Sir David would be so proud
As tragic MP’s pet wins ‘dog of year’, PM says:
HE had tried in vain many times to scoop Westminster’s top pet prize for one of his beloved dogs.
Yesterday Sir David Amess’s French bulldog took the crown – in a poignant tribute to the murdered MP.
Three-year-old Vivienne was entered in the annual competition before the MP for Southend West was stabbed to death a fortnight ago.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said dedicated dog lover Sir David ‘would have been very proud’ that his pet had won Westminster Dog of the Year.
As part of the entry, Sir David said she ‘lifts my spirits’, adding: ‘She is always pleased to see me and makes me smile.
‘Every time I walk into the room Vivienne throws herself at me, lies on her back with her legs in the air to be tickled. But before that she always brings a toy, so she is of a generous, giving nature.’
Fittingly, Vivienne wore a neckerchief yesterday celebrating city status for Southend, which was a pet project of Sir David’s and was confirmed after his death by the Prime Minister.
The Tory MP had entered his pets into Westminster Dog of the Year more than a dozen times, having previously tried to win with rescue dogs Lilly and Bo. He described himself on his website as a ‘great animal lover’, and this was reflected by his record in Parliament.
He introduced the Protection Against Cruel Tethering Act in 1988, campaigned to stop the testing of domestic products on animals, tackled the illegal wildlife trade, and fought for an end to puppy farming.
He was a patron of the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation and won the Dods Animal Welfare and Environment Award in 2011.
Tory MP Andrew Rosindell said before the event: ‘No one loved animals like David, and no one loved their dog like David.
‘I could not feel more sadness at the fact that it will be me chaperoning Vivienne at the Dog of the Year, but I also could not feel more pride to be able to pay tribute to him in this small way.’