Jess from Belfast… Ulster winner in the Face of Brandy 2016 competition

A cockapoo from Belfast is ‘in the picture’ to have her portrait on thousands of dog food packs across Ireland as part of a competition run by Brandy, the country’s biggest home grown dog food brand.

‘Dream’ dog Jess, from the north west of the city, was chosen from hundreds of entries to represent Ulster in the grand final and will now face stiff competition from the ‘champion’ dogs of Munster, Leinster and Connaught in a bid to be named Face of Brandy 2016.

The overall winner will star on selected packs of Brandy Dog Food for three months with all four finalists winning a dedicated photoshoot with their prize pet, a printed photo in presentation box and, of course, a supply of Brandy Dog Food.

Jess was a Christmas present for seven year old Zac Gibson, a pupil of Springfield Primary School, and since her arrival last December she has become a very important member of the family.

So much so that when the Zac’s parents Joanne and Darren read about the on-pack Brandy competition, they had no hesitation entering Jess along with the following self-penned poem.

“She makes us glad when she wags her tail.  She makes us sad when she eats our mail.  Whatever she does and whatever she may eat, she makes this family happy and complete,” wrote mum Joanne.

She added:  “We’re so proud that Jess has been chosen as the top dog in Ulster and we’re keeping our fingers – and paws – crossed that she wins the overall title.

“She’s been a dream dog since we got her last December and she has become such an important member of our family.  She loves cuddles, hates the rain and her favourite toy is an elephant that she’s had since the first day she arrived!  She also loves the bath and would stay in there all day if she could – but she goes crazy at the hairdryer and it usually takes two of us to get her dried afterwards. 

“Unlike most puppies, Jess hasn’t chewed everything in the house but she’s still very mischievous and loves to steal underwear and socks off the radiator,” laughed Joanne. 

Gwen Rafferty, Sales and Marketing Manager for Brandy owner Mackle Petfoods, congratulated Jess on reaching the final.

“It was a very difficult process for our judging panel to pick winners from the hundreds of entries we received but we’re delighted to announce Jess as our regional winner in Ulster and we wish her luck in the all-Ireland final,” said Gwen.

“Now more than ever, owners view their dogs as key members of the family and this really came across in our competition entries.  With this in mind, they obviously want to feed their dogs the best food that they can which is where Brandy comes in, offering high quality, 100 per cent Irish meat at a great value price,” she added.

Jess will now compete with Munster winner Buddy, a Jack Russell cross breed from Killarney, Leinster winner Nutmeg, a lurcher greyhound cross from Dublin, and Connaught winner Daisy, a border collie from County Galway to see which canine champion will fetch the all-Ireland Face of Brandy 2016 title.

Brandy is uniquely made by Mackle Petfoods using only 100 per cent Irish meat sourced from across the Island of Ireland, all traceable from farm to bowl.

Mackle Petfoods, an independent family-owned and managed business in County Armagh, was formed in 1971 and now has over 40 years’ experience working within the pet food industry.  Brandy has grown from strength to strength during this time and remains the number one Irish-made dog food brand on the island of Ireland.

Brandy is available in a range of pack sizes and varieties as well as in a dry dog food option.

More information is available onwww.facebook.com/brandydogfood or www.macklepetfoods.com/brandy/.