Last month we asked you to choose between Doris, Toby and Belle. It turned out to be one of the closest contests we’ve seen all year., but in the end, it was Belle, the five-year-old Blue Whippet who came out on top.

Over 2,000 readers fell in love with Belle, a former therapy dog on a dementia unit who now spends most of her time relaxing on the couch with her treasured collection of teddies.

When she’s not beach-combing for sticks, chasing balls, sea swimming, or commuting to work by train, Belle can be found introducing herself to complete strangers — because in her world, everyone is a friend. Belle’s owners describe her as ‘friendly, fashionable, and always up for an adventure’.

Like all previous winners of the Great Irish Bark Off, Belle and her owners will receive a €30 voucher for Irish online pet shop pets.ie.

Fortunately for us — and our readers — our inbox is filled every month with dozens of dogs, any of whom would be worthy winners of the ‘Pup of the Month’ accolade. That’s why we like to reward you with an honourable mention.

This month, that title goes to Indie. Indie is four months old, from Limerick, and has only recently started going out on walks. 

Indie loves nothing more than biting and playing with shoelaces, running up the stairs and becoming confused as to how she’s supposed to get back down and, of course, burying every Dentastix she gets in a carefully dug hole in the back garden for a rainy day.

To take part in next month’s poll and be in with a chance to win a prize for you and your dog, submit three pictures of your doggo by emailing competitions@thejournal.ie with the subject line ‘Bark Off’. Be sure to include your dog’s name, age, photo and a description of their personality and hobbies.