PAWS IN THE PARK, JUNE 8th 2014
You may wonder what is barking-ly loud, has hundreds of legs and all types of fur? You'd be right if you guessed The Paws in the Park event at The Wick Country Park on Sunday 8 June 2014.All the Friends hoped the good weather of the week would last - and it did! A glorious day helped bring in over 600 visitors to enjoy the dog show, dog display team, stalls and activities.
The Friends arrived early to set up. Marquees now hold no fear and with good team effort assembly time now comes in at under half an hour! There were 4 tents to put up for reception, registration, plants and books as well as the doggy obstacle course; the arena and parking to organise; tombola; craft stall plus the vital tea, coffee and biscuits for the refreshment area - not forgetting water bowls for the very thirsty dogs of course.
Stallholders arrived on time and as the crowds started to gather the classes filled up extremely quickly. As usual the kick off class for 'most handsome dog' was oversubscribed. Always popular, the doggie contestants showing off in this class are always seen as a great start to the event.
There is such a mix of breeds to be seen - including Italian Spinone, English Springer Spaniel and Canadian Huskies. All that was missing was a French poodle!
Another popular class is 'cutest puppy' which never fails to draw 'oohs' and'ahs' from the audience. A case of David and Goliath, it was amusing to see the very tiny Chihuahua pup lined up beside the 10-month old St. Bernard which was almost the size of a small horse!
Halfway through the day the Billericay Dog Display Team gave a fantastic demonstration of dog obedience and tricks. Spectators were amazed by the range of hand signals, whistles and secret code words which ensured the dogs did as they were told and behaved - always with wagging tails of course. Plus seeing an Alsatian take a drink from a bottle using a straw is quite extraordinary!
The hardest class to judge must be 'Best Rescue' The owners are asked by the judge to give a brief overview of the dog's background and how the dog came to be rescued. These stories are naturally upsetting but to see the dogs now happy and trusting after lots of care is very uplifting. Both dogs and owners are ALL winners.
Our judge did an excellent job in assessing the dogs and colourful rosettes were awarded from 6th place to 1st. Well done to all the winners and a special mention to Jodie who brought along Jet for the fourth year in a row to finally win 'Scruffiest Dog' and ultimately 'best in show'.
It was a great day and thanks go to all the stall holders for their support and generosity in helping FOWCP make 'Paws in the Park 2014' another great event.
Trudie Crowe
For an expanded account of the day, including some photos and a list of the winners, please visit issue 42 (August 2014) of our Skylarks Newsletter.