Offaly pooch features in final of Petmania 'Puppy of the Year' contest

The Petmania retail chain hosted the final of its 'Puppy of the Year' competition last weekend, with Offaly puppy 'Nala', a small cross-breed rescue, representing the Tullamore store at the event.

'Donut', a mastiff puppy from Laois won the overall title on the day, fighting off stiff competition from over 1,600 puppies in total from across the country.

Speaking about reaching the overall final and representing the Tullamore store, Nala’s owner Fiona Boyce said, "In terms of Nala getting to the final, it is an amazing feeling but also a bit of a surreal one.

"We had copped how much competition there was in the Tullamore branch, some of whom even have a social media presence, so we really hounded our friends and family daily to get voting online.

"Given how regularly we shop in Petmania we were able to register votes in the store too. When we rescued Nala back in June as a little 10 week old pup, we just knew she was for us.

"We actually got a DNA test done on her as her breed was unknown, that's how obsessed we are with her! It's a terrific feeling for us as owners too seeing our puppy getting to the final.

"She's such a gorgeous little dog and we're delighted to give her a Forever Home, thanks to Cara Rescue, and to see her make the final is just the icing on the cake."

Petmania held the finale of the Puppy of the Year competition on Saturday last in its Kilkenny store.