Wokingham Borough Council’s animal warden is pick of the litter after scooping the prestigious national Dog Warden of the Year 2008 award.

Mandy Dorman, who has worked as the council’s animal warden for nine years, was shocked to discover she had won the most notable trophy in the industry on Monday October 13, as she had no idea her name had been put forward for the National Dog Warden Association’s (NDWA) accolade.

The news of the award was broken to a stunned Mandy via a phone call from the NDWA’s 25th annual awards ceremony in Cheshire.

Mandy, who recently set up the borough’s Dog & Bone text scheme – which is the very first missing pet-text scheme to be launched in the country, and runs the council’s missing dog gallery to reunite lost dogs with their owners, was nominated for the award for her hard work and sheer dedication. The committee and members of NDWA nominated Mandy for the award.

Since taking up the animal warden role Mandy has rescued well over a thousand stray dogs, with the majority being reunited with their owners and the rest being re-homed via animal rescue centres.

It is Mandy’s dedication to reuniting lost pets with their owners, promoting good animal welfare practices and keeping residents and animals in the borough safe that has earned her the recognition of the NDWA.

Mandy said: “It’s a real honour to have won this award as it really is the only top dog warden award around. I’m so pleased that all the hard work that is put in to reuniting stray dogs in the borough with their owners and looking after animal welfare has been recognised – but I’m more shocked than anything as I really didn’t have any idea I was in the running.

“This award highlights just how important it is to have good dog warden practices in place, and this, as much as anything else, is about educating the public about being responsible dog owners and the duties that come with having a pet.”

Cllr Rob Stanton, executive member for corporate services, said: “We’re all extremely proud of Mandy and the tireless effort she puts into her job every day. This award is certainly well deserved as she is a real star of the council.

“Losing a pet can be very distressing but thanks to Mandy and her innovative ideas there’s a great chance that missing dogs will be reunited with their owners in the Wokingham Borough. Also, stray dogs can create mess and frighten people – but Mandy does a great job in catching animals to ensure their welfare and residents’ welfare is not hindered.

“Many congratulations to Mandy on this great award – I hope that she continue to receive the recognition she truly deserves!”

Neil Burton, chairman of the NDWA, said: “Mandy’s continual promotion of the responsible dog ownership initiatives as well as the provision of animal warden service for the benefit of all residents in the Wokingham area combined with her commitment to disseminating information on lost and found dogs in a wider area, set her head and shoulders above the rest of her fellow dog wardens and animal welfare officers within the NDWA. We send our heartfelt congratulations.”

Anyone who wants to register their details for the Dog and Bone scheme should call Mandy Dorman, on (0118) 974 6356 or email lostdogs@wokingham.gov.uk