02 Mar Essex Lottery Winner Reveals It’s Anything but a Dog’s Life for Her Pooch
As the UK’s dog lovers celebrate the canine world’s finest pooches at Crufts (5-8 March), The National Lottery reveals some of the lavish lifestyles and heart-warming stories that a lottery win makes possible for winners’ four-legged friends.
As a nation of dog lovers – 26% of the UK adult population have a dog1 – it should come as no surprise that National Lottery winners only want the best for their Man’s (and Woman’s) best friend. With nearly half (42%) of all National Lottery winners owning a dog, it seems lucky winners don’t just treat their nearest and dearest human friends and relations but make sure their pooches are very much a pampered part of their lottery-winning family too.
When lottery millionaires, Susan Richards and Barry Maddox from Essex first saw their Husky puppy, Sarna, it was love at first sight. While at the time the couple, and Susan’s son, were all living cosily together in a two-bed semi they couldn’t resist bringing her into their family. Fast forward a couple of years and life changed very quickly for everyone, including Sarna, when Susan scooped £3M on a scratchcard from The National Lottery. Susan said,
“The win meant so much could change in our lives for the better – new homes and cars, plenty of holidays and a more relaxed lifestyle – and Sarna has definitely benefited from it too.
“I still work as a carer, it’s a job I love and am proud to do, but I have cut my hours dramatically so I’m at home with Sarna a lot more. More time at home means plenty of play time and lovely long walks together. And when Barry or I are at work, she either spends her time lounging in the huge back garden, sunning herself by the hot tub or snuggled up on one of her five beds in the house.
Susan also revealed that it’s not just home life that has improved for Sarna, the couple’s new motorhome means that the eight-year-old husky also joins them on their holidays.
“When I won almost top of my dream shopping list was a motorhome so that we could hit the road whenever we liked. Sarna loves it when we start getting the motorhome ready because she knows it means holiday time for all three of us. She has her own little car seat so she can watch the world go by while we are on the open road, and a big comfy bed for when we park up!
“People ask what’s the best thing about winning and I think Sarna’s new lifestyle sums it up perfectly, it’s about having the freedom and time to spend with our family, two or four-legged!”
Susan and Barry are in good company when it comes to treating their pooch. Other amazing posh pooch ‘tails’ involve Viv and Kev Moss and their beloved Labrador, Stanley. The couple, who won almost £7M in 1998 recently bought a new car – a Bentley Bentayga – just to help make Stanley’s life easier getting in and out of the boot. Another couple who have used their win to improve their rescue dog’s quality of life are Faye and Richard Davies who scooped £1M on EuroMillions in June 2018. Lucy, who is a very anxious dog, received the first big treat after the win in the shape of a £20,000 field of her very own. Now nervous Lucy enjoys walkies without the worry of meeting strangers!
Camelot’s Andy Carter, Senior Winners’ Advisor at The National Lottery said, “There is a common theme among lottery winners and how they treat their canine friends and that’s the fact that no expense is spared when it comes to the genuine love and attention they are given.
“Just as a lottery win is a life-changingly positive experience for winners, it also has amazing knock-on benefits for the dogs in our winners’ lives: some winners’ dogs have been saved from a terrible fate, others have had their lives made far more comfortable and happy and some have simply got used to the finer things in life. One thing’s for sure, it’s certainly anything but a dog’s life for lottery winners’ pooches.”
Across the last 25 years, a staggering £40 billion has been raised for Good Causes with 565,000 grants made across arts, sport, heritage and community. That’s the equivalent of 200 life-changing projects in every UK postcode district. Players have banked a whopping £73 billion in prizes and a staggering 5,500 millionaires have been made.
