New Zealand’s Top Dog: Hard-working Bay of Plenty hounds in the finals

White Swiss shepherd Indy from Tauranga has made it into the finals of the 2024 Frog Recruitment NZ Top Dog competition.

Some of the Bay of Plenty’s hardest-working hounds are one paw closer to glory after making it into the finals of the 2024 Frog Recruitment NZ Top Dog competition.

Three coveted titles are up for grabs - New Zealand’s Top Dog with a Job, Top Office Dog and the People’s Choice.

There’s a category for every pooch, from the four-legged office friends who boost morale and wellbeing to the clever canines making their mark as therapy dogs, pest detectors, teacher aides and sheep herders.

Nearly 400 dogs nationwide were nominated for this year’s contest, which is in its ninth year.

Tauranga’s white Swiss shepherd Indy has made it into the finals of the 2024 Frog Recruitment NZ Top Dog competition.

Tauranga white Swiss shepherd Indy is a leading contender for Top Dog with a Job, according to owner Alison Stubbington.

A much-loved part of the team at Icepack Kennels, Indy takes her job as a canine genetic discoverer for her breed seriously - with she and her litter making veterinary research history by the discovery of cerebellum hypoplasia, Stubbington said.

“Apart from being a world-class DNA warrior, Indy enjoys going for runs in the forest with her friends and sleeping by the fire at night.”

Rotorua labrador huntaway cross Burt is also gunning for the Top Dog with a Job award.

Owner Emily McGowan chaperones him to The Care Village in Ngongotahā on Mondays.

“My dog’s job is [to be] a canine friend and therapy dog. Every week, we go into a local retirement village and spend time with the residents,” McGowan said.

“Most of them have Alzheimer’s and dementia, not remembering most recent things, but remembering years gone by.

“Burt’s job is to bring company to those who cannot get out, and his visits trigger a lot of stories, whether it’s about dogs they had growing up on farms, showing dogs at breed shows, and even stories about Burt Munro, who Burt is named after.

“Some people I have never heard speak until they pat Burt. One lady gets quite chatty in te reo Māori every time we see her.”

Rotorua labrador huntaway cross Burt is a contender for the Top Dog with a Job award.

Another Rotorua competitor is Shiro, a Japanese spitz in the Top Office Dog category. Shiro joins owner Marcus Powell to work at Digital Natives Academy, helping run fulltime courses for youth who may have been left behind in mainstream schooling.

“These students come to us to learn and study in coding, game design, content creation and other digital pursuits,” Powell said.

“DNA is a safe space for nerds and geeks alike. Having Shiro on-site has not only [had] a huge impact on our students, but also on staff as well. Even though he is still a young puppy of 11 months old, he already understands the assignment of dealing with staff and students in this environment.

“His calm and welcoming nature allows students to come up to him, sit, talk to and pat him. [The effect of] that very act alone can be seen [through] the students’ demeanours, as they instantly feel more calm and composed,” Powell said.

“For staff as well, his presence and pats and cuddles allow for them to take a minute to wash their stress away. Every workplace and every school should have a dog.”

Several other pooches from all over the Bay of Plenty were finalists in the People’s Choice category.

‘They make life better’

Frog Recruitment managing director Shannon Barlow said the competition was established to celebrate man’s best friend, and acknowledge the extraordinary impact dogs have on people’s lives and the positive contribution they make to society.

“The huge popularity of this annual event highlights the immense value we place on our four-legged friends.”

Shiro the Japanese spitz.

While the types of dogs, and the jobs they do, expanded every year, Barlow said one thing never changed: “All our pooches share one common attribute - they make life better.”

NZ’s Top Dog competition this year raised money for NZ mental health and dog-related charities.

Category winners will take home a Top Dog trophy and a slew of prizes.

Voting for the People’s Choice category via Frog Recruitment’s website closes at 9am next Thursday and winners will be announced live on Frog Recruitment’s social media channels at 12.30pm.