Winnie the COTONPOO

GEMMA BOTTOMLEY, 30, helps to manage her family’s chain of builders’ merchants and lives with husband Jack, also 30, who works in sales. Winnie is a poodle crossed with a Coton de Tulear.

GEMMA says: ‘When I take Winnie for a walk I have to allow an extra 45 minutes because so many people stop us with comments like “she’s so cute!” and “she looks like a teddy bear!” One day last week we were stopped 31 times.

‘Winnie was ten weeks old when I got her last August from a breeder, one of only two then breeding Cotonpoos.

‘She’s the first dog I’ve ever had, she cost €1,400 and even my husband, who was initially resistant, has fallen for her mischievous charms. ‘Winnie is low maintenance, has oodles of confidence and loves human affection.

‘To our amusement, she walks around on her back legs like a meerkat, which is the poodle in her. ‘She also learns tricks very quickly, but she’s a diva so there’s no guarantee she’ll perform to order.’