Christmas may be just around the corner, but for months I have been preparing for Discover Dogs, which was held on the 10th and 11th November at Earls Court. Last year we achieved an award for the best stand from Royal Canin. This year we were absolutely delighted to finish third in the Kennel Club competition which was judged on health issues and information on the breed. It makes all the hard work in preparing the stall for the day and the printing of brochures etc very worthwhile.
This year the stand was focused on the many colours of Border Collies and the health issues this breed can have, and what we are doing to help eradicate them. The Border Collie stand is one of the most popular stands and is busy right from start to finish on both days. Hilary, Karen, David, Melanie and I are now old hands at it, and along with Kim, Kate and Lesley had the stall ticking over nicely over the two days. As always the stars of the show are the Dogs. Owen made his first outing to meet the public since his operations to repair his cruciates. His coat has nearly grown back over his legs and once again looked good to meet his fans who come back every year to see him. Cloud again performed for anything edible and on the Saturday was surgically attached to Kim and Bud who had nice chicken treats. Blade and Freddie thoroughly enjoyed their second visit and played their part. A first visit for Merlot and Bud was memorable and they kept the crowd entertained with their tricks. Last but not least was 14 year old Frank who just takes it in his stride. He absolutely adores the show and the public adore him. He can often been seen on another stand where he has decided to wander. This year he became a Bergamasco!
It is difficult putting people off from owning the breed, but sometimes you have to. It tends to be those who have never owned a dog, work all day, and haven’t carried out any research into the breed at all.
The two days at Discover Dogs is tiring for dogs and humans alike and crowds were up considerably. We had people from The North of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland all visiting the stall. There were many foreign visitors – from all over the world including some from Australia and New Zealand but the most popular overseas visitors was from Japan. There, they really love the breed and it is growing in popularity within that country.
Preparation is already underway for next year’s event.
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