#we'll see ...

Ted Rumsworth [he/him]: Our fav dog show announcer !! A cis closeted gay man who's proud to be the smiling face of Chow's pet competitions, and is always happy to compliment a well-trained pup either on the job or on the street, but it doesn't keep him from chatting rightful shit about some owners in his spare time. He's not actually too keen on dogs himself; though he has his own toy poodle, Chocolate, he's much more of a cat person, and hopes to own one or two in the future. He just barely has enough self-restraint to not scoop up every stray on his and Chocolate's walks.

Archie Hubbs [he/him]: Our fav dog show commentator!! Archie is a trans bi man with the lack of self-restraint for gaining animals that Ted mortally fears. A man who owns seven dogs, a pet duck and goes to work ready to see even more canines is quite the man to be reckoned with, and for someone with such a relaxed demeanour, most would wonder how the guy could handle a house bursting with animals; while others would know he was a champion in dog competitions himself. After all those years, he turned to being a commentator purely because of a dare. For the bit, of course. And although he's known for his quick, witty remarks around town, he'll scurry away from any fan interaction faster than anyone even realises who they're spotting.

Sophie Summers [she/they]: A trans lesbian demigirl with a seemingly never-ending competitive streak, and the manager of the neighbourhood's local supply shop, BARC. She's a lover of all sorts of critters, from fluffy to scaley (even slimy!), but only has a few pets of her own: a couple of birds, named Cookie and Crumb, and an excitable German Shepherd who's won his absolute fair share of competitions, Milo. Soph's always proud of their winnings, and will proudly boast if they get a new gold trophy to take home, but is no sore loser when it comes to second or (god forbid) lower--at least not in public. It won't stop her from sulking about it over a milkshake with Teresa. Off-hours, Sophie has a deep love for aviation and planes; any shelf in their room that's bare of a trophy instead has a carefully-crafted and painted model plane in its place--they've even taken a few purposeful losses with Milo to make room for new ones here and there. Otherwise, she's a firm believer in always trying your best, and a loss stings particularly bad when she knows she hadn't given it her all; she's just especially adamant on the belief when it comes to others, and won't miss an opportunity to give someone, even a stranger, a very enthusiastic pep talk.

Teresa Addams [she/her]: A bi trans woman who'll put your pitiful mismatching patterns to shame; Teresa's the proud manager of the local Coletta in Chow, though her expertise on clothing doesn't stop at just pets. She's always had a good eye for fashion, and won't hesitate to give others a friendly nudge away from a colour that doesn't flatter their complexion one bit; Sophie's the usual recipient of her advice, and Teresa can only roll her eyes each time Soph' assures her that, pretty or not, her joggers will end up scuffed to hell at the end of the day, anyway. Overall, Teresa's not exactly one to stay in her own lane, and will speak her opinion, fashion-related or otherwise, whether it's called for or not, and she may as well have an "I-told-you-so" jar for the other shopkeeps--and as much as she butts into others' business, it doesn't stop her from chatting to Bruno about other folks similar behaviour. Under that condescending outside, though, it's clear that she just cares terribly for her friends' wellbeing, even if it's in a slightly roundabout way, but her loyalty is tried and true. Don't expect her to coddle you after a bad competition, though.. it's a new coat, and Truffles' paws are sensitive to the artificial dirt.

Thomas McGraw [he/him]: Thomas is a demiromantic trans man, and essentially the baby of the shopkeeps despite his flawless taste in interior design; you'd never even think he still lived with his parents. On the job at Modo Home, he oozes confidence in a way that's almost obscene, reacting to every little idea a customer tells him just to gently guide them toward something a little less sore on the eyes, but as soon as his shift's over, the mere thought of talking to someone sends his adrenaline rocketing. He tries to cover it up as best as he can, wanting to fill the shoes that his brother left in the shopkeepers' friend group, while also wanting to make something for himself. It's hard to juggle, but he manages.. just about. His emotional support pup, Dudley, keeps him together well enough to at least get him going to his next shift, and out of bed.

Bruno Ortega [he/him]: A bi trans man who's fought his way through life to get to the best place he's been in years. The sole worker of Mr. Recycle, Bruno's more than happy whenever he's made himself work to do, whether it be a new recycled craft for himself or the town between customers, he's almost always busy with something new. If he's not crafting, he's picking up litter on the beach, and if he's not doing clean-up, he's taking himself for a jog with his rescue, Moxy, and self-made RoboPup, Roberto. He's a cheerful figure around town whose name sits well with the locals of Chow, and he's always thankful to be helped by those who recognise his hard work to keep the green town as it is. Though he thrives off being helpful, Bruno recognises that he's easily fatigued, even if having to face it hurts, and he knows that he pushes himself too hard under the smiling face he puts on. Getting more in-shape has helped, but his body can only do so much, and he's glad to have his cosy seaside home to curl up in when the day's got him bad. It's not a permanent fix, but it helps him through the worst.

Diego McGraw [he/him]: A cis bi man who's left a sour taste in his old friends' mouths. Once the rather unenthusiastic but well-meaning manager of Modo Home, now the bitter front clerk of Altesse in the big city who's been caught up in the side of city life you don't hear about, leaving him with bad habits that he scolds himself for letting his little brother know about. He up and left Chow with barely a goodbye to even Thomas, just an explanation that he needed something 'more than this', which Tom makes a quiet deal about each time Diego bothers to show his face in town. Whether the excuse was true or not, Tom and the others don't care, and Diego doesn't even know. While the others mourn the dorky mess he used to be, they're equally thankful he's cleared off if this is who he really is. Diego's too prideful to admit it, or even think it, but he knows that he fucked up. He doesn't belong to the city, nor did he ever, but he knows the look in his friends' eyes whenever he comes back to Chow, and it's that he's not welcome in the town he was raised. He never liked mutts, but he likes to be treated like one even less.

Nikita "Aitra" Dyakov [they/it]: Aitra made a bold first impression when they moved to Chow, to say the least. Entered the stadium with a bang and won second overall, having not even lost yet they went screaming to their coach about how it was completely unfair--their later trials haven't been too different, either, except for when they win. It's arguably worse when they're rubbing it in everyone's faces. It's a big presence in Chow, and they'd honestly be missed if they were to move away. Good thing Ted and Archie are here, else it probably would--aside from making a huge scene, it also utterly freaked out about seeing the two of them in-person during its first competition here. It watched the two of them on TV for years while training itself, so seeing them for real was exciting, and.. distracting. Outside of competitions, you'd think Aitra would be a bit less of a character, but.. nope, that's just them. They try to be the best at everything they do, even their fast-food job on their side feels their wrath, and they don't take 'no' for an answer. Well.. they don't take 'no' well. They're not spoilt, but they know what they deserve! They've always been confident and they have a naturally smug demeanour about themself, but they just want to do well, and make their mother proud. Boring sappy stuff aside, though, Aitra's alright, really. Brash and a bit pushy with how they do things, but not nasty by any means. They get carried away easily and will hesitantly acknowledge that maybe they're a bit much, but they argue that it gives them character. And it.. certainly does.

Abel McGovern [he/him]: Abel is a gay trans man, and Aitra's personal coach who he could not be more unlike. Having been a strong competitor back in his day, it took Abel a while to get used to being off the field after he left a hip injury for too long, and he still finds himself rolling his eyes at rookie mistakes from others. He was a well-known dog trainer and had won many-a trophy and championship, and now lives vicariously through his coachee. The two are polar opposites, to say the least. For every bit reserved Abel is, Aitra's three times as extroverted, and they're often bumping heads over petty disagreements, as much as Abel tries to keep the peace. They've hired him, after all, and he knew their mother before he started working for them.. he knows they just want to do well and, despite their differences, he wants to see them do their best. Abel can come off as grumpy from time to time, and isn't afraid to match a bit of Aitra's snark now and again, but his softer interior is never far. His criticism may be a bit harsh, but well-meaning, and he'll pull you up far more than he'd ever try to drag you down. He'll offer his help with a warm smile, if with a healthy jab at how you'd have to really try to mess that last move up, and at the end of the day, he wants to let others achieve what he once could, and what he still admittedly misses. Retiring from his old profession wasn't all bad, though. Some years later and he adopted his best friend, an older husky, Venti. She goes with him almost where-ever he does, only having her skip on his coaching with Aitra to make sure she doesn't frighten the pups--her age won't stop her young soul shining through! Plus, retiring from that job meant he'd move onto his next, and he would've never gotten to help Aitra like he has. They can grate on each other on occasion, and as much of a loudmouth Aitra is, they bring a good bit of amusement to Abel's day, and having someone so.. unlike him is.. new. He likes the quieter things in life in recent years, but Aitra keeps things fun.