The Whangamata Community Pool held a Dog's in Togs day ahead of closing for two months for maintenance.
Video / Hauraki-Coromandel Post
With dog registration season fast approaching, Napier City Council is hunting for one classy canine to become the “poster dog” for the 2024/25 dog registration campaign.
Six canine champions, previously nominated by their owners, will go jowl-to-jowl in Napier’s third annual Dog Model competition, with voting beginning on Tuesday,April 30 and running through to Sunday, May 5.
In addition to a photoshoot, they will win a brand-new blue dog tag with one year of free dog registration.
So, who are the popular pooches in the running for the job?
The six finalists are all Napier-based and registered with Napier City Council.
Charlie, Ned, Flint, Amber, Douglas and Hugo were all nominated by their humans via social media.
Ned is a 3-year-old vizsla who is quite small for his age. He was the runt of his litter of 12 and is often asked if he’s still a puppy. He is said to be “very happy” on-lead and loves to meet people. His owners love his high energy, and they walk or run with Ned every day.
Ned is high-energy and loves running and walking. Photo / Napier City Council
Charlie is a 5-year-old border collie described as a “wonderful” family member who loves playing with her soccer ball. She’s also a talented athlete who participates in dog agility training. A serious accident when she was 2 meant she had to have six months off running, but she recovered fully and is now back competing.
Charlie participates in dog agility training and loves competing. Photo / Napier City Council
Hugo is said to be a real “people dog” who loves walks at Napier’s lovely parks, with Park Island being one of his favourites. He also has a word board with buttons at home that he is learning to use to communicate, with his favourite phrases being “treats”, “play” and “love you”. The talented trickster can also roll over and take selfies.
Hugo is a "people dog" and happy to be on a lead. Photo / Napier City Council
Flint is a dalmatian, part of a litter of 13, and moved from Sydney to Napier two years ago. He is said to be enjoying the “chill” lifestyle of Hawke’s Bay. He often shows his people-loving personality through a grin and has a love of food that helps him put together a slew of tricks.
Flint is a smiling dalmatian who loves food. Photo / Napier City Council
Amber is a rescue who is much-loved by her family. When she was adopted, it took over three months for Amber to learn what toys were. She likes caravaning, river swimming and running around with the human grandparents. She is said to be gentle, kind and loves nothing more than long runs at the park.
Amber is a much-loved rescue who loves river swimming and runs. Photo / Napier City Council
Douglas is a 10-year-old rescued Brussels griffon who is “quite a character”. He’s said to be excellent on-lead, knows how to sit and lie down on command, and will sometimes roll over. After taking time to settle, he is becoming more social and less anxious, but he is still a little scared of loud noises, sudden movements and flies. He loves car rides and going to Park Island and Marine Parade.
Rescue dog Douglas is slowly coming out of his shell. Photo / Napier City Council
Lance Titter, executive director of city services at Napier City Council, says the Dog Model competition is fun with a serious message.
“Dog registration is really important because it means we can get lost dogs back to their homes, make sure any dogs causing issues in public spaces can be managed safely and ensure we’re providing good services and facilities for dog owners and their furry friends.”
Napier has close to 8000 registered dogs. All dogs must be registered from three months of age, and registrations are due by July 1 every year.
