Let the Top Dog judging begin

Ten local pups are vying for the title of Top Dog for the Southern Riverina News readership area.Dog lovers were invited to submit photos and short stories about their four-legged friends for the fun online competition over the past two weeks.Entries closed on Friday, and now it is over to the public.The eventual winner will be decided by public voting.Leading the way yesterday, with 363 votes, was Shania Bentley’s Kelpie and Border Collie cross ‘Val’.‘‘She is part of the Nathan Everingham & Co team, and started work at a very early age,’’ Shania said.‘‘Val is definitely an all rounder. She will do all sorts of tricks, bring sticks or balls to play and even talk on the odd occasion.‘‘Val is loved by everyone and has lots of friends in the community.’’Second on the tally board yesterday was Marcia Pyle’s 12 month old Cane Corso, ‘Armour’.A gallery of entries can be viewed online. Visit