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LEOPOLD, the pure breed Papillon, has narrowly taken the lead to win The Border Mail’s Hot 100 Dog competition by just four votes. Owner Tahanna Byatt said she went to great lengths to buy Leopold. “I drove all the way to Sydney and back in one day to pick him up,” she said. “He was so well behaved, I fell in love instantly.” Miss Byatt, a law student studying in Melbourne, said she was surprised by the win. “I’m just so glad that other people think he is as cute and adorable as I do,” she said. “He’s like a little human. He has this attitude and personality.” Miss Byatt credits her brother for teaching Leopold tricks such as how to high five and sit. “He is such an intelligent dog, I’m very proud of him,” she said. Miss Byatt believes Leopold is aptly named. “It works so well because he acts like he is royalty,” she said. Miss Byatt said Leopold had been an expensive Christmas present to herself but was worth every cent and kilometre travelled. There were 1553 votes lodged for the top 100 dogs at The Border Mail website, under a new voting regime allowing only one vote per log-in. The random voter prize of $300 went to Maree Menz, of Hamilton Valley, who had a four-year-old Siberian Husky Della entered in the competition. 1 LEOPOLD the papillon, Tahanna Byatt

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