Maine Coon Darwin and whippet cross Scout have been named the ROYAL CANIN® Rescue Cat and Dog of the Year, respectively. Rescue cats and dogs were entered into the competition run via ROYAL CANIN®’s Facebook page.
Darwin and Scout have each received a hamper of ROYAL CANIN® products, while the rescue centre they came from receives enough food for up to 50 dogs or cats for a month.
Suzy Roffey, ROYAL CANIN® national sales manager PRO, says: “This is the fifth year of the competition, and the first time we’ve opened it up to dogs as well. Our aim is to drive awareness and provide support for the many rescue centres we work with throughout the UK, as well as another way of driving footfall into the specialist pet trade.
“It’s also very rewarding for us, as animal lovers, to be able to know that rescue dogs and cats are getting the benefit of health nutrition, both while they are in rescue and when they move on to their forever homes.”
Five year old Darwin lives with Alison and Mark Ware at TC’s Forever Home, the cat sanctuary they couple have devoted their lives to in Dundrum, Co. Down. In April this year, Darwin was shot in the face with a shotgun, suffering extensive facial damage. Darwin underwent several operations and almost died in Alison’s arms twice, but he and the vets fought incredibly hard, and 12 weeks to the day since his accident Darwin was fully recovered – apart from a little ‘Elvis’ lip and a tendency to dribble it is impossible to believe he was so badly hurt.
Seven year old Scout now lives with vet nurse Tracey Ison and her husband Paul in Hinckley, after being rehomed aged six months from East Midlands Dog Rescue.
Scout’s life didn’t start well: picked up as a stray, tiny puppy in County Durham, it was initially thought that he was blind and deaf. He also had mange and kennel cough. However three amazing rescue organisations worked together to save his life, and it was love at first sight for Tracey and Paul when they met him at East Midlands Dog Rescue.
For more information about Rescue Pet of the Year 2017 or the ROYAL CANIN® ranges in general, contact a ROYAL CANIN® Business Manager, call 0845 606 9980 or visit www.royalcanin.co.uk.
