Meet Leeds’ Top Dog who loves pinching socks and showing off his big smile

Readers of the Yorkshire Evening Post have crowned the cheeky pooch Casper as Leeds’ top dog - and now he’s off to DogFest this weekend to celebrate his victory.

We asked the people of Leeds to enter their dogs into our competition to be crowned best in Leeds.

Thousands of you entered, and we had the hard task of whittling down the entries into a shortlist.

The finalists went to a public vote and 5-year-old Casper of Drighlington won the people’s hearts.

While Casper may have won the title, owner Sharon Yarker admits she was surprised when she received the call to tell her that her beloved pooch had come out on top.

“I knew he had potential with his smile, but there were so many other dogs on the shortlist that were cute as well,” she told the Yorkshire Evening Post.

It seems his smile may have been Casper’s secret weapon to take home the title.

“He has such a big smile because I think he is just a genuinely happy dog,” Sharon told us.

The newly crowned top dog will now get the chance to celebrate his victory in style, with tickets to DogFest this weekend, although Sharon has admitted she might be just as excited about the celebrity line-up.

“The main thing I’m looking forward to about DogFest is seeing James Martin, and so is Casper!” she said enthusiastically.

Casper is already something of a social media star, with his TikTok following getting a glimpse into his life.

“The videos feature him being mischievous, lying down in the grass and just being up to mischief as usual,” Sharon said.

And when he’s not posing for the camera, Casper has a rather peculiar hobby.

“He pulls his toys apart and then hides them from us, and is always pitching our socks, he loves socks,” Sharon told the YEP.

Clearly, winning Leeds top dog title has not gone to Casper’s head, as Sharon thinks he will be “really excited” about going to DogFest this weekend and is confident that he will have a great time.

After winning the hearts, and votes, of YEP readers, it seems there’s only one thing left for Casper to do: enjoy his moment in the spotlight, collect his top dog plaque and try not to run off with anyone’s socks.