Our PAT dog winner
You voted in your thousands and now we’re delighted to reveal the winner of the Pets As Therapy Dog of the Year 2017
After a madcap morning of high-adrenaline agility, the Crufts arena suddenly had a rare moment of peace and quiet as six beautifully calm doggies took to the floor. Tails wagging, gazing dotingly at their owners, the six super-softies are the finalists of the Hi-Life PAT Dog of the Year Award, the annual competition recognising amazing pets and their owners who visit people in their community. Georgie, Rocco, Devon, Sausage, Janna and Daisy are all heroes in their own right. But after months of voting by you, our animal-mad readers, there could only be one winner. And in the end, it was Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Sausage, who took home the trophy. Sausage’s warm, cheeky spirit has changed lives in St Ewold’s Residential Home where he’s been visiting for four years. As the winner, Sausage and his owner, Angie Seedhouse, were presented with the PAT Dog of the Year trophy, a £500 cheque and six months’ supply of Hi-Life dog food by TV dog trainer Victoria Stilwell and Yours Associate Editor, Jenny Cripps. Having travelled the furthest of all the PAT Dogs, hailing from Jersey, Sausage certainly made the most of the Crufts spotlight, spending the ceremony showing off his belly and performing roly-polies for his adoring audience. And Sausage’s owner, Angie, was equally delighted with her boy’s win. “I’m absolutely over the moon that he’s won. It really is wonderful,” says Angie. Sausage became a PAT Dog after Angie noticed his constantly calm nature and asked a friend involved in the charity if he could be assessed. Since then, they’ve been visiting St Ewold’s every week. “Sausage has been making a huge difference to the people he meets,” says Angie. “The loveliest story was of a Madieran gentleman who was the first person Sausage and I visited in a room. He started talking to Sausage straight away and as I left the activities manager said to me that was the first time she’d ever heard that man speak. Later his wife told me he lived for Sausage’s visits.” Sausage, too, relishes his visits to the home. “One week when we couldn’t go because of illness, he sulked all day because he was missing out on his cuddles,” laughs Angie. As well as visiting residents, Sausage also does phobia work, helping an autistic man overcome his fear of dogs. So what is it that makes Sausage such a terrific PAT Dog? “He’s so calm and has a great empathy for people. If we go and visit someone who’s been ill or is a bit down, he’ll spend longer with them as he chooses how long he stays with everyone. It’s almost like he doesn’t want to leave until he’s made them smile.”