Hero Dog Awards 2023 - Child's Champion - Bertie with his fundraising buddy Ashley

LOCAL DOG NAMED AS FINALIST IN CRUFTS HERO AWARDSA Springer Spaniel who has spent hundreds of nights camping out with his teenage owner to raise money for rescue dogs and an organisation helping Ukrainian dogs and owners has been announced as a finalist in the prestigious Kennel Club Hero Dog Award. Launching the world’s biggest celebration of dogs, Crufts, today (Wednesday 22 February), The Kennel Club and broadcaster Kay Burley announced the five hero dogs that will compete in the public vote for the award, with the winner being announced at Crufts 2023.9-year-old Bertie, named as the finalist in the Child’s Champion category of The Kennel Club award, and his 13-year-old owner, Ashley Owens, from Welwyn Garden City, have spent over 650 nights camping out in a tent as part of their ‘sleep out to help out’ fundraising campaign.  The duo are sleeping under the stars to raise £30,000 to help a volunteer-run charity, Paws2Rescue, who are on the Ukraine border, helping find refuge for pets and owners and providing essential supplies to the sheltering Ukrainians. The charity also provides sanctuary to stray dogs, and are building a site with a play area, shelter and vet clinic where ongoing minor treatments and neutering will be carried out, to reduce the hundreds of thousands of stray dogs sleeping under the stars – just like Ashley is. Bertie gives Ashley a reason every night to continue his challenge; at times when Ashley has felt low or wavering, Bertie is there to support him through, and when temperatures dropped to the minus’, he kept Ashley warm. Kay Burley, speaking as an ambassador of The Kennel Club Hero Dog Award ahead of the unveiling of this year’s five finalists at Green Park, London, today, said: “These five special dogs are not only heroes to their owners but also to the rest of us. They make a huge difference every day by providing love, companionship and dedication, and protecting the nation and saving lives. “No one can deny the remarkable impact dogs have, from the joy they bring each day, to being by our side during the hardest times and showing extraordinary loyalty and bravery. The Kennel Club Hero Dog Award is a celebration of this unique bond we share with dogs and their heroic feats – please vote for your four-legged hero and celebrate these five inspirational dogs.”The annual Kennel Club Hero Dog Award celebrates the unique relationships people have with their dogs and the important role man’s best friend plays throughout our lives and in society. Judges from The Kennel Club, the UK’s largest dog welfare organisation, selected the five inspiring finalists to go forward for the public vote, with the winner being announced by Kay in the Resorts World Arena at Birmingham NEC on the final day of Crufts, the world’s greatest dog show, on Sunday 12 March. These five canine heroes are just some of the dogs having their day at Crufts and being celebrated at the show for the ways in which they change our lives. The award this year is also honouring those dogs involved with the search and rescue mission in Turkey and Syria after the horrific earthquake, and is calling out to those UK organisations who have coordinated the heroic teams so they can be recognised at Crufts.The winner of The Kennel Club Hero Dog Award will receive £5,000 from The Kennel Club Charitable Trust for the dog charity of their choice, with the other finalists receiving a £1,000 donation to their chosen canine charity.