The Chairman of the Kennel Club, Simon Luxmoore, has joined other pedigree dog breeders on the first leg of a week-long sponsored walk which aims to raise £70,000 for seven charities.
This week (September 12th - 18th), pedigree dog owners, breeders, judges and exhibitors are taking part in Pedigree Paws Unite, a series of sponsored walks totalling 160 miles, the equivalent of six marathons. The walk will cover 25 miles each day, split into five-mile sections, and it is anticipated that all 217 pedigree dog breeds recognised by the Kennel Club will be taking part.
Simon and his Siberian Husky, Trinity, who is 12 years old, covered the ten mile final stage of the walk arranged at Fleam Dyke, near Cambridge, and were the first to finish among the group of walkers taking part in their stage.
Organiser Gavin Robertson’s aim is to raise £70,000, while at the same time promoting pedigree dogs and exhibitors and showing them in a good light. The walk will also showcase lesser-known breeds of dog.
Gavin handled the Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen, Jilly (Kennel Club registered name Ch Soletrader Peek A Boo), to the Best in Show award at Crufts in 2013. On the back of this success, he organised Jilly’s Jolly Jaunt, a sponsored walk from Birmingham to London in summer 2013, which raised £49,000 which was split between Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, DogLost and the Kennel Club Charitable Trust.
This year’s walk is being organised for the Peek A Boo Trust, a charity established shortly after the completion of Jilly’s Jolly Jaunt to raise funds to support children’s and canine charities. The money raised will be split between the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, PACT Sheffield, Make a Wish, Ty Hafan, Dog A.I.D, the Cinnamon Trust, and the Search and Rescue Dog Association.
The seven walks are taking place in all corners of the UK, and Gavin will be leading each one. Other legs of the event will take place at Kennet and Avon Canal, near Bath; Monmouth and Brecon Canal, near Abergavenny; Lancaster Canal, near Preston; the Lagan and Lough Cycle Way from Lisburn to Jordanstown; the Union Canal, near Edinburgh; and at Darlington championship dog show at Ripon Racecourse.
Kennel Club Chairman, Simon Luxmoore, said: “Walking a dog is one of life’s great pleasures, so being able to do it while raising money for charity is a double pleasure. It’s a huge feat of organisation getting all 217 pedigree dog breeds involved in an event of this size, so I feel sure dog lovers will get behind this great effort and prove what generous, kind and committed folk they truly are.”
Donations to the walk can be made online by clicking the link on the Pedigree Paws Unite website at www.pedigreepawsunite.co.uk.