On Thursday 8th September, Sgt Watchman V, a six year old Staffordshire Bull Terrier from Cannock Chase, will compete with other politicians and their pooches to win the coveted title of ‘Westminster Dog of the Year 2016’.
Sgt Watchman V has been entered into the competition by local MPs; Amanda Milling, MP for Cannock Chase; Andrew Griffiths, MP for Burton; Gavin Williamson, MP for South Staffordshire; Michael Fabricant, MP for Lichfield; Christopher Pincher, MP for Tamworth and Jeremy Lefroy, MP for Stafford.
Dogs of all shapes and sizes will be heading to Victoria Tower Gardens, Westminster, London, to see who will be crowned top ‘pawlitical’ dog for 2016.
Organised jointly by the Kennel Club and Dogs Trust, the competition offers the unique chance for the MPs to show off Sgt Watchman V, a mascot to the people of Staffordshire and the Black Country.
Watchman is the traditional mascot of the Staffordshire Regiment before it was merged into the newly created Mercian Regiment in 2007. The Staffordshire Regiment was the local regiment for Staffordshire and much of the Black Country.
The theme of this year’s event focuses on the need for education to ensure that children understand how to interact safely with dogs. As well as this, the competition encourages an open dialogue on important dog welfare issues.
Amanda Milling, Member of Parliament for Cannock Chase, said: “Watchman is a unique tradition and he actually comes from Cannock Chase. He is gifted by the people of Burton upon Trent to the Staffordshire Regimental Association, but the lineage is from a locally based family, in fact a number of his predecessors also came from Cannock Chase.”
She added: “The Watchman tradition goes back generations. When a Watchman is lost, not only does another take his place, but he is buried with full military honours. As a public figure and a proud representative of the fighting men and women of Staffordshire and the Black Country, this honour would be shared by them and the whole of the Staffordshire regimental family.”
The MPs are calling on the public to vote for Watchman online in a bid to win the competitions public vote, and hopefully see Watchman crowned “Westminster Dog of the Year” 2016.
The Westminster Dog of the Year 2016 competition starts at 10.00am on Thursday 8th September at Victoria Tower Gardens. A final judging panel will determine which pooch wins the highly desired crown after considering the public vote. The panel includes last year’s winning dog owner Andrea Jenkyns MP, pervious ‘pawblic’ vote winner Hugo Swire MP, Stephen Jenkinson of the Kennel Club and Graeme Robertson from the Dogs Trust.
To vote for Sgt Watchman V, please visit www.votewatchman.co.uk.