Celebrating Our Amazing Pets With The Petplan Pet Awards

Do you think your pet is amazing? I know I do and I bet I’m not alone – most pet owners will be able to tell you a hundred reasons why their pets are so special, and they all are in their unique way. So when leading pet insurer Petplan told us they were launching the Petplan Pet Awards to celebrate the UK’s most amazing pets, we thought the awards would be a fantastic way to share just how much our pets mean to us. 

And this has never been more true than in times like these. I certainly didn’t expect Lockdown to have the effect on me it has, especially at the start when my anxiety levels were sky-high. But having my dogs – Belinha and Moleque by my side, and having to take care of their wellbeing during this strange time, helped me take care of mine too.

Here on The Dogvine, we are known for exploring London and sharing our finds with our fellow four-legged friend, but this, as well as normal life, was put on hold literally overnight. It took me a while to readjust, but when I did I realised that there was indeed a silver lining to this particular cloud. Being forced to slow down our pace of life and work from home for my day job, meant being able to spend more time each day with my dogs, doing things they love.

For our dog walks, we steered clear of our crowded local park and the stress that avoiding joggers and others while trying to maintain social distancing caused. Instead, we have been rediscovering some of the fantastic green and woodland spaces nearby. Being able to enjoy a peaceful, relaxed walk with the dogs by my side, and birds singing in the trees, made all the difference to getting through Lockdown. It also reminded me how important it is to make time for these pockets of peace and calm with our pets, compared to our busy pre-lockdown lives that never seemed to stop.

For those of you who don’t know, I rescued Belinha and Moleque from the streets of Rio de Janeiro over ten years ago whilst I was living there. Although that’s a story for another time, I never dreamt that when I did, my little mutt Belinha would go on to be the face of a Top UK Dog Blog, helping other dogs create special memories exploring dog-friendly London with their own humans.

My beloved Belinha will be fourteen on her next birthday, and I hope we have lots more time together still to come. Putting normal life on pause has been an unexpected gift from Lockdown that I am grateful for as I got to spend more time with the little rescue dog who is not only my best friend but the doggy London guide with possibly the best-known ears in town. 

So whether you’ve got a rescue pet like Belinha who’s found their happy ending, a companion pet you depend on, or a natural-born entertainer that makes everybody laugh, why not enter them into the Petplan Pet Awards and celebrate the unconditional love they give us?

Here’s how…