Rescue Kiki Wins Top Prize at Chiswick House Dog Show |
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Bonnie Langford and Neil Dudgeon among celebs handing out rosettes
The cricket pitch of Chiswick House Grounds was crowded with dogs this Sunday (25 September) taking part in the annual dog show. Nearly 600 dogs were registered for entry into one or more of the 16 classes – which ranged from (the most popular) puppy classes to Best Groomed and My Dog’s Got Talent. There was a Harry Potter theme to the fancy dress class “Harry Pointer and the Philosopher’s Bone” to celebrate 25 years since the first book in the series was published. The event, which is hosted by Chiswick House Friends, claims to be the biggest dog show in London . The day was blessed with fine weather and dog owners and walkers mixed with non-dog owners to enjoy the many stalls – commercial, charity and catering – as well as the Dog Show bar, which did a roaring trade. Celebrity judges this year included Bonnie Langford and Neil Dudgeon and the competition for ‘Best in Show’ was as tough as ever, with the winners of each class represented. The winner for 2022 was Kiki, the winner of Best Rescue. She was a street dog from the Middle-East who had been scavenging for scraps for her newly born puppies in the local market, when she had had boiling oil poured over her. She was subsequently rescued by one of the dog rescue services and found her way over to the UK, where she has been for the past three months, and has now found a home with a new loving owner. The RNLI were there to support the Dog Show Team – and to run their very own raffle for the winning “Wellie Dog”.
The Dogs Trust had a prominent presence too – their Dog Training School had a stall, and their “Doggy Dash” was by far the most popular entertainment with dogs trying to beat each other’s time to first past the post. The organisers gave special thanks to the Dogs Trust Centre at Harefield and their band of volunteers. 160 volunteers helped put on this community event – and all the monies raised go towards the upkeep of Chiswick House gardens and for dog-related activities within the grounds. The winners in each category were as follows:
This annual show, held at the end of September, is organised under the umbrella of Chiswick House Friends by a committee of 12 dog-loving locals, all of whom regularly walk their dogs in the grounds. To find out more about the Dog Show, visit its website. If you were there on the day and have pictures you would like to share, please send to editor@chiswickw4.com. This page is sponsored by Rocks Lane who support community initiatives in Chiswick. September 27, 2019 |