Four weeks. Hundreds of entries. Thousands of votes. Controversy. Heartbreak. Redemption. The American Idol finale? Nope. Patch's Top Dog.

And the winner of Patch's Greater Philadelphia Top Dog contest is... Bree!

Bree, from the South Whitehall Patch area in the Lehigh Valley, is owned by Brian Hite.

"We're humbled we got that many votes. But all the dogs, no matter how they placed, are Top Dogs," Hite said. "Bree will carry on the title in all their names and memories."

Patch echoes that - congrats to Bree and to every single great dog that was entered in this contest - the purebreds, the rescues, the old dogs, the puppies, the dogs that make us laugh and lick our faces when we cry.

Bree wins our grand prize package: A professional photo shoot at her home and a $250 gift card to PetSmart, as well as a gift basket compliments of local business A Dog's Life (And A Cat's Too) in Hatboro. The basket includes dog treats, a dog toy and a candle. 

Dogs are awesome and we were thrilled at Patch to be able to celebrate so many of them with our readers. Thank you to everyone who participated!