The competition which combines The Rose of Tralee and Noah's Ark has returned, with the hunt now on for the winner of the 11th Nose of Tralee Pet Competition.
Embracing the versatility of pet ownership, all varieties of pets are welcome, with previous contestants ranging from dogs and cats, rabbits, hamsters and birds, to pigs and horses.
Unfortunately for owners of aspiring pet beauty queens, the submissions date for this year's competition has passed, but you can still show solidarity for Galway's applicants by voting for them online at petsettersireland.com until July 10.
How does it work
The Nose of Tralee's judging process is broken down into three stages, the initial entry process online, public online voting and the final stage is the independent judging process. With this year's competition currently in the public voting stage, interested individuals can vote for their favourite pet online until July 10. The top three pets from each county will then go through to the independent judging round where they will be evaluated based on; the number of public votes, quality, cuteness and 'uniqueness' of their photo and by the written portion of their entry.
The winner of the 2024 Nose of Tralee will be announced on August 20.
Galway's contestants
The local offering in this year's Nose of Tralee is a strong one, with many of the animals featured being rescue pets from local organisations like Madra, the GSPCA and Galway Cat Rescue.
One of these shining stars is Juliet, a lovely long border collie cross who met her owners as a two day old foster puppy alongside her six siblings. The runt of the litter, Juliet's owner describes her as the 'funniest, most intelligent girl' who supported her human family through grief and loss.
Zeus, a brown and white jack russell terrier who has mischievous eyes, was rescued from Galway City Pound as a puppy and has harnessed his seat stealing skills to the point that no recently vacated chair is safe.
Vote for this year's Nose
To vote for this year's Nose of Tralee, visit petsittersireland.com/nose-2024/ The closing date for public voting is July 10.
