Gus from Big Art & Banners is revealed as Pets in Print 2026 winner

Gus the dog has won the third annual Pets in Print competition, held by material supplier, Innotech Digital and Display.

The competition is held to highlight pets and office dogs within the print and signage industries, with winners chosen by a panel of judges representing the industry.

This year’s panel also included Gail Coles from The Dogs Trust, which Innotech partnered with to raise over £500 for in the month of March with donations via orders over £150. Coles judged the competition alongside Colin Sinclair McDermott, the Online Print Coach, Jack Gocher and Kathryn Ridout from Eye on Display, and Carys Evans from Karis Copp Media.

Speaking to SignLink, Evans comments: “I was honoured to be asked to be a judge for Pets In Print for the second year in a row. It’s such a joyful competition and we love seeing the entries come in each year.

“It was such a tough task to pick our winner, as there were so many deserving print helpers. This year, it was Gus’ varied skillset and photogenic nature that stood out for us. His ability to drive a fork lift was particularly impressive to me! I want to congratulate all entries as they all brought a smile to all the judges faces.”

Despite the popularity of office dogs, Gus, from Big Art & Banners in Manchester, faced stiff competition from a diverse range of entrants included a bearded dragon and even sheep.

Announcing the winner, Innotech highlighted Gus’ role as production assistant, saying that he gets involved in a range of activities from artwork monitoring to the aforementioned forklift supervision, all of which he does with the now signature Pets in Print bandana which is supplied to entrants of the competition.

“The judges particularly noted his dexterity and versatility at work while still posing beautifully,” says Innotech which sent Tony Murgatroyd, regional sales manager for Innotech, to present the trophy to Gus and his colleague Emily Richards, operations manager at Big Art & Banners.  

Richards comments: “Gus is a real team player at Big Art & Banners, and we are incredibly proud of him. He brings so much love and positivity into the workplace every Thursday, and he doesn’t realise just how valued he is by everyone here."

“It’s been an honour for him to receive this award. It means a great deal to us, and of course, plenty of treats for Gus,” adds Gus’ owner, Donna.

This year’s competition also highlighted a range of runners-up, including the competition’s first guide dog, Jenny from Nuneaton Signs who won the Good Service Award. Other awards went to Annie and Pippa from Signspeed who won the Adorable Duo Award, while 12-year-old Maisie from Synk Creative won the Long Service Award.

A highlight on social media was a submission by Imagink, based in Kent, and its office dog Oz who in a recent operations review raised concerns over a decline in treats from Innotech’s Graham Bramwell – leading to a decline in “treat procurement”. For his efforts, Oz won the Commercial Acumen Award.

Sam Lowe, marketing manager for Innotech, concludes: “Thank you to everyone who shared their pictures for this year’s Pets in Print competition. It is always so hard to choose the winners because there are so many fantastic entries. As always, the judges have chosen a worthy winner, who joins Juno from Type Creative and Garry from Print.com in our list of champions.”

To celebrate the ending of another Pets in Print, businesses and entrants within the print and signage industries have been encouraged to continue donating to the Dogs Trust at: https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/