Is your dog a people person? Are they comfortable around other dogs? Are they willing to tolerate costumes and acclaim?
If this sounds like your dog, they might be fit to wear a crown.
The nomination process opened Wednesday and will be open for submissions through Jan. 11 for an annual canine king and queen contest, with online voting to begin Jan. 12 for these top dogs of St. Paul.
The winners will be crowned the 2026 St. Paul Winter Carnival Canine King Boreas and Queen of the Snows.
The dogs will also serve as king and queen of Doggie Depot, an official event of the Winter Carnival to be held at Union Depot on Sunday, Feb. 1. This dog-friendly event will feature the dogs’ grand crowning ceremony with the St. Paul Winter Carnival royal family.
Unlike recent years, however, the dogs will not walk in the King Boreas Grande Day Parade, set for Jan. 24.
“A lot goes into planning for the parade and we weren’t able to make it work this year due to our upcoming Centennial celebrations,” says Amy Struve, marketing manager of Union Depot.
The Union Depot will mark its 100-year anniversary in 2026 with plenty of fanfare; stay tuned for more. As for the canines?
“You’ll have to come to Doggie Depot to see the king and queen,” Struve says.
The royals might make an appearance in the parade another year, though.
“We’re happy to take a step back and reassess next year,” says Struve.
To enter your dog in this royal contest — it’s free to do so — submit photos and information via the Union Depot at uniondepot.org/doggiedepot.
All dogs will move forward to the voting round in January, which will take place Jan. 12-25. Here’s how it will work:
In an online poll, all dogs nominated will be listed on the Union Depot’s website and the public will be able to vote for their favorite choices for king and queen. Winners will be announced on Union Depot’s Facebook and Instagram accounts on Jan. 27.
The 2026 Winter Carnival runs from Jan. 22-Feb.1.
The Doggie Depot event, which is free, will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (with dog yoga at 9 a.m.) on Sunday, Feb. 1 at Union Depot, located at 214 Fourth St. East in downtown St. Paul. Besides the crowning ceremony, there will be local vendors with dog products, rescues with adoptable pups and more.
Matt Guest and Kairi, the Canine Queen of the Snows, with Lisa Fulton and Grover, the Canine King Boreas, during a break from walking in the 2025 St. Paul Winter Carnival Grande Day Parade along Grand Avenue in St. Paul on Saturday, Jan. 25 2025. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
The reigning 2025 canine royalty are Queen Kairi, an American Pit Bull Terrier who volunteers with Save-A-Bull Rescue and whose voting campaign included a QR code, and King Grover, a Goldendoodle who also ran a successful social media campaign for votes.
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