Cavan pooch bids for national title

A death defying mongrel who made his way across the continent to his Cavan forever home is Cavan's entrant in this year's prize pet competition.

The Nose of Tralee is Ireland’s largest pet competition open to all types of pets. The 2020 contest is the seventh year of the competition and each year more people across Ireland take part in a bid to win the title.

It's open to pet owners from all 32 counties and all pets, from dogs to hamsters to horses, are welcome. Over 1,000 pets entered the Pet Sitter's competition and the county-by-county finalists were revealed this week.

The Nose of Tralee allows pet owners show off their pet’s unique talents. Patricia Brady is the owner of the Winston a pooch with an interesting pedigree: “I brought Winston to Ireland from Romania. He escaped euthanasia twice. Somebody tagged me on him as I would be well known for helping injured dogs. I didn't realise he was in Romania when I said yes. But I was committed at that point. A month later I flew to Manchester to meet him.”

Winston's arrival in Ireland from Romania in September 2018 was just the start of his story. He needed major surgery on his legs, which went wrong. An MRSA infection took 15 months to fix: “He's an inspiration to never give up. So happy, full of personality and never once stopped giving kisses throughout his journey. He has been through so much and we see him as an advocate for disabilities pets,” Patricia, who runs the Royal Dog Rescue, said.

Winston, who has his own Facebook page and Instagram account, is now resident in Tullyco. The daring doggo is somewhere between four and five years of age in human years, and Patricia “hasn't a clue” what his ancestry is: “We have to get a DNA test, but there is some kind of Bull breed in there, perhaps crossed with a Labrador. He has warped legs and a very long spine, but he is very loved.”

Most of the 32 entrants from every county in Ireland are dogs, but three interloping cats from Limerick, Meath and Wicklow and a Sligo pig called George also vie for the title.

Each pet was judged in three categories to get to the final stage. They were the number of public votes (33% of score), quality, cuteness and uniqueness of photo (33% of score), and written entry (33% of score).

The first prize is the title Nose of Tralee 2020, a €200 pet sitting and dog walking voucher, a photo shoot with David MaCauley including a canvas image, a €500 Tesco voucher, the second prize is a €100 pet sitting and dog walking voucher and a €50Tesco voucher.

In order for Winston to sniff out the top prize he needs a pack of Cavan people to vote for him. Last year's winner attracted over 15,000 votes, so voters are asked not to paws for thought. The details of how to support your favourite pet and perhaps see Cavan achieve All Ireland glory in the Nose of Tralee can be had by visiting: https://www.petsittersireland.com/vote-nose/ from August 5 on to August 25 and this public vote will decide which of the 32 finalists is Crowned the 2020 Nose of Tralee.