We talk to Love Island star and Celebrity MasterChef contestant, Faye Winter about her life with Bonnie in Devon, and her passion for animal welfare.
What are you working on at the moment?
I have lots of very exciting things coming in 2024. I’ve been working on something all year that I hope will be ready…
When did you get Bonnie, what breed is she, and what made you fall in love with her?
I got Bonnie on the 27th of August 2022, she is a field retriever. Before I even met her I loved her! I was waiting for what felt like forever for her – it was her confident personality and chubby tummy, but also that puppy smell and her crimped golden ears that won my heart.
Tell us about your work with Guide Dogs for the Blind?
I was a full-time volunteer for Guide Dogs before Love Island and helped 6 dogs become life changers, I loved it so much, the dogs and giving back that when I left Love Island I knew I wanted to go back to volunteering for them. Granted, what I do now is completely different but I still love being a part of such an incredible charity.
Does Bonnie have a best friend?
Bonnie has lots of best friends! Her cousin Baloo is a giant st Bernard that bosses her around, Tory, my mum and dad’s gold retriever or Nellie. Bonnie is very sociable, unlike her mum! Her human best friend is Uncle Dan, my best friend’s fiancé.
What made you move back to Devon and does Bonnie prefer life in Devon to London?
I was extremely miserable being near London, I was alone a lot of the time and had no support system there so it was a very easy decision to move back home. I want people to know that you should be yourself and do what you love, I wasn’t myself when I wasn’t in Devon with everything that makes me me. Bonnie 100% prefers Devon, she goes on a different walk every day, from the Moors to the Beach and she loves it all, I also feel safer so we go out at all times of the day
Any funny incidents involving Bonnie?
For Bonnie’s first birthday, I threw her a very over-the-top birthday party and everyone came to celebrate her. I had an amazing grazing table done on my island in the kitchen, and Bonnie decided to jump with all four feet into the middle of it! Every day Bonnie is hilarious and makes me laugh all the time, from her not being able to go on a walk without prowling and pouncing on me to not being able to go to bed without her baby (a guide dog teddy).
How will you and Bonnie be celebrating Christmas this year?
This year we are very excited to be going to Nannie and Grandad’s with all their dogs her auntie JoJo and Baloo. It will be all her favourite people for the whole day with a long walk up on the moors, her own Christmas dinner and lots of presents.
What’s a typical day for you and Bonnie?
Bonnie is my all-time favourite alarm clock, luckily with the darker mornings that is now between 7-8 am. We head down for breakfast and a cup of tea for me, finished by Bonnie. Our first walk of the day is for an hour between 10:30 – 11:30 – it’s a time I try not to work or be on my phone apart from taking photos of her. We get home for lunch and work then usually walk again between 4 – 5 for 30 minutes whilst I reply to emails. Dinner between 6-7 then a final 15-minute walk around the block between 9 – 10 pm, teeth, baby and bed.
What do you feel strongly about with regard to animal welfare?
We need to have harsher punishments and penalties for overbreeding and puppy farming. There are still so many people getting away with this and means our rehoming centres are struggling. I also hope that one day we will see harsher penalties for animal cruelty, it hurts my heart to see people getting away with such awful things and only being given penalties and not even banned from owning animals.
Which PetsPyjamas hotel would you like to visit with Bonnie and why?
All of them! I think it’s important that people know where you can have amazing stays in the UK that allow you to take your dogs. I think lots of people assume that you can’t have amazing getaways when you have a furry family member
Faye’s chosen charity is Woodgreen Pets Charity, and a donation has been made on her behalf.