Meet your Limerick celebrity – the 2023 Nose of Tralee Winner Stitch.
Name: Stitch.
County: Limerick.
Age: I am 1 years old since 26th June (I was born on Stitch Day!!).
Breed: I am a Maltichon (Maltese x Bichon Frise).
Special Skill: My special skill is playing football. My mom calls me a soccer player. I love doing headers and chasing after my ball.
Favourite Food: I love eating biccies (doggy biscuits).
Favourite Toy: My favourite toy is my squeaky purple ball. Despite all the toys I have, I will always play with my purple ball. My mom even got a replacement ball in case I ever lost my current one but it doesn’t have the same squeak as this one. I know this too! If my mom throws both balls together, I will suss them both out and always go back to the one I love. It’s getting tattered but that doesn’t stop me from playing with it!
Favourite Place to Sleep: I love to sleep on our red sofa. It’s my favourite place to chill for the day and sleep peacefully.
Favourite Activity: I love being outside in my garden. I enjoy playing ball. I even have my own ball pit outside. I play ball in the garden every night with my mom. I’m like a little soccer player! I can even bounce the ball off my head and do a header! I do have a tendency for popping some of my balls and running away with the popped ball to drive my mom mad 😂.
Favourite Place To Go For A Walk/Hangout: I love going for walks around my estate and the surrounding area. I enjoy meeting my neighbours and their dogs too. I absolutely love the attention I receive from everybody I meet. I also love going to the vets (the total opposite of any other dog LOL!). Rockhall Vets in Monaleen always treat me like a VIP. I always rush in the door whenever we go there. My tail doesn’t stop wagging until the moment I leave. I love meeting my vet Aoife, receptionist Tanya and my veterinary nurse Kirstin.
Most Mischievous Thing You Have Ever Done? I absolutely love blue roll! Whenever my mom is cleaning up, I always spot the blue roll in her hand. I always try and take it from her and eat it! One day I found a full roll of blue roll that had fallen off the fridge at home. I had eaten so much of it, my mom had a huge mess to clean up when she got home!! Safe to say she wasn’t impressed with me 🙈.
How Did You Come Into Your Owners Life? I came into my mom’s when she was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin Lymphoma. She wasn’t coping well with her diagnosis and decided she needed a new companion in her life! Fast forward a year later, I have brought so much joy to her life ever since.
What Makes You The Most Pawtastic Pet Ever! I am such a cheeky, lovable dog! I love to lick my moms face and show how much I love her! I can talk to my mom in a way she understands me. If I drop my toy, I growl at her and she knows I dropped my toy and I want it back! I am super smart too. I use buttons to communicate with my mom for example when I want to go outside to play or do my business, I press my green button and she knows to let me outside.
Why Did You Decide To Enter The Nose Of Tralee? I decided to enter in this years Nose of Tralee because I wanted to show the people of Ireland how much I have done for my mom the last year. I wanted to show how much a dog could bring so much joy into a persons life while going through a rough patch.
How Did You Prepare For The Contest And Get Votes? We decided to target a lot of Limerick businesses and asked them to hang up some posters and flyers my mom made up to promote the competition. We also contacted Thomond Park, Annacotty Farm Shop, Castletroy Park Hotel, Tesco Coonagh and local councillors to arrange for some pictures to be taken with myself! We also visited some local landmarks such as the Treaty Stone, King Johns Castle and we even looked over at the River Shannon. I had to make an appearance at my favourite pet shops in Limerick. Special thanks to the staff at Maxi Zoo, PetMania and PetStop for taking time out of their day to stand in for a picture with me! We also visited the Laya Health & Well-being Clinic in Limerick as this was the health centre that diagnosed my mom with her cancer diagnosis. We wanted to show our upmost gratitude by meeting the staff that helped my mom get to where she is today. I also appeared in local newspapers and articles online (Limerick Post, Limerick Leader, I Love Limerick) which helped get the word out there. My mom also spoke on our local radio station Live 95 FM to talk about the competition.
What Did You Enjoy Most About The Nose Of Tralee? I really enjoyed connecting with new people online. Not just the 31 other Noses, I also made friends with fellow dog Instagram accounts who also showed their support to me during my campaign.
What Advice Would You Give To The Next Nose Of Your County? It is such an honour to represent your county! The main thing is to enjoy it all. I got to meet so many new people along the way and I have new friends for life!
How Are You Handling Your New-Found Fame? It hasn’t sunk in with me yet! My mom hasn’t stop crying since the winner was announced 🤭 It’s a great feeling knowing you are the Nose of Tralee for 2023!! It was an honour in itself to represent my home county Limerick especially after the Limerick hurlers 4 in a row title.
If You Could Be Any Super Hero Who Would You Be? If I could be any superhero I would be Superman. I helped save my mom through such a tough year fighting cancer. I stayed by her side through it all. I knew she was sad when her hair was falling out but I kept doing silly things to make her smile and keep her mind occupied. I helped lick her tears away.
Where Can Your Fans Follow You Online? You can follow me on Instagram @StitchTheMaltichon and on Facebook @Stitch Limerick Nose 2023.
What does it mean to you to be the Winner Up of the Nose of Tralee? It is such an amazing feeling. It shows how much of a special dog I am and how my story touched so many people enough to take time out of their busy days to vote for me.
