Who’s the cutest dog in Kansas City? The votes are in. Meet Murphy, a ‘heroic dog’

Everyone thinks their dog is the cutest. But only one caninewas voted the cutest in the Kansas City area by Star readers. Meet Murphy.

The 8-year-old “baby angel sent from heaven above” lives north of the river with the DeBauche family.

Sammy, Chris and sisters Sophia, 3, and Chloe, 2, adopted Murphy seven years ago from the Great Plains SPCA . His breed is “a Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen/Terrier/Angel boy mix,” according to owner Sammy DeBauche.

Even with his charming overbite and human-like eyes, Murphy is more than a pretty face.

Sammy calls him a heroic dog.

On one of the family’s daily walks, Sammy noticed a German Shepherd charging toward the family. Three-year-old Sophia was right in the big dog’s path. Suddenly, Murphy lunged in front of the toddler, protecting her from the full-grown canine.

“My husband had to, like, rip the German Shepherd off of him,” Sammy said.

The bite marks on Murphy’s neck, hind leg and paw took weeks to heal.

“Murphy definitely deserved some kind of valor medal or something after that,” said Sammy.

“Murmur,” as the sisters call him, is a protective and patient older brother. The girls dress him up in costumes—sunglasses, bunny ears, and a PAW Patrol police cap. But the family says Murphy is a cunning food thief.

He known to steal chicken nuggets and pizza slices, says Sammy.

One time, Sammy was about to sit down to a bowl of pho, but returned to find that Murphy beat her to it.

“His whole head was in the bowl,” Sammy said.

Sammy entered her “sweet baby prince” in The Star contest as a joke, but he fended off 50 canine competitors with the voting help of family and friends.

Murphy received 5,700 votes in the final round. The runners up were corgi Bowen, pit bull mix Lucy and chichi mix Sophie.