Canine Heroes receive awards in first ever Dogs Trust Honours

Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, is proud to announce the winners of the first ever Dogs Trust Honours – dubbed “the Doggy Pride of Britain”. The results were revealed last night at a star-studded ceremony at London’s Guildhall.

The Honours were set up to recognise the nation’s canine heroes – those dogs who have gone the extra mile for their owners. Last night’s ceremony was attended by celebrity guests including Graham Norton, Martin Freeman, Sean Hughes, Anton Du Beke and Jennie Bond – though the real stars of the show were the dogs themselves.

17 dogs from across the UK were shortlisted for five different award categories: Quality of Life, Hero Dog, Lifetime Achievement, Triumph Over Adversity and the Pickles Award for outstanding canine endeavours.

The winners were announced last night and are as follows:

Quality of Life Award   Labrador Retriever Kimmy, Somerset
Hero Dog Award   Cocker Spaniel Jake, Essex
Lifetime Achievement Award  Crossbreed Cassie, North Yorkshire
Triumph Over Adversity Award Collie crossbreed Morris, Wiltshire.
Pickles Award    Newfoundland Whizz, Bristol

Dogs Trust Chief Executive, Clarissa Baldwin OBE, said:

“This is the first year the charity has run the Dogs Trust Honours, and all the finalists’ moving stories made it an incredible evening: by the end, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Now I just hope even more people enter their own canine heroes for next year’s awards, and make sure they get the recognition they deserve!”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

Free images of the winning dogs and celebrities are available at www.isfphotos.com
username:        dgh2008
password:         dogs
Please note all images are copyrighted by Gary Trotter.

For a full list of winners and runners up in each category, please visit www.dogstrusthonours.co.uk or contact the Dogs Trust Press Office:

Dogs Trust Press Office:
Sinead Scott-Lennon   020 7833 7650 Email Sinead Scott-Lennon
Krystyna McGrath    020 7833 7616 Email Krystyna McGrath
Jennifer Blaber     020 7833 7676 Email Jennifer Blaber

Or alternatively, please call the out of hours press office mobile on 07768 616 280

All winning dogs and owners are happy to be interviewed and photographed.

**THE WINNERS**
Quality of Life Award - Kimmy with owner Stephanie Jeffries, Somerset. Award sponsored by Druces and Attlee
Kimmy has transformed the life of her owners’ 11 year old daughter, Stephanie, who was born with cerebral palsy.  Thanks to Kimmy, Stephanie’s wheelchair now resides in the garage.

Hero Dog Award – Jake with handler PC Bob Crawford, Essex. Award sponsored by The Sun
With his handler PC Crawford, police dog Jake attended the scene of the terrorist attacks on July 7 2005.  Police reports say the conditions they had to endure were “horrific”, their actions “exemplary” and “without a doubt Police Dog Jake saved lives this day, whilst putting his own on offer.”   

Lifetime Achievement Award – Cassie with owners Ruth and David Boyes, North Yorks. Award sponsored by Petplan Insurance
12 year old Cassie was found abandoned in a boarded up house six years ago but has gone from strength to strength since then. Working as a PAT dog, her wonderful temperament and unconditional love have had a therapeutic and calming effect on the hundreds of people she has met in Nursing Homes, Hospitals, EMI units and schools.

Triumph Over Adversity Award – Morris with with owner Jacqueline Phillips
… was picked up as a stray in Wales, with a broken leg.  He was rehomed from our Bridgend centre by Jacqueline, but later developed Lymphoma and was given only a few months left to live.  Following surgery and chemotherapy, Morris has been clear of cancer for the past 18 months.  Since his recovery, Morris has qualified as a PAT dog and now regularly visits patients at his local hospice, where he is the highlight of the day for many residents.

Pickles Award – Whizz with owner David Pugh, Bristol. Award sponsored by Pets At Home
Whizz saved his pal Topper from drowning.  Topper disappeared while on a walk, and his owner searched for half an hour, not realising Topper had fallen into a disused water tank.  Whizz suddenly shot off into the bushes, and owner David found him pulling a heavily bleeding Topper to the side of the tank – thus saving his life.

Quotes:

Ann Jeffries, owner of Kimmy (Quality of Life Award winner)
“I’m lost for words. My daughter Steph and I had hoped Kimmy would win but we never thought he would as the other two dogs in the category had such strong stories. We’re so proud!”

David Pugh, owner of Whizz (Pickles Award winner)
“Before he came to me Whizz had two homes in the space of a year as he’s such a big, hyperactive dog. But it’s these qualities that make him perfect for water rescue – he’s exuberant, excited and takes on any challenge thrown at him. I’m so pleased he won the Pickles Award.”

Ruth Boyes, owner of Cassie (Lifetime Achievement Award winner)
“Cassie was found as a stray and was set to be put to sleep by the local authorities when Dogs Trust saved her life. We’re incredibly humbled by her lovable, affectionate nature and through her work as a PAT dog she has visited thousands of people in hospitals, hospices and schools. It’s such hard work - we’re so proud of her and pleased she’s won the recognition she deserves!”

Jackie Philips, owner of Morris (Triumph Over Adversity winner)
We were so excited to win such a prestigious award and extremely proud of Morris. He is such a special dog and to see that so many other people think so too was amazing. Huge thanks to Dogs Trust for organising a fantastic event to celebrate dogs.”

PC Bob Crawford, owner of Jake (Hero Dog Award winner)
I am so proud of Jake for this achievement. It is such an honour to work with him and I feel very lucky that I get to work with him every day! Through Dogs Trust Honours, it was great to acknowledge just how intelligent dogs can be and how much they enhance our lives.”

Sponsor Quotes:
Petplan
“We’re so pleased that Cassie won the Lifetime Achievement award. With her owners she has worked tirelessly over the years to bring joy to so many people as a PAT dog – we’re incredibly proud to sponsor the award at the first ever Dogs Trust Honours.”

Pets at Home
Gillian Buttree, Marketing Director for Pets at Home says: “Water rescue champion Whizz is a true canine hero and thanks to his instant reaction saved the life of his four-legged friend Topper.  I am delighted to be honouring him with the Pets at Home Pickles Award for outstanding achievement.  He is a shining example of why we as a business are so passionate about pets.”

Druces and Atlee
Richard Monkcom, Druces and Atlee comments: "We are delighted to have been part of such a successful event and send our warmest congratulations to Kimmy and Stephanie."
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Dogs Trust is the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, and is dedicated to ensuring the welfare of dogs. Through its network of 17 Rehoming Centres across the UK, the charity cares for over 16,000 stray, unwanted and abandoned dogs each year.
 
Dogs Trust has a non-destruction policy, and will never put a healthy dog to sleep. The charity is working towards the day when all dogs can enjoy a happy life, free from the threat of unnecessary destruction.

To find out where your nearest Dogs Trust Rehoming Centre is located, call us on 020 7837 0006 or visit our website: www.dogstrust.org.uk

Dogs Trust is working towards the day when all dogs enjoy a happy life, free from the threat of unnecessary destruction.