(Updated 19/8/01)

More awards for the Canine Partners

TWO DOGS trained by Petersfield based charity, Canine Partners for Independence, have scooped top awards at the inaugural Discovery Animal Plant Pet Awards held in London on 2nd August.

Frodo, the chocolate Labrador, and his partner, Stephanie Pengelly, form Southend-on-Sea, Essex, won the ‘Working Pet’ award. This is not their first award – they have also won the ‘Golden Bone Working Dog of the Year Award 2000’ and the ‘Devotion to Duty Gold Medal Winner’ in the Pro Dogs awards in December 1999 and were runners-up in the BBCs cleverest animals in the world series Clever Dicks.

First time winners were David Beard and his Canine Partner, Inca, a Retriever/GSD cross. The Worcestershire team won the ‘Best Friend’ award.

The awards – or ‘Nellies’ – celebrate heroic pet endeavours and was attended by a host of VIPs (very important pets) and their owners. The judging panel included TV ‘petsperts’ Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan and Mark Evans.

CPI was well represented n the night. As well as the two winners, they also had two other finalists, Gareth Jones and his Golden Retriever, Erando Hero, from Caldicot, Wales, and Sarah Fencot and Danny from Waterlooville in Hampshire. In addition, advisory vet, Nick Thompson, was also a finalist in the ‘Top Vet’ category.

CPI Chief Executive, Alistair Laing, who presented the ‘Animal Hero’ award during the evening, said he was delighted with the charity’s success on the night. ‘We had finalists in five of the ten categories. This is a great achievement and well done to Stephanie and David’. Also present at the awards was Nina Bondarenko, CPIs Programme Director, representing the dog training team who work so hard to train these fantastic dogs.

The awards will be broadcast on Discovery’s Animal Planet at 7.30pm on 23 September and more information can be obtained from Canine Partners for Independence on 01730-8948.