Meet Our Runner Up – Gia!
She’s a spunky, spirited pup who won the hearts of people throughout Ireland. We’re proud to introduce the beautiful, the loving, and the gregarious…Gia, the 2014 Nose of Tralee from County Kildare and our esteemed Runner Up!
Age: 15 months
Breed: Great Dane
Special Skill
She has almost perfected turning on the kitchen tap.
Favourite Food
Pigs Ears and Peanut butter
Favourite Toy
A teddy hamburger I got for her the day I got her and a tiny little mouse cat toy she stole off her fur-sister, my cat Meera
Favourite Place to Sleep
She has her own couch that she just loves but her all time favourite place to sleep is perched up on the back of my couch like a giant cat!
Favourite Activity
Going for runs in the woods or to the lake with her best friend Suzie the Golden Retriever. They absolutely adore each other.
How did Gia come into your life? What’s her story?
Last May I lost my dog Daisy, a rescue, after 8 yrs to stomach and liver cancer and I was devastated. I had always dreamed of having a Great Dane ever since I was a child but after Daisy died i wasn’t entirely sure I was ready to own another dog of my own and i had a number of foster dogs here I was caring for, but i felt empty without my own dog! I looked into adopting a Dane but found none in rescue and i needed a dog that was going to be well socialized with dogs, cats and kids. My friend found Gia’s litter and sent me pictures! I said I’ll just go and JUST have a look so myself and 2 friends drove down to Tipperary to meet her, as soon as I saw her I fell in love. I got her home a week later and that’s how Gia came to be in my life….and it really hasn’t been the same since!
What makes Gia and her breed so special? What makes her the most pawtastic pet EVER!
Gia has the sweetest disposition! She’s still a puppy so she has Major hyper moments and the odd bold moment but generally she is very well behaved in the house and outside, but she is brilliant with all the animals that come through our house from the K.w.w.s.p.c.a. and from owners needing someone to hand rear pups. She is so good with the baby kittens and pups I’ve hand reared in the past few months and welcomes every foster dog into the house with a play session or a cuddle. She always knows when I’m feeling a bit down and comes over and sticks that big wet nose in my face until she has made me laugh and then gives me a big cuddle!
The Great Dane is known as the Gentle Giant for a very good reason! They are Goofy, Derpy, Hilarious, Have absolutely no idea how big they are and are just lovable wusses with hearts as big as they are and adore their family and everyone else! They are an eye catching breed that people seem to really love to stop and say hello to! And while every single dog (both pedigree and mixed breeds) is special and wonderful in there own way, there is just something about the Dane that just stays with you.
Why did you decide to enter the Nose of Tralee?
Gia’s friend Pixie the Cairn Terrier entered for Carlow and when her mammy asked us to vote, I did and realised the competition was still open for entry and I thought it would be fun to enter Gia for Kildare.
How did you prepare for the contest and get votes?
Well, firstly, we had to get pictures of Gia in her sash, my phone isn’t the best for pictures so my wonderful, patient and talented friend Ann Kearney came up to help me, shes taken some wonderful candid pictures of Gia and we spent an afternoon playing “try to get Gia to wear the sash and stay still”! When the voting opened on the finals I contacted the Kildare Nationalist who were very supportive of Gia! A lot of local people were really rooting for her it was fantastic! Myself and The Laois Rose Teresa Brennan, who I was in school with, thought it would be great if they could get a picture together in there sashes. As well as posting the link on my own page and a few local pages, I posted the competition link on a Great Dane Lovers Facebook page I’m a member of and a lot of people voted from there too. Almost everyone of my friends who voted shared and asked there friends to vote too! The support we got from friends, members from the local community and beyond was over whelming! We can’t thank everyone enough but it means alot to us!
What did it mean to you and Gia to be the runner up of the Nose Of Tralee? Why do you think that people were so passionate about voting for Gia?
Awh, it meant so much for us, mainly because it was so nice to see how much support we got, some people were actually checking in to see how many votes she had every few days, getting friends to vote and were Gia’s cheerleaders! It was really lovely and out of all the animals that entered the competition its really amazing that Gia did so well. Gia is well known in the Athy and has alot of friends. People were really amazing about voting for her, it was wonderful!
What did you enjoy most about the Nose Of Tralee?
The most enjoyable thing about the Nose of Tralee was seeing all the pet entered by their owners and reading their stories and seeing how many people truly love their animals. Seeing all the local papers backing their county Nose was great too!
What advice would you give to the next Nose of your county?
Don’t let the fame go to your head!!! Just be your adorable self!
How is Gia handling her new found fame?
It’s gone to her head!!! Haha really she is taking it in her stride, she is still the lovable baby shes always been! I don’t think I have to worry about her becoming a Diva
If Gia could be any super hero who would they be?
Hmmm, probably Wonder Woman. She thinks she would look good in the outfit but I think she would just get tangled up in that lasso.
