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Meet Emma, the American foxhound newly crowned as Park City’s cutest pet

Emma, an American foxhound owned by Natalie Arnott, won The Park Record's Cutest Pet photo contest, which ended March 21. Voters selected Emma, who Arnott adopted from Nuzzles and Co., from more than 280 pets.
Photo by Alex Gribbin

It’s official. Emma, an American foxhound owned by Parkite Natalie Arnott, is Park City’s cutest pet.

More than 280 people entered their beloved pets in The Park Record Cutest Pet photo contest, which ended Thursday. It was sponsored by Park City Animal Clinic and Julie Hopkins Real Estate.

As winner, Emma won Arnott two lift tickets to Deer Valley Resort as well as $500 in gift certificates for services at Park City Animal Clinic and the Park City Pet Resort.



Arnott, who had been thinking about adopting a dog for a while, called her friend a year and a half ago and said, “This is the day.”

I put her on a leash, and literally in seconds, I knew she was the one…” Natalie Arnott, owner of Emma, Park City’s Cutest Pet winner

“I really wanted a Jack Russell that was at an adoption place in Heber, but all the dogs were out that day,” she said.



So they went to a Nuzzles and Co. event held at Mark Miller Subaru in Salt Lake City.

“By the time we arrived, all the puppies had been adopted out, but I wasn’t opposed to getting an older dog,” Arnott said.

After taking one dog for a walk, Arnott saw Emma. whose age was estimated between 1 and 3 years old.

“I put her on a leash, and literally in seconds, I knew she was the one,” Arnott said. “She was going up to everyone wanting to get petted from everybody.”

Arnott asked if she could initially foster Emma for a short period of time, and was told the adoption fees were waived that day.

“I asked what that meant, and they told me the dog is free,” Arnott said with a laugh. “So there was no question of what I was going to do. I had to adopt her right then.”

Arnott said Emma has taught her how to love over the past 18 months.

“She’s the sweetest thing in the world,” she said. “She’s cute and lovable, and making her happy makes me happy.”

Emma’s favorite activity is hiking, Arnott said.

“It works out because I love backpacking,” she said. “So during the summer I take her on these long backpacking trips in the Uintas. My friends and I have a whole big dog crew, and Emma loves those dogs, too. We’ll go out backpacking all weekend.”

Emma’s curiosity gets the best of her during these excursions.

“She always runs around sniffing everything, and by the end of the day she’s so exhausted,” Arnott said.

Arnott heard about the Cutest Pet photo contest through an email The Park Record sent to subscribers.

“I think it’s really special,” Arnott said about the win. “Since Emma is a unique-looking dog, people around town know who she is.”

The winning photo was taken at the Wind River Range in Wyoming during a backpacking trip this past summer, according to Arnott.

“We were near the end of a 15-mile day, and we were just sitting around looking for a camping spot,” she said. “It was such a pretty background, and Emma’s eyes were closed, so I took a photo.”

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