Starting from Monday (September 28) everyone is welcome to vote for the candidates of The Most Dog-Friendly Deed of the Year competition, the winner of which will be announced at the BIG Match Show on October 11.
This year The Most Dog-Friendly Deed of the Year competition is taking place within the BIG Match Show already for the second time. Submitting candidates for the competition took place from September 13 to September 25. From the submitted nominees the jury selected 3 candidates from whom the winner shall be selected through a Internet poll, which will take place from September 28 to October 7. It is possible to give your vote at www.bigmatchshow.ee/konkurss.
This year the jury selected the following persons for the final vote:
Oskar Sisas from Võru County, who spent almost 40,000 kroons for treating the broken bones of the front paws of a dog named Simba who was adopted from an animal shelter and got seriously injured when it accidentally ran in front of a hay cutting tractor.
Well-known veterinarian Tiina Toomet, who donated 10% from the proceeds of her book for the medical treatment of homeless pets.
Hedvig Tahlfeldt, who initiated the campaign Aita Eesti koeri - Help Estonian dogs, which attempts to raise a million kroons for helping dogs in need.
The Most Dog-Friendly Deed of the Year is a title, which is given to a person or persons who have contributed significantly to the Estonian dog raising practices, the promotion of good practices of raising dogs, and acknowledging and reliving the problem of homeless animals. The title is given at the BIG Match Show which takes place on October 11.
Last year, when the competition took place for the first time, 4 candidates were submitted of whom Piret Audse, who is active in helping abandoned and abused dogs, was selected through an Internet poll.
According to the patron of BIG Match Show, Marju Länik, it is thankworthy that attention is turned to the issue of homeless animals and efforts are made to alleviate this problem. "Promoting contemporary practices of raising dogs and acknowledging prominent persons in this field with the title of The Most Dog-Friendly Deed of the Year is positive in every sense," Länik added.
The initiators and organisers of The Most Dog-Friendly Deed of the Year competition are MTÜ Eesti Koeraomanike Selts and BIGBANK AS. The competition takes place within the charity dog show BIG Match Show.
This year the BIG Match Show will be taking place at the Kristiine Sports Hall on October 11 at 12:00 p.m. already for the fifth time and is therefore celebrating a small jubilee. BIG Match Show is the largest annual charity dog show in Estonia, the aim of which is to draw attention to the issue of homeless animals, the possibilities of solving this issue and to support shelters for homeless animals. This year, all the profits of the BIG Match Show are donated to the Valga and Viljandi animal shelters. In earlier years BIG Match Show has supported the shelters for homeless dogs in Rakvere, Kohtla-Järve, Pärnu, Tartu, Võru and Haapsalu.
In order to take part in the dog show, it is possible to preregister oneself at the webpage www.bigmatchshow.ee until 9 October. For preregistered dogs, the participation fee is 75 kroons and for those who register on the spot the fee is 100 kroons. On the spot, the entry fee for visitors is 25 kroons and a family ticket costs 50 kroons. Entry for pensioners and children up to the age of 12 is free.
