2009 Review

The second Dogs Allowed was great fun and well attended by enthusiastic people and dogs. After the cold, snow, wind and rain last year we decided to hold it on June. There was a full programme of displays and competitions and this time the Jog with your Dog event didn't have snow to contend with. Although June is too warm for Dog Sledding the huskies came along so that visitors could meet them and admire them.

About 2000 people and dogs visited Thirlestane Castle over the two days, with some of the visitors from last year the most enthusiastic participants. We still heard the comment was that is was lovely to have somewhere to take your dog to, where the dog was catered for along with the rest of the family. We were glad to be the providers of that service.

I find that dogs usually want to be chatted to and petted when they see a human being, but this time they weren't interested in people as there were so many other dogs all round them. It was distracting to dogs in the competition ring when they realised they were being admired by other canines and the rush to the fence to make acquaintance with the dog audience was great fun to watch.

I'm sure a lot of dogs had never seen so many other dogs at one time before and they were a credit to themselves and their owners. There were no fights, very little barking, and owners who were waiting for their dogs to cause trouble were pleasantly surprised.

Thanks to those who went in for the terrier racing. There were a lot more entrants this year and I still laugh at the antics. Of course, many of the dogs couldn't actually be classed as terriers but who cares about that? It's great fun for everyone.

The Dog Agility demonstration either filled you with admiration or envy, depending on whether or not you thought it was something your dog could do, and the dog behaviourists were on hand for those who want some advice on aspects of pet care and behaviour.

All in all it was a fun weekend and everyone said they'd be back next year!