It gives me great pride to stand alongside my extraordinary guide dog, Jennie, in this year’s Westminster Dog of the Year competition.

This event is truly one of my favourites on the parliamentary calendar and is an incredible chance to celebrate the truly unique and special bond between MPs and their furry friends, while also shining a spotlight on the vital work the Kennel Club and the Dogs Trust do to promote welfare and responsible ownership. For me, however, my bond with Jennie is more than mere companionship: she is my guide and my independence and has become an important part of my ability to serve my constituents both in Parliament and back home in the Bay.

Jennie has the same joyous and playful spirit that you would expect from any Golden Retriever, but she also demonstrates the life-changing difference that assistance dogs can make for countless numbers of people across the country. Her extraordinary calmness, focus and intelligence represent years of dedication and training to becoming my guide dog. Westminster is by no means an easy place to navigate, with its endless corridors and narrow entrances. Jennie approaches these challenges with a truly astonishing level of judgment, allowing me to easily move around Parliament and navigate even the most complex of situations.

While it is very easy to be swept up in the charming nature of the Westminster Dog of the Year competition, it is important to be reminded of its incredibly important purpose. By bringing so many MP and dog duos together, it draws public attention to serious issues surrounding animal welfare. The competition’s partnership with the Dogs Trust, a charity I have been proud to support in the past, is vital.

It is events like this that give me an opportunity to keep welfare at the forefront of parliamentarians’ minds. I have long campaigned for the rights of all animals and have spoken about this numerous times in parliament, including a recent Westminster Hall debate where I advocated to stop all dog testing in the UK. This competition gives another chance to put a spotlight on these issues and to ensure that dog welfare remains firmly on the political agenda.

By putting Jennie forward for this great honour, I hope to show the difference the dogs like her make every single day. The support Jennie gives me is not a unique story and instead demonstrates the life-changing support which guide dogs give to people across the UK.

Jennie and I are honoured to be representing the Liberal Democrats alongside Will and Toffee at this year’s contest. No matter the result, I am honoured to be a part of this incredible competition that does so much for dogs across the nation.

If you are able to, please do consider voting for Jennie before voting closes on the 10^th September. Your support would mean a great deal to me and Jennie and would equally go a long way in recognising the vital work dogs like Jennie do on a daily basis.

* Steve Darling is the Liberal Democrat MP for Torbay