Popcorning Piggies Guinea Pig rescue in Gosport to host online competition for pets' best bum and other categories

Popcorning Piggies Guinea Pig rescue in Gosport will judge photo entries on a variety of categories including ‘Best Bum,’ ‘Prettiest Sow,’ and ‘Any Other Pet.’

Entries to the competition cost £1 and will close on March 20, after which judges will cast their votes and the first, second and third winners of each division will be announced, with the lucky pets awarded rosettes.

Amy Taylor, 21, set-up Popcorning Piggies Guinea Pig rescue at the age of just 17 after falling in love with the animals and noticing a need for a local sanctuary for lonely and abandoned Guinea Pigs.

‘When I went to Pets at Home, in the adoption centre was a lone boy, they told me he would never be able to have a friend, he was really shy and skinny so I took him,’ says Amy.

Amy had Dash neutered and put him in with her girl Guinea Pigs, at which point he came out of his shell and ‘was loving life.’

‘Since then I thought, well I’ll set up a rescue and help more Guinea Pigs like him,’ she added.

With help from her mum Nichola Taylor, Amy continued to grow the charity and now cares for a herd of 30 Guinea Pigs at her home in Gosport, taking them in with the aim to rehabilitate and rehome.

‘The council phoned up and said ‘We have a dumped Guinea Pig at Portsdown Hill can you take it?’, so we took in Shaggy,’ said Amy.

Animal-lover Amy, who also owns a rabbit, tortoise and dogs, takes in any Guinea Pig that might be in need, whether they’re dumped, unwanted or in need of a friend.

‘We also take in Guinea Pigs that people don’t want anymore, when they’re old and have lost a friend and they don’t want them to be alone,’ she added.

The money raised from the competition fundraiser will go towards vital new hutches and runs for the Guinea Pig’s as Amy prepares to reopen her doors after a short hiatus, due to being hit with a virus.

‘It’s a lot to do on your own, we have volunteers to help clean now who messaged me through my Facebook page offering to help,’ Amy said.

The drive is to be the first of many events this year that the charity hopes to be a part of, including festivals in Gosport and Wickham, offering tombola’s and talks about the Guinea Pigs.

‘There’s not many Guinea Pig rescues out there, no one really wants to set them up,’ said Amy.

‘But Guinea Pigs are just as good as any other animal, sometimes better!’

For more information on Amy’s fundraiser visit facebook.com/popcorningpiggiesshow.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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