OTIS the Chihuahua has been celebrating winning the East Lothian Courier’s Perfect Pet competition for 2022.

Otis, from Haddington, claimed the £350 prize for his owner Emma Thomson after coming on top of the reader-submitted poll that declared him as the county’s cutest pet, finishing ahead of Mia the German shepherd and Roy the Border collie in second and third respectively.

Emma spoke to the Courier, sharing her delight at the result, which saw her ‘first child’ take the crown.

She said: “It feels good! He’s like my first wee baby to be fair.

“I’ve got a wee boy at 19 months, but we always call Otis our baby, which is terrible really!

“He’s a wee cutie.”

East Lothian Courier: Jack, Emma, Lennox and OtisJack, Emma, Lennox and Otis

Emma stays in Haddington with her partner Jack Fairgrieve and baby son Lennox but couldn’t quite believe that Otis beat out the “loads of other cuties” in the contest.

When asked whether she thought Otis would win, she said: “Probably not to be honest with you.

“I’ve got loads of family – my mum was going and buying loads of papers to get him voted for, so we had a lot of support.”

Emma described Otis a lovely, caring dog who was great around people but did admit he could be a little spoilt.

She said: “He’s very cuddly and he doesn’t like to be alone – he’s very spoilt.”

With £350 in the bank, Emma now plans to take Otis on a dog-friendly holiday to celebrate all the hard work he put into the contest.

She said: “We will probably take him away for a wee night in a lodge or something – a dog-friendly holiday!

“He deserves it for all the hard work he’s put in – it’s hard to look that good!”