On Monday there was a fierce competition being fought out at Holyrood. This one took place in the parliament garden with MSPs and their dogs being put through their paces.
The winner was Winner David Torrance, MSP, and Buster a six year-old Golden Retriever.
Mark Ruskell with Joy, a Greyhound won the Pawblic vote. Presiding Officer, Alison Johnstone and Oakley a Dogs trust dog were in third place and Tess White with Kura a Flat coat retriever won second place.
The Holyrood Dog of the Year celebrates the bond between the owner and their dog. There is continued concern over the cost of living and the cost of keeping a dog, but balanced against the benefits to mental health.
Representatives highlighted some of the advice they offer and how best MSPs can use this information to help concerned constituents continue to provide for their beloved dogs.
Then the MSPs and their pups went for it over the puppy paw-sault course demonstrating their skills at a variety of different exercises and agility tests.
Mark Ruskell won the Pawblic vote with Joy, a four year old three-legged greyhound. Joy is a former racing dog that survived a serious injury as a result of racing. The dog belongs to an animal welfare campaigner and constituent who lives in the Mid Scotland & Fife region that Mark represents.
This is Mark’s second win in a row after he secured last year’s vote with a different former racing dog Bluesy. A few years before that Mark secured the Pawblic vote with his rescued former racing dog Bert.Â
Mark has long campaigned for a phase out of greyhound racing in Scotland, and will be working with Joy to make that happen.
Mark said: “I am delighted that so many people have been touched by Joy and her story. She is a beautiful dog and I was proud to take her to Holyrood where she was able to win people’s hearts as well as their votes.
“Joy is super friendly with people and fellow dogs. She has a tail that never stops wagging, and she does not let the fact that she is a three-legged dog get in the way of her running, playing or socialising.
“Holyrood Dog of the Year is a great initiative. I am sure that Joy will use her win as an opportunity to raise awareness of the concerns around greyhound racing in Scotland, the unacceptable level of injuries and deaths and the need for this gambling led industry to be phased out.
“Former racing greyhounds make amazing family pets and Joy is a great advert for rehomed greyhounds everywhere.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
