Sports broadcaster Andrew Cotter covers the BBC's major events including The Olympic Games, Wimbledon, The Masters, the Rugby World Cup and the World Athletics Championships. He's also a keen hillwalker and dabbles in climbing. We asked him about his Labradors' viral fame in lockdown, his love for mountains and dogs, Tokyo 2020 and his hill-filled book Olive, Mabel & Me: Life and Adventures with Two Very Good Dogs. 'Climbing mountains has always been an escape - it is for most people who head for the hills and certainly is for me. Getting away from the occasional madness below, more often than not accompanied by my dogs.'
In a locked-down world that had very much gone to the dogs, two unsuspecting canines became viral internet stars. It all started with a video called The Dog's Breakfast Grand Final, born out of boredom and posted to Twitter last March by their owner, sports broadcaster Andrew Cotter, who suddenly found himself devoid of sport. Olive the Labrador - "in her familiar black" - and her younger, yellow counterpart Mabel greedily engage in an eating contest. Cotter narrates the play-by-play in his familiar Scottish lilt that is typically a soundtrack to TV rugby or golf; Olive is '"focused, relentless, tasting absolutely nothing" and finishes first. Then comes the pay-off, a show of good sportsdogship: "Ah, you see the swapping of bowls at the end" as the pair desperately snuffle for leftovers.
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