There was a worthy winner in Westminster today as Rocco, a 16 month old Cockapoo, belonging to Hugo Swire, Conservative MP for East Devon, won a convincing victory after being voted for the public in the annual Westminster Dog of the Year competition’s ‘paw-blic’ vote category.
The competition, organised by the Kennel Club and Dogs Trust, took place today (Thursday 29th October), in Victoria Tower Gardens, Westminster where the winner of the Paw-blic vote was unveiled alongside the overall competition winner. Dog Rocco showed he really is the people’s pooch after receiving the most votes via the Kennel Club’s website beating 16 paw-litical opponents to win the paw-blic vote, following a well-fought social media battle for victory.
The MPs entering the competition campaigned hard, canvassing for votes from the public. This year, the event focused on the importance of training and education and aims to reinforce the messages surrounding responsible dog ownership which in turn helps to strengthen the bond between dog and owner.
The public were asked to vote for the political pooch they deemed to be the most deserving based on their canine credentials through their canine CVs which includes a series of questions put to the MP and their dog.
Winning MP, Hugo Swire, said of his beloved dog: “I am so proud of Rocco for winning the hearts of the public and would like to thank all those who helped secure his first place. Rocco is a wonderful companion and very sociable, so he had a great time at Westminster Dog of the Year.”
The overall victor in this Year’s Westminster Dog of The Year were dog duo Lady and Godiva, a Miniature Schnauzer and Schauzer, Labrador and Jack Russell cross, owned by Andrea Jenkyns, MP for Morley and Outwood. Leading the opposition in second place was Carla, a military dog taken to the event by Penny Mordaunt MP for Portsmouth North, with a place in the (trophy) cabinet awarded to Dogs Trust dog, Casper, a Yorkshire Terrier entered into the competition by Chris Matheson MP for the City of Chester in third.