Moose, a lovable pup who lives at the assisted living and memory care community of Sunrise of Mercer Island, won the coveted title of “2018 Sunrise Pet of the Year.”

Sunrise Senior Living, a national senior living company with over 300 communities in the U.S., Canada and the UK, held a company-wide contest to vote for “Pet of the Year.” Submissions were taken by the corporate office and voting began on Jan. 22.

Votes were tabulated by whichever pet received the most “likes” on their Facebook picture. Moose competed against 61 other pets — a mix of cats, dogs, and even two birds — who live at various Sunrise communities. He won in a landslide, beating his nearest competitor by over 300 votes, according to a press release.

Moose is a St. Bernard, Chow, German Shepard mix, who was adopted by the assisted living community in March 2017.

“From the moment he arrived, Moose created a warmth and a brightness throughout the entire community,” said Cherryl Almasco, reminiscence coordinator. “He instantly brought comfort to all residents and their families during the hardest parts of their days.”

Sunrise of Mercer Island staff banded together to create the “Vote for Moose” campaign, enlisting family members, staff and members of the Mercer Island community and beyond to vote for Moose. They accumulated over 640 votes, which extended beyond U.S. borders into Romania, Germany, Columbia, France, the Philippines and Ethiopia, to name a few.

“Moose is magic,” said Kim MacDonald, executive director of Sunrise of Mercer Island. “He touches the hearts of our residents, families, staff and visitors just by his presence and lovability. He was a rescue from Second Chance Dogs, but instead of thinking of us rescuing him I think Moose rescued us.”

Moose will be celebrated by Sunrise residents all year long, and may enjoy some extra treats along the way. The community is invited to visit any time this month to pay Moose a visit.

See sunriseseniorliving.com for more.