The fourth annual Agria Dog Walk last month raised over £50,000 for animal charities across the continent.
The international initiative saw walks taking place across Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Norway and Sweden as well as the UK, with more than 30,000 dogs taking part.
As part of a new three-year partnership with English Heritage, the UK element of the annual charitable event saw dog-friendly days out in five locations including Dover Castle, Kent; Witley Court and Gardens, Worcestershire; Pendennis Castle, Cornwall; Wrest Park, Bedfordshire and Birdoswald Roman Fort, Cumbria.
Each event featured a range of family-friendly activities including children’s art sessions, face painting, plus dog tricks and agility course demonstrations.
UK participants raised just over £18,500 for a selection of rescues, including Retired Greyhounds Canterbury, Help4Hounds Rescue, Daybreaks Trust, Spaniel Aid UK and Dogs First Animal Rescue. With over 1,500 dogs and their families taking part, the fundraiser welcomed model and animal rights activist Jodie Kidd, along with her Dachshund, Sausage, to the walk at Dover Castle.
Kidd said: “Unfortunately, it’s thought that there’s 100,000 homeless dogs in the UK and with a really sharp rise of dogs being left in shelters after lockdown and especially now we have the cost of living crisis, we’re trying to grow awareness and raise funds for these amazing animal rescues and to encourage people that might like to own a dog, to go down to a shelter and rehome a gorgeous dog that is homeless at the moment.”
Vicki Wentworth, chief at Agria Pet Insurance, added: “We are so grateful to have been joined by so many adorable dogs and their families, united in our collective endeavour to raise funds for remarkable charitable causes. As we continue to see widespread economic pressure, we’re proud to be able to continue our support for animals that have been abandoned due to no fault of their own. Both the Agria and English Heritage teams have created fantastic events and we can’t wait to repeat this success next year!”
