Did you enter your pet into our 2021 Paw Prints competition?
Last month, we produced a number of special supplements in the Evening Express containing hundreds of cute pet pictures.
They were whittled down by over 1,000 public votes to just three winners who were crowned as this year’s most voted for dog, cat and best of the rest pets in our readership regions.
Each of the winners will receive a trophy, canvas print, pet hamper and a £200 pet shop voucher to spoil their winning pets with.
Most Voted Dog
Frankie, a miniature schnauzer who lives in Turriff, came up trumps in our dog category.
She’s only seven months old and her “dog daft” owner, Stephen McAtasney, says she is a ball of fun.
“She’s a very hyper dog, she loves her toys,” he says.
“She’s very friendly and is always barking, speaking and playing with other dogs.”
Stephen adds that he’s overjoyed with Frankie’s Paw Prints win and that he’ll also be donating a portion of the winnings to a home for stray cats and dogs.
“It’s something that I never expected to win,” he says.
“Frankie will have a great Christmas now, that’s for sure.
“I’ve had dogs throughout my life, so I’ll also be taking some of the goodies down to Mrs Murray’s Home for Stray Dogs and Cats.”
Most Voted Cat
Breagh, a nine-year-old tortoiseshell cat who lives in Aberdeen, was the winning feline in our cat category.
Diane and Ian Cumming are her owners and they’ve adopted many rescue pets, including Breagh, over the years.
“Breagh loves to be petted, but she can also be very bossy at times,” says Ian.
“She always chums up to you whenever she’s after some food – she rules the house.”
Ian tells us that Breagh also has some quirky tendencies too.
“She always drinks water from the bird bath in the garden and never from her own bowl,” he laughs.
With Breagh’s win, Ian says he is “happy and surprised” and is now contemplating what new things to buy for Breagh with his voucher.
Best of the Rest
Last but certainly not least is Gerry the hamster.
This adorable four-month-old ball of fluff is owned by Becca Hay, from Kintore, who adopted Gerry from a local pet shop earlier this summer.
“I have little cousins and I wanted for them to have a little pet to play with while they were at my house,” she says.
“His favourite food is watermelon and he’s allergic to tomatoes, which is a bit bizarre.
“He’s really friendly; he’ll usually come out in the evenings and I’ve got this furry blanket which he snuggles right into and falls asleep.”
Becca adds that she’s so excited for Gerry to have won.
“I didn’t expect a hamster to win!” she says.
“I did have quite a lot of my friends voting for Gerry. I’m proud of him.
“With the pet shop voucher, Gerry already has a ball pit but I might buy him a new tunnel as well.”
All of our Paw Prints pictures are available to view on the Evening Express website and we’ll be running the competition again next year if you think your pet has what it takes to be crowned champ, or if you just want to see them in print and online. Good luck!