A dog lover from Nuneaton who has shown an outstanding commitment to man’s best friend has won the ROYAL CANIN Outstanding Achievement Award, as part of the Kennel Club’s Good Citizen Dog Scheme Awards 2016. Winner Bill Baird received his award during a prize-giving ceremony hosted by the Kennel Club in London.
The national award, now in its third year, rewards an individual who has made an outstanding contribution and commitment to responsible dog ownership through the Good Citizen Dog Training Scheme. This can be through exceptional work on a project, a dog training initiative or an individual dog.
Bill was nominated for the awards having successfully promoted the Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Scheme at the Nuneaton Dog Training Club for around ten years.
His dedication to dog training sees him giving up many hours of his time to help dog owners train their dogs; including offering one-to-one sessions for people whose dogs struggle with mainstream classes.
Members of his classes have stated that Bill is extremely knowledgeable, approachable and puts in a lot of effort in order to ensure that people are better equipped to train their dogs and ensure that their four-legged friends stay socialised and happy.
On his win, Bill said: "It feels absolutely fantastic, both for myself and for my training club. A well trained dog will have a far better quality of life than one that is not trained, and we have a fantastic team of instructors at Nuneaton Dog Training Club who deal with a number of problem dogs and those that just need a bit of training."
Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary, added: “Bill has demonstrated his outstanding commitment to responsible dog ownership and is truly deserving of this award. So many dogs and dog owners in the Nuneaton area have likely benefited from his enthusiasm and dedication.
“A huge congratulations must also go to each of the other finalists for their continued contribution to the Good Citizen Dog Training Scheme.”
The public voted for the winner via the ROYAL CANIN website where the four finalists for the award were listed. Each of the finalists were invited to attend the ceremony at the Kennel Club in London to find out who had won the most votes.
A spokesperson for ROYAL CANIN said: “Dogs are at the heart of everything we do which makes us honoured to present this year’s Outstanding Achievement Award to Bill who has gone the extra mile when it comes to responsible dog ownership.
“The Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Training Scheme is a great way for dog owners to come together and enhance their relationship with their pets, which makes Royal Canin proud to be a part of such a recognised scheme.”