English Doodle Therapy Dog Wins Cadbury National Easter Bunny Contest

English Doodle Therapy Dog Wins the Cadbury National Easter Bunny Contest

The 2022 Cadbury Bunny has been announced. Meet Annie Rose, an English Doodle from Cincinnati, Ohio, the winner of the fourth annual Cadbury Bunny Tryouts. She won the national voting contest for the annual Easter campaign, sitting beside 10 finalists including a hedgehog, a bearded dragon, a llama, and a miniature horse.

Annie Rose is no stranger to the spotlight, though. She is often the center of attention on her regular visits to Triple Creek Retirement Community Center in Cincinnati. “Annie Rose is a hardworking therapy dog,” the Cadbury Eggs company reported. “She loves bringing smiles to the communities she serves—so much that not even a global pandemic can stop her.”

When the coronavirus pandemic struck, COVID-19 restrictions were put in place and nursing homes were not able to accept visitors, but that didn't stop the 5-year-old English Doodle from making a socially distanced appearance. She continued to show up at nursing homes and greet residents outside of their windows instead. The English Doodle is a breed that loves people by nature and enjoys being the center of attention. They are loyal and intuitive to emotions and feelings which makes them great for therapy dog training, and Annie Rose is no exception.

Photo: WLWT

The lovable pooch knows exactly what to do when her friends are feeling a bit blue and delivers just what the doctor ordered to get them to feel better. From Christmas to Thanksgiving, she has been lifting spirits across Ohio and has become a local viral sensation—melting hearts across the nation with photos of her visiting the residents in costume.

“Pretty much any holiday that she has came for a visit, she’s been in costume for it; but, she also drives a little Barbie jeep,” said Gerogina Appelman, who has worked in nursing home care for 8 years. “She does room visits and it really does make the residents' day because they can’t see their own pets anymore and the therapy dogs are trained on how to handle the residents in wheelchairs so she is very good with them.”

The residents at Triple Creek Retirement Community Center are proud of Annie Rose and her accomplishments. As the Cadbury “spokesbunny,” she will star in a Cabdury commercial of her own and take home a $5,000 cash prize. In addition, the votes Annie Rose received helped raise $20,000, which the Cadbury brand donated to The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals® (ASPCA®). “I’m so in awe of the support, love, excitement and votes you guys gave us,” Lori Rahn (Annie Rose’s human) wrote in a Facebook post.

In the end, the community rallied behind the beloved English Doodle and supported her just as much as she supported them as their therapy dog. They are so excited that Annie Rose got her iconic Cadbury Bunny ears!