PAWS FOR APPLAUSE
CELEBS WERE OUT IN FORCE TO SHOW APPRECIATION FOR SOME TRULY REMARKABLE ANIMALS
WHAT a night! It started with a marriage proposal, and the emotion, drama and laughter just didn’t let up to the end.
The Mirror People’s Pet Awards, with Webbox and charity partner Dogs Trust, were set up to celebrate the remarkable bond between pets and their people.
And every winner on a magical evening showed how much better our lives are when we have a furry friend to share them with. Now you can take a front row seat at the awards, by tuning into the exclusive YouTube broadcast.
Make sure you have a hanky handy – there were plenty of tears flowing from the first award to the last, but hilarious host Judi Love made sure this was a truly uplifting show.
Unforgettable moments came thick and fast, starting with that marriage proposal. Robert Stuhldreer was on stage accepting an award for his life-changing Akitas Flora and Kin, when he dropped to one knee and asked his partner Mark Wilson to marry him.
Mark’s delighted “yes” was greeted with cheers, and plenty of barks from four-legged guests in the Grosvenor House ballroom.
Animal winners taking to the stage included Hel, a husky who saved the life of a newborn baby, Galahad, a mastiff the size of a baby elephant, and Wilson, a pony who has brought joy and comfort to young and old by visiting care homes and working with children.
The star-studded audience fell in love with Kratu, who was rescued from Romania and is now an assistance dog for his companion Tess Eagle Swan. Kratu was named as the awards’ Social Media Superstar, and he is about to become a literary star too when his book Incredible Kratu is published in March.
Rescue Dog of the Year Bella sadly passed away just weeks before the awards, but the women who rescued her after she was tied to a rock and left to drown in a river, and Maggie Mellish, who gave her a happy forever home in her twilight months, were there to accept her award from broadcaster and animal welfare campaigner Nicky Campbell. Other famous faces honouring winners included some of our best-loved actors, presenters and sporting heroes, but the real stars of the show were the animals. Two fabulous felines showed how cats can bring joy to our lives – three-legged Minty has forged a heartwarming bond with his owner’s
seven-year-old son, helping him cope with serious health challenges. And Fire Cat, brought back from the brink after suffering severe burns, inspires everyone he meets with his spirit.
Amazing humans were honoured too – Debbie Matthews and Dr Daniel Allen won Special Recognition awards for changing the law on pet theft, alongside the Tuk’s Law campaign, which is battling to make sure animals can’t be put down without their microchip being checked.
And Chris Kent’s amazing K9 Project uses dogs to reach young people with different needs, helping them overcome challenges from mental health struggles to isolation.
The story of the night’s final winner was underpinned by grief and loss, but also provided the most inspirational example of the bond between pets and their people. Peg had been adopted by young soldier Conrad Lewis, who found the stray when he was serving on the frontline in Afghanistan.
Conrad was shot and killed by a Taliban sniper, but his parents Tony and Sandi were determined to honour his wishes and bring Peg to Britain. With the help of Kabulbased animal charity Nowzad, Peg came to live with the Lewis family. As mum Sandi says so poignantly – “We can’t look after Conrad any more, but we can look after his dog.”
In an emotional finale, Nowzad trustee David Hill presented Tony and Sandi with a plaque bearing their son’s name, which had been rescued from the animal clinic named after him during the desperate evacuation from Kabul in the summer.
It was an incredible end to an incredible show.
You can watch it all now on YouTube with this link rb.gy/w31ks0.