something much bigger than we ever imagined,” Goodman said.
According to Goodman, she entered Lolo in the contest in part as a winter morale boost for staff and as a way to support a pet-related charity affiliated with the competition. She said January and early February are slower months for the business.
“Entering Lolo into the contest felt like a joyful way to celebrate the heart of what we’ve built—connection, resilience, and showing up with love,” Goodman said.
The competition advances pets through multiple rounds, including top 20, top 10 and top five placements before quarterfinals, semifinals and finals. Goodman said Lolo has advanced through those stages and is currently in the quarterfinals. Specific vote totals were not provided in the materials.
The contest includes public voting and allows supporters to donate to cast votes, though Goodman said owners are not permitted to pay for votes themselves. The materials provided did not include detailed rules, vote counts or the total number of competitors remaining in the quarterfinal round.
Goodman said the funds raised through the contest go to a pet-related charitable organization.
“The response has been overwhelming in the best way,” Goodman said. “Seeing the Marblehead community, our Florida community, longtime clients, former campers, and even strangers rally around Lolo has been incredibly meaningful.”
At the dock, Lolo has become a familiar presence.
Wysor described her as “a friendly face to people of all ages, especially the younger campers who are usually nervous to paddle for the first time.” She added that Lolo sometimes joins campers on the water and that “Lolo’s presence motivates the kids to paddle faster, as they want to catch up to her.”
Goodman said Lolo has been with the business since she was a puppy and has spent years around campers, instructors and customers.
“Lolo isn’t just our dog—she’s a fixture on the docks, at the beach, and in our day-to-day life,” Goodman said. “She represents comfort, consistency, and joy, especially during seasons that have been personally and professionally challenging.”
The contest has also expanded the company’s visibility, Goodman said.
“From a business perspective, the contest has helped amplify our story far beyond traditional marketing,” she said. “It has introduced new people to who we are, what we do, and why community matters so much to us. It’s also brought a lot of positive attention to Marblehead itself, showing the power of a tight-knit town coming together to support one of its own.”
If Lolo were to win, Goodman said it would feel like a community achievement.
“It would feel like a win not just for her, but for our entire community—everyone who voted, shared, encouraged, and believed in us,” she said.
Regardless of the outcome, Goodman said the experience has reinforced the business’s mission.
“At the end of the day, this experience has reinforced why we do what we do: to build something rooted in kindness, connection, and community,” she said. “Lolo just happens to be the four-legged reminder of that mission.”
Click here to vote for Lolo.
BEFORE YOU GO … Our reporting remains free and open to all. It is sustained by readers who choose to support it — by contributing so that routine, document-based local reporting continues without paywalls or promotional framing. Right now, 101 readers support The Marblehead Independent with monthly or annual contributions. Click here to become an Independent member.
