Dog out on walk becomes Everton icon after being carried through crowds at Goodison
Video report by Granada Reports Tim Scott
A couple who took their dog Myra for a walk shortly before a football match did not expect they would be returning home with her as an Everton icon.
Jasmine Priest and Reece Van-Aston-Kerrigan, who are not football fans, were not aware of Everton's game against Chelsea on Sunday 1 May until they left their home in Walton.
As they tried to get through the crowd of fans at Goodison Park welcoming the players' coach before the crucial game they found it impossible.
Needing to get Myra to safety, Jasmine and Reece picked her up, raised her above their heads and carried her through the crowd.
As fans began to "part like the red sea" to let the trio through, the move became an instant hit.
Reece, 18, said: "We made it about 100 yards and the dog was struggling to get through all the crowds, as were we.
"I decided to pick her up and that got us a little further, but then I ended up saying to Jasmine ‘get her front legs’.
"When we picked her up and got her above our heads, it was like a parting of the Red Sea. Everyone was clapping and cheering, we’ve never seen anything like it before."
Pictures and videos of Myra have since been shared far and wide, with fans hailing her presence as key to Everton's one-nil win over Chelsea.
Some see her attendance as key to Premier League survival, while others have called for a banner to be installed at Goodison's famous Gwladys Street End.
Despite making it to Stanley Park for their walk with their four-year-old Belgian Malinois with little issue, when they left for home they were greeted by thousands gathering ahead of the match.
"We took the dog out as normal and noticed that there was an Everton match on, fans were already beginning to congregate," Reece said.
"There were around 100-200 people around the ground.
"We ploughed through as normal, went to Stanley Park, did our walk for about 45 minutes and then headed home.
"We came back and there were a few more people there than what we thought."
Jasmine, 21, added: "It was easier walking through with her like that because everybody moved and there was then a path. Before that, it was like gridlock and you couldn’t move anywhere.
"But once we lifted her, she was fine, she jumped down once we were clear - it was amazing, everyone was laughing and cheering, stroking her, taking pictures."
Reece has had to set up a Twitter profile for Myra to manage her new found fame, but said managing social media Myra celebrity has not been easy.
Reece said: "If you’re not on your phone for 15 minutes, you’ve got three hours’ worth of catching up to do. I still can’t fathom the scale of that and it's pretty much all positive. She’s become an Everton icon."
After picking up a vital three points against Chelsea, Everton remain in the Premier League's bottom three and still face a scrap for survival.
Two of the club's five remaining games are at home and Reece and Jasmine plan to bring Myra to Goodison and embrace her role as a lucky charm.
Jasmine said: "We’ll just take her down and meet everyone - it puts everyone in a good mood. It’s not really out of the way for us, we’ll probably be on a dog walk next Sunday anyway.
People are now stopping us in the shops, or in the park, they’ve seen her, she’s getting all the love."
Joe Royle referred to his battling Everton side of the mid 1990s as the 'Dogs of War'. For many Evertonians, Myra represented the return of such spirit almost 30 years on, as Frank Lampard 's side embraced the fight on Sunday.
Reece and Jasmin were unaware of the symbolism but they welcome it now.
Reece said "To walk through an Everton crowd and all of a sudden become such a big part of Everton - it’s crazy. We’re pushing for mascot. Mascot is the endgame."
As they return for two more decisive matches at Goodison, many Evertonians will hope to see the return of both Myra and Everton's dogged attitude.