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It took 24 hours to get to England from Northern Ireland but Co Down search and rescue dog Floss is ready for the limelight at the glittering National Superdog Awards in London tonight.
With thousands of entries, Floss gained widespread attention for her exploits after finding a vulnerable woman missing at the hospital in Co Down.
The SARDA IN volunteer search dog team was called to help on the fourth day of a search for the woman and Floss and her dog handler Raph O’Connor found her cold, disoriented and very sick in a field. Thanks to the speed of her discovery, the woman recovered and Floss went on many search and rescue missions afterwards.
But tonight, Floss is being cleaned and cleaned instead of her work utensils while she and her family, Ralph and Clair O’Connor, attend the glittering awards ceremonies in central London.
Clair said: “We almost didn’t come because Floss couldn’t travel by plane, but we took the night ferry from Belfast to Liverpool and then the train from Liverpool to London and then the tube from Euston to Charing Cross Took 24 hours to get here but we are here and we are delighted.
The Queen is at the residence and so is Floss … ready for her Superdogs ceremony
(Image: Ralph O’Connor)
Now Floss is one of three dogs that are competing for the name SuperDog: The ultimate award for a heroic dog who has shown extraordinary courage in an extraordinary situation.
She is next to Lucy, a Cavalier King Charles who sadly passed away in December 2016 after living on a puppy farm. Rescued in 2013 at the age of five, she weighed less than half the normal body weight for her breed.
Paul O’Grady with special girl Lucy
(Image: Lisa Garner)
Today, Lucy’s legacy is Lucy’s Law, named after her to prevent other dogs from suffering the way she did. Their plight threw a light on the dogs, which remained hidden from view, gave them a voice and attracted a movement against the hideous puppy breeding in Great Britain.
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Also in the Supedog category is Max, the Springer Spaniel who helped a stranger become a friend, taught him to walk again and became an ointment for psychological stress in difficult times.
Max made life worth living for a stranger who became a friend and then family
(Image: Kerry and Angela Irving)
The seventh category is reserved for dog teams and their people: for a group, organization, or charity that advocates for the lives of dogs.
And the last name on the list is Pen Fathington and the Nowzad team. Northern Irish dog lovers sided with Pen Farthing and staff and volunteers when they faced incredible pressures in Afghanistan with the onset of Taliban rule.
Pen Farthing and the Nowzad team have helped thousands of dogs survive and thrive in Afghanistan
(Image: Nowzad)
The situation escalated so quickly that Pen asked for help to get the team and the animals to safety.
The Nowzad Charity was founded in 2007 by the former Royal Marine Pen Farthing and is a registered UK charity. Nowzad worked in extremely dangerous conditions, providing branded and vet medical care to the stray dog and cat population in Kabul. They have re-housed and reunited thousands of dogs with the military personnel the animals were associated with during their active service in Afghanistan.
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Two months after their dramatic evacuation, the staff, volunteers and dogs are safe and the team has been named a finalist in a national competition for Operation Arc.
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They’re named alongside The Broken Biscuits Disabled Dogs charity, which was founded with a mission not only to save the lives of dogs considered too difficult to help, but to make a lasting difference for all perfectly imperfect pets. They are advocating this by changing their attitudes towards the adoption and rehabilitation of disabled animals.
The plush One George Street, London, where the Superdog Awards are taking place
(Image: One George Street)
They are named along with The Southampton Children’s Hospital Therapy Dogs, a team of Golden Retrievers who provide animal-assisted interventions to young patients.
Golden Retriever Leo with Archie Adams in the hospital
(Image: The Southampton Children’s Hospital Therapy Dogs)
The team has helped more than 10,000 children, including many seriously ill, and brought a smile of simple joy and a sense of normalcy to the children’s wards, including all types of medical and surgical patients, cancer treatment, and even the pediatric intensive care unit.
The Naturo Superdog Awards have seven categories, Superdog, Worker, Campaigner, Carer, Companion and Team, in each of which three applicants are named.
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Dental floss in London ahead of Tuesday’s big awards
(Image: Ralph O’Connor)
