2 DOGS win dream travel job that’s had over 100,000 applicants

Two dogs, Darcy and Darla from Liverpool, have been selected to become Canine Cottages’ Canine Critics for 2022. Over 100,000 dogs from all over the UK applied for this dream job, which involves staying in and reviewing four of Canine Cottages’ dog-friendly holiday homes.

Darcy and Darla, a Dalmatian and a Dalmatian/Staffy cross, stood out with their sense of adventure and their love of travelling the UK, which they also document on their Instagram account, showcasing their excellent photography skills too. Their owners were also very candid about Darla’s epilepsy and how important dog-friendly holidays are to them, as they enable Darla to live life to the full while still staying close to her owners’ side.

As the newly selected Canine Critics, Darcy and Darla will be staying at four Canine Cottages around the UK (a prize worth £4000), documenting their travels on social media and also writing reviews of their cottage holidays for the Canine Cottages website.

Upon finding out they were chosen as the Canine Critics for 2022, Darcy and Darla said: “We are so excited to explore the UK thanks to Canine Cottages. We can’t wait to try and test four stunning locations and see what each area has to offer for both human and hound! Even better, we get to share all our adventures and thoughts with our friends online. We feel so lucky and truly grateful for this opportunity and we hope to do you all proud!”

To apply to be a Canine Critic, dogs and their owners were asked to share a brief ‘pup personality’ description as well as a recent photo. The company were looking for dogs with character and an obvious love of fun and adventure, along with a willing human who would be able to capture their experiences staying with Canine Cottages.

Selecting a winner from over 100,000 entries was no easy task, but fortunately this was aided by the superb Canine Critic judging panel: Ali Taylor (Battersea’s Head of Canine Behaviour), Madeline Shaw (Pets At Home’s Director of Proposition) and Graeme Hall (dog trainer and star of Channel 5’s Dogs Behaving Very Badly).

Madeline Shaw said about Darcy and Darla: “Darcy & Darla’s owners clearly have a huge passion for pets. What stood out for me was both the way that Darla has resiliently coped with her epilepsy diagnosis and is able to live her life to the fullest by enjoying her many adventures, as well as the clearly heart-warming partnership that both her and Darcy have for each other.”

Several other pups also won prizes, with nine other shortlisted entries, as well as ten selected at random from all 100,000 entries, also winning a Canine Cottages voucher to spend on a holiday of their choice.