Hero Pup Named Petmania Puppy of the Year 2021
Petmania, along with competition partner’s BETA, has announced the winner of the Puppy of the Year 2021. The news has set one Sligo dog’s tail wagging. In an online announcement on Friday 29th of October, Petmania fans discovered that the winning pooch is Orca, a male Great Dane puppy from Sligo and who was born on the 8th May 2021.
Beating off ruff competition Orca came out as top dog ahead of a talented pack of over 1,500 pooches that entered the competition. 26,500 members of the public voted for the finalists, but Orca stole the judge’s hearts because of his unique back story. Orca’s dog mom Jo helps rescue whales, dolphins and seals which was the inspiration for his name. Orca loves splashing in the water at the beach and has lots of fun with his doggie pals who stay with them at the family business a boarding kennels. Orca, a Great Dane will one day make a great rescue dog.
Orca lives in Sligo with pet-parent Jo and three other dogs, Chicken, Popperz Piglet and Elmo and his favourite snuggle buddy is Sticky the cat (but that’s a bit of a secret!). Orca has a very busy schedule, he loves the water and heads to the beach with Jo at least five times a week, where he watches seals bobbing along in the water. He brings floaty toys for the sea and is learning to retrieve them and bring them back. Orca is also attending classes so that one day he will be able to help search for people too.
Emily Miller of Petmania Ireland said,
“We had an overwhelming entry this year with over 1,500 much-loved puppies entering our Puppy of the Year. The fourteen finalists were all winners and with their families will represent their local Petmania store magnificently for the next twelve months. Choosing a winner was not easy but after a lot of consideration, the decision was unanimous that Orca from Sligo was the outstanding puppy this year. Orca is training to be a rescue dog and her proud pet parent Jo says that Orca is already making great strides at this young age.”
Pet-parent Jo Gurney said,
“We are gobsmacked and over the moon! We had a load of people behind us voting, and a huge thank you to the judges for choosing Orca. I am covered head to toe in goosebumps!”
The Grand Prize
The adorable Orca will be pampered for a whole year with over €1,500 worth of prizes! The champion, Orca will shoot to stardom as a model pup in its own professional photoshoot and become the face of some of Petmania’s advertising campaigns in 21/22. The VIP (Very Important Puppy) will enjoy year-round pampering with a 12-month care plan at Petmania Sligo and Grooming Studio, where he will enjoy a complimentary treatment every month for a whole year.
Petmania’s nutrition partners for the Puppy of the Year 2021 will ensure that the Orca dines in style this year. BETA Puppy Food has been created to offer tailored nutrition. The range has been specially formulated with selected natural ingredients and prebiotic to support a puppy’s digestive health.
Petmania has also teamed up with Ireland’s Blue Book Hotels to offer lucky Orca the chance to chill out in the comfort of the dog-friendly Cashel House in Connemara, along with his two favourite humans.
Petmania is Ireland’s largest pet retailer with 13 stores nationwide. The Irish owned pet experts have launched the Pet Care Advice Centre a free resource for pet parents and a special Puppy Club for new puppy owners to get timely information on all of puppy’s milestones in its first year. For more information see: www.petmania.ie / @PetmaniaIreland
