Earlier this year, we teamed up with Bob Martin, to launch a tail-wagging art competition for children aged 5-16. The competition coincided with Bob Martin’s 130 year anniversary, celebrating a long-standing passion for helping dog owners to take care of the little things (and we don’t just mean fleas and ticks).
Hundreds of children took part, creating paintings and drawings themed around ‘what dogs will look like in 130 years time’. All of the entries filled us with joy, laughter and prompted thoughts about what our canine companions could really look like in the future.
The judges of the competition picked two runners up and one winner in each category, age 5-11 and 12-16. The winners in each category will now see their illustration come to life as they’ve been remastered and printed on a range of products to raise funds for Pets As Therapy and the Read2Dogs scheme. The Read2Dogs is used for pupils who find reading difficult or stressful. At present around 6,000 children across the country are benefitting from the Read2Dog scheme each week. 100% of the profits from the sales of these products will go to Pets As Therapy.
Okay, okay, ‘where are the winners?’ We hear you woof! Ready to be amazed by the creative imagination of a child’s brain? Meet our future dogs:
Runner Up Age 5-11: Lola Shirtcliffe, Age 11
Lola’s bold design really impressed the judges, with her thought-provoking school dog. They especially loved the idea of Sandy learning how to look after our planet, like a little furry hero.
This is what 11-year-old Lola from Sheffield had to say about her design:
“This is a dog called Sandy – he’s a dog of the future and he goes to school to learn about lots of things – like Space and other planets and also about how to look after our world. He is happy to walk on two legs or four. Dogs of the future wear clothes like humans do now! Sandy loves his purple hoody – which is my favourite colour too.”
Runner Up Age 5-11: Skye Nairn, Age 5
5-year-old Skye from Kent created a magical rainbow dog. Her adorable design melted the hearts of all the judges. They loved the innocence in her little magical, rainbow dog and the idea of multiple rainbow dogs shooting through the stars.
Skye’s Dad, Richard Nairn said: “Skye created Rainbow Dog, a princess who wears a rainbow crown and a rocket pack. In this drawing you can see her shooting past the clouds into the stars.”
Winner Age 5-11: Noah, Age 9
9-year-old Noah from Essex created Lightning. His bold design really impressed the judges, with his thought-provoking half-and-half look. They especially loved his little hat which translates barks, because let’s face it – we’ve all dreamed about understanding our dogs.
This is what Noah had to say about his design: “My dog is half robot. He is an inventor and his name is Lightning. He has x-ray vision and a laser eye. Also he has a magnificent helmet that translates his barks into english and allows him to time-travel.”
Runner Up Age 12-16: Alex Woodward, Age 13
Alex’s adorable design really impressed the judges. We know that no matter how different things change in 130 years time, we will still have lovely, cuddly best friends. They will continue to provide us plenty of unconditional love and friendship, whether we’re on earth or in space.
This is what 13-year-old Alex Woodward from Sunderland said about his design: “I think dogs will still look cute and friendly just like they do today – after all, 130 years time isn’t all that far in the future. But, space travel might exist for humans by then and dog owners are bound to want to take their pets on trips so I’ve added a space helmet to my dog picture.”
Runner Up Age 12-16: Erin Hill, Age 13
Erin’s thought-provoking design really made the judges ‘WOW’. They loved the innovations she’s invented and embedded into her future dog. We have no doubt that this little furry hero could become a reality one day!
Here’s what 11-year-old Erin Hill from Wolverhampton had to say about her design: “I believe dogs in the future use their bionic eye to aid the NHS in scanning humans for diseases.”
Winner Age 12-16: Aura O’Brien, age 13
Aura’s design was one that made all the judges stop and think. Such a powerful message about our planet and one which is important for all of us to be mindful of.
This is what 13-year-old Aura said about her design: “In my drawing I show the issues us as humans and dogs could face in the future if we continue living like we are. My dog drawing is of a dog who is seeking help from those in the past (us now) who need to change to save him. I have given him a vaccination badge because it is believed a plague like illness will break out in the near future. The dog’s coat also says endangered to show that even a common, well known animal like himself could become threatened in the future. I have made the edges wavy to create a sea like border. This is to show the sea levels rising and that we could be living underwater vert soon if we don’t take action.”
