Once again we found ourselves travelling in the car to Westerham for the club’s second appearance at the WWF summer fete. Nerves were running a little high as I hoped my performance at the microphone would be a little more polished than on the previous week at Speldhurst fete. Jekka was also making her debut on the agility equipment and I didn’t want her performance to be too embarrassing.

It was also on the Saturday that the England team was about to make (although we didn’t realise at the time) its final appearance in the World Cup. Most people would want to get home in time for kick-off, so we were to do the whole display at 2 o’clock rather than stretching it out over the afternoon. The club had its usually stall manned by Kaye and David, offering visitors leaflets and a chance to but some dog toys. We did a quick tour of the other stalls, bought a chocolate cake, won a couple of prizes in a raffle and then had tea and cakes while other members of the display team arrived.

The sun was out and it was quite a job to keep the dogs cool especially with some very tempting water only yards from the display area. It is on these occasions I remind myself that I really should buy a club T-shirt rather than have to wear my very old and very heavy sweatshirt. The team had been practising the previous few weeks at obedience so all was set for a good display. Rounding-up the spectators is always a task at this venue but after a few announcements on the PA system and a tour around the stalls we made a start on the obedience display. It is often a challenge at these events when other family members are in the audience but all the dogs and handlers performed very well and were a credit to the club. We then set out the agility course and it was a relief that Jekka did her job with great enthusiasm and the crowd cheered the other handlers and dogs around the course.

It is particularly good that at these events the club is always represented by a variety of dogs in all shapes, sizes and ages. Some of the dogs were very young and are to be congratulated on their performance. This all helps to show the public that dog training is for everyone and, as usual, people came up afterwards asking about our classes and went home clutching information leaflets.

Many thanks to all the dogs and handlers for giving up their time on a very hot weekend. These events bring SDDTS to the attention of a wider public and help promote responsible dog ownership in a very positive way.

By Christine and Molly

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