This in from Southern Water, in their own words. Ed
Millie is top dog in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight following a competition which encouraged staff in the region to submit a cute, funny or festive photo of their pooch.
Nick John, a Customer Excellence Liaison Officer for Southern Water, based at Fairlee, was rewarded with £25 worth of shopping vouchers after competition judges from UK charity, Canine Partners, liked the look of Millie.
‘Millie looks really chilled out on the sofa and is cheekily sticking her tongue out at the person taking the picture’ said the judges.
She’s the boss!
Nick said:
“Millie lives at home with me, my wife Jan and our six year-old Border Terrier Ben. She came to us as a rescue dog when she was three after being poorly treated. She was very nervous and would cower, especially with men, but now she has a lovely temperament, running and somersaulting along the beech. She loves children and is a very clever dog who wants you to know that she’s the boss but do you know what? She actually is!”
Southern Water’s metering team, who are working to install nearly 500,000 water meters across the South East, launched the competition to promote the Canine Partners charity.
Every year, the different departments in Southern Water choose a charity to support. Canine Partners has been selected by employees from the metering department for the past three years.
Transforming lives of people with physical disabilities
Canine Partners, which relies on donations, is dedicated to transforming the lives of people with physical disabilities by training dogs to help with everyday tasks that would otherwise be difficult, painful or impossible to carry out.
The tasks the dogs perform, which include opening doors, pressing buttons and signaling for help in an emergency, provides their owners with confidence and the ability to lead an independent life.
Cat Harvey, Trust and Corporate Manager at Canine Partners, said:
“We would like to thank all those who put forward their festive photos into the Top Dog competition.
“We are grateful to Southern Water Metering Team for choosing us as their charity and continuing to raise money so we can fund more assistance dogs through their training.”
Julie Carly, Communications Manager at Southern Water, said:
“Since 2011, we have raised nearly £6,000 for this fantastic charity though dress down days, cake sales and annual events such as quiz nights.
“At Southern Water we are proud to support this charity which really helps change lives.”
