Wednesday 27th marked one year until the 2012 Olympic Games in London so just for fun we asked What sports would you feature in dog Olympics?? The unusual the better!!

We loved the replies and thought we should share them with you:

Caroline Meadows: How about a doggie relay : )
Pam Mackinnon: Talking Dogs Rally of course!
Kelly Israel: Noseball! Sid can demonstrate!
Karen Ann Dingsdale: Frizbee Catch?
Dot Wade: Doggie paddle swimathom?
Jackie Fitzpatrick: CC is Gold Medalist at Flicky Flick - a flattened milk carton plastic top which you flick from your armchari into the air and she catches ;0)
Jackie Fitzpatrick: Doigie is world champion at hunting out mints in handbags, pockets etc
Dot Wade: Hide & Seek - Lexi loves this!
Kelly Israel: Kong chase!
Stuart Reed: Catch me if you can, I love being chased!
Little Angels: test of true stamina; the dog that can roll in something nasty the longest, xtra points for style! my Boxer loves a good wriggle
Lisa Kent:  Stella suggested a chase your own tail & a loudest snore competition :) #dogolympics
Heart East Anglia:  Not sure that's an official sport at 2012 but it'd be a nice thought!!
Caroline Dunn: fastest recall over sausage
The Kennel Club: poop-a-scoop-a-thon :) #2012Olympics #dogOlympics
Alis: It's funny you say that as we just decided we want to host #dogOlympics next spring. How about swims across a lake?! #dogs
Sara Bridgeman:  Obvious one - long jump?
Waggy Tails Photo:  Have you asked @WiggleTheDog about #DogOlympics? He'll tell you about Olympic Woogling 2012! #owt2012
Wiggle:  oh yes!! @Utterdogwash is our team leadrer and woogling coach! #DogOlympics #owt2012

Thanks to everyone who submitted an idea – we’ve had a great laugh when reading through them!!

Have a great weekend – Big Walkies Team x

At 1.30pm Sunday 21st August Big Walkies are holding a fun family afternoon at Brampton Woods.

Big Walkies are a Cambridgeshire based community group who organise walks for the local community and their dogs. You don’t even need to own a dog to join and Big Walkies membership is completely free!

The group have recently had some tail waggingly exciting praise:

Julian Huppert MP for Cambridge said:
“There is no better way to enjoy our beautiful countryside than to share it with friends, whether human or animal. I hope that Big Walkies continues to grow, and that more people and dogs come together to make the most of the landscape that Cambridgeshire has to offer.”

Caroline Kisko, Communications Director for the Kennel Club said:
“The Kennel Club loves to see initiatives that encourage the inclusion of dogs in the community whilst promoting responsible dog ownership.  Groups like Big Walkies are a great way for dogs and owners to stay fit and healthy whilst fostering a sense of community.”

Andrew Lansley CBE MP said:
“What a wonderful initiative Big Walkies is. This is a great example of the Big Society in action, and there are few greater pleasures than coming together with our neighbours and friends in our parklands and open spaces. And of course from a health perspective, this is good for the dogs and good for the owners!”

So why not join in the fun and visit www.bigwalkies.org.uk for more information or to register as a member for free!

As Big Walkies is a community group and not funded, they welcome a donation at the end of their events (suggested £1). However, this is a donation and you are not expected to pay this.

--- ends ---

Note for editors:
Big Walkies History:
In August 2010, Director, Becca Bryant tried organising a BBQ for her dog, Buddy's, 1st birthday. It would be a chance for her to get together with friends and also for Buddy to meet their dogs.

The day of the BBQ came and it had to be cancelled, so Jackie (co-director) suggested that we meet at Hinchingbrooke Park to walk our dogs the next month. So on a sunny afternoon in September 2010 Jackie, Becca, Lalli, Fairy and Ian met up to walk the dogs. It was then decided that we should keep this as a monthly occurrence and via Facebook the amount of people meeting for each walk grew and grew and grew!

In January 2011 we had around 20 people walking with us and their dogs, we then thought that we should meet up at a different dog walk the next month. Becca looked on the internet to find walks in Cambridgeshire and couldn't find anything! Well she could, but it wasn't all in one place. Finding this frustrating Becca set to work making a website with recommended walks in Cambridgeshire.... this then evolved into Big Walkies as we know it now.

More and more people wanted to join the group and walk with us as apposed to suggesting walks and local dog services. So in February 2011 the website went live, we now (July 2011) have over 300 members registered and walks taking place monthly in Cambridgeshire. Also weekly walks in St Ives, Ramsey and St Neots.

I've found it increasingly harder to know which site to put our community group onto so I thought I'd set up a facebook page.

We are Big Walkies who organise group walks for the community and their dogs but would love for more community groups to join us on this page and work together!

Search for: Cambridgeshire Community Groups (I'll also set up a twitter account and website soon, so watch this space!)

The Kennel Club is once again running its prestigious photography competition for 2011.  The competition is open to anyone and everyone - all that you need is a camera and - of course - a love of dogs!

The closing date of the competition is 31 August 2011

Entry Categories

• Dogs at Work
• Dogs at Play
• Dog Portrait
• Man’s Best Friend
• I Love Dogs Because… (for entrants aged 16 years and under)

Terms and Conditions
A maximum of four images can be submitted with only one image per category. Entry for the 16 and Under category is FREE. All other categories require a minimum donation of £3.50 per person. All entry fees go to support the Kennel Club Charitable Trust (Registered Charity Number 327802). The Charitable Trust makes a difference for dogs by funding a wide variety of work ranging from support research into canine diseases to welfare initiatives and the promotion of support dogs, all of which gives dogs healthier and happier lives.

Please read all the terms and conditions here before entering

How to enter

• To enter the 16 and Under category please click here
• To enter any of the other categories please click her

Prizes
The winning images as well as the runners up images will be displayed at Discover Dogs 2011. The overall winner will receive a fabulous acrylic print (courtesy of Pixum), a flash worth £200 courtesy of Calumet and the winning image will be displayed on the cover of the Kennel Club’s flagship publication, the Kennel Gazette. As well as these great prizes the winner will also receive a cool Lomo camera!

The category winners will all receive a canvas print (courtesy of Pixum) and all runners up will receive a free poster print (courtesy of Pixum). All winners and runners up also get free entry to Discover Dogs 2011.

The winner of the 16 and Under category wins a membership with the Young Kennel Club,  a day's photo shoot with professional dog photographer Marc Henrie (Marc has some great photo taking tips here), a digital camera courtesy of Ronald Edgar TV Film Productions as well as the book 'Digital Photography'.

Judges
Acclaimed photographer Martin Usbourne, famed for his ‘the silence of dogs in cars’ images joins Women’s Hour presenter and dog lover Jenni Murray as the guest judges for the competition.


Marc Henrie's photo taking tips
Professional dog photographer Marc Henrie has written some photo taking tips including tips for indoor and outdoor shots.

For further information about the competition please contact the Kennel Club Picture Library

August 6th will be a day to remember at Ruxbury Farm, Chertsey, Surrey, the home of Dr Roger Mugford's Company of Animals, Training and Behaviour Centre.

The event, a celebration of responsible dog ownership and family fun day is organised by canine campaign group DDA Watch.

On the programme will be a fun dog show judged by celebrities, demonstrations, have-a-go agility, free micro chipping, free legal advice, free vet checks and many stalls promoting animal rescue and pet friendly businesses.

The organisers hope it will be a memorable occasion for members of the public, families and dog owners, showing the vital role our canine friends play within our lives. Alison Green, founder of DDA Watch says "The happy experience of owning a dog reaches maximum fulfilment for dog and owner when dogs are given a voice by being owned and cared for responsibly. We would like to maximise the chances of family dogs reaching their full potential by being safely owned and kept and a benefit to society as a whole. When dogs have no voice, they have no choice; today will be our day to have fun and share a great experience of good dogs and good owners."

Dr. Roger Mugford, who founded Company of Animals Behavioural Therapy and Training Centre in 1979, says "I am very pleased to participate in this remarkable event celebrating well behaved dogs and responsible owners and I am sure the event will be well attended because people love to have a fun day out with their dogs and families. On my farm in glorious Surrey there are sheep, cattle, horses and Llamas to show city dogs the other side of life."

Entry and car parking is free and there will be refreshments and food on sale throughout the day, face painting and bouncy castles for young canine friends, a Grand Raffle, Reiki for animals and professional speakers in the Dog House tent.

All dogs must be kept on a lead. Registered dogs also welcome.

For more information please contact:

Alison Green - Email DDAWatch@aol.com
Tel: 0844 844 2900
Mob: 07899724800

or

Roger Mugford – Email roger.mugford@companyofanimals.co.uk
Tel: 01932 566696
Mob: 07785 978499

The Kennel Club understands that finding your perfect companion isn’t always easy. So they've developed the Find a Breed service with a Breed Information Centre to help you. Simply click here and answer all the questions.

You can click ‘get results’ at any point, but your selection will be more accurate if you answer all the questions.

N.B The Kennel Club, makes no warranty as to whether any of the breeds you select via Find a Breed are suitable for you. The Find a Breed application is only intended as a basic guide to help you choose a breed to fit your lifestyle and we would strongly recommend that you contact the relevant Breed Clubs to find out more about your chosen breed (s) prior to purchasing a new pedigree puppy.

Julian Huppert MP for Cambridge:

“There is no better way to enjoy our beautiful countryside than to share it with friends, whether human or animal. I hope that Big Walkies continues to grow, and that more people and dogs come together to make the most of the landscape that Cambridgeshire has to offer.”

You can visit Julian Hupperts website by clicking here.

Did you know that each summer, Dogs Trust promotes National Poop Scoop Week throughout the UK?

National Poop Scoop Week is all about raising awareness of a cleaner, safer environment. They want to remind dog owners in a fun and friendly way to Bag it and Bin it!

This year, they're urging all schools across the country to put your Paws up for Poop Scoop!

If your school wants to help support the quest for a poop free community, all you have to do is help fill our 'poop scoop totaliser' by visiting the Pledge your School page! Together we can show the nation that UK schools are all putting their Paws up for Poop Scoop!

Schools can also run their own fun Paws up for Poop Scoop campaign by clicking on the Activities page for lots of exciting ideas. Don't forget to visit the Paws up Parade page to tell The Dogs Trust how you are supporting Poop Scoop WeekAll class entrants will receive a special thank you gift from Dogs Trust.

You can also order FREE poop bags to give out to pupils and their families.

So let's get scooping!

Click here for more information.

Photographs by Laura Wills from today are now online! 
There is a link at the top of her homepage. 
10% discount if you order within 7 days!


Visit: http://www.laurawillsonline.co.uk/bigwalkiesbigpicnic.html

Caroline Kisko, Communications Director for the Kennel Club says 

“The Kennel Club loves to see initiatives that encourage the inclusion of dogs in the community whilst promoting responsible dog ownership.  Groups like Big Walkies are a great way for dogs and owners to stay fit and healthy whilst fostering a sense of community.”