Renowned BBC sports commentator Andrew Cotter, who has been entertaining us all through lockdown with videos of his own dogs Olive and Mabel, has created his latest hilarious video with a dog named Nala for a good cause .
UK-wide charity Dogs for Good launched their #WinningFromHome competition three weeks ago which asked entrants to post a video, on Twitter, of their own companion dog during the Covid-19 lockdown, as part of the charity’s ongoing efforts to highlight the power of dogs.
Each entrant donated £2 and over £1,000 has been raised to date. This money will help Dogs for Good train assistance and community dogs to live more independently.
The winning video shows one-year-old Cavapoo, Nala, as she attempts to catch a bird in the garden, and Andrew describes her as having “the stealth of a sofa moving across the lawn”.
He explains why he chose her video as the winner: “Sport has tension, anticipation, build-up, bursts of activity, concentration and drama and Nala’s quest delivers all of those things.
“Like any serious competitor, she’s absolutely focused on the job in hand and her commitment shines through.”
He added: “I chose to support Dogs for Good because the charity celebrates the inherent good in dogs and champions the power of the human-dog bond.
“It trains dogs to help people with a wide range of disabilities and those partnerships go on to change lives.”
Andrew Cotter with his dogs, Mabel and Olive
Nala’s owners Joe and Ruth Daniels, from Chingford in Essex, who have three children Caspar, Milla and Arthur, were thrilled to win this competition and love Andrew’s commentary.
Initially Ruth was wary about getting a dog but bowed to pressure from Caspar, and now they can’t imagine life without Nala as she’s brought so much happiness to the family.
Joe Daniels said: “I wasn’t aware of Dogs for Good as a charity before lockdown and the competition has been a lovely introduction to the very special, life-changing work it carries out.
“Nala’s a funny little thing and has a lot of character. She’s playful, determined and very much her own dog. During lockdown, she’s kept us all entertained in a number of ways and when she does her ‘bird dog’ thing, it’s turned into something of a family spectator sport.
“Andrew’s commentary is perfect and he’s done Nala’s efforts proud. The build, the tension, the humour, the whole nine yards. It’s such a special thing to have happened during lockdown and is a memory that we’ll really treasure.”
The Daniels family with Nala
Dogs for Good Chief Executive, Peter Gorbing, said: “We’re all really thrilled to have worked with Andrew Cotter on this competition and well done to our very worthy winner, Nala.
“The competition highlights the fact that now, more than ever, dogs have a huge part to play in keeping the human spirit buoyed. They have anchored so many of us through lockdown by simply being dogs and offering us their unconditional and life-changing devotion.”
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