Thousands visit Discover Dogs

Thousands of dog lovers visited the Kennel Club’s Discover Dogs event over the weekend, securing the show as London’s biggest dog event.  

Over 30,000 people attended the two-day event over 12th and 13th October 2019 at ExCeL London to find the right breed for their lifestyle.

Visitors were able to meet more than 200 breeds of dog, watch clever canine demonstrations and displays, and shop for products at hundreds of trade stands, as well as get advice on buying a dog responsibly from a reputable breeder, such as a Kennel Club Assured Breeder.

Vanessa McAlpine, Education and Events Executive at the Kennel Club, said: “This year’s show was fantastic – from the hundreds of breed booths and experts, to the exciting displays, trade stands and demonstrations. We would like to thank our fantastic breed booth and breed rescue volunteers, trade stand exhibitors, ring party, commentators, judges, competitors, sponsors and everyone else who made the event such a success.

“All the volunteers who came along to promote the breed they love to so many dog lovers and potential owners have helped to make sure that all dogs get a happy home for life and that more people buy from responsible breeders and make good, well-researched decisions. The continued success of Discover Dogs helps make a difference to dogs, so we are thrilled to have welcomed so many visitors this year.”

Competitions which took place at Discover Dogs included the ABC Agility semi-finals for medium dogs and large novice dogs, the agility Small/Mixi Pairs finals and the agility Starters Cup finals. The event also saw the Junior Warrant of the Year semi-finals and the UK Junior Handler of the Year final.

VIPs and celebrities were out in force to support the event with special appearances including dog-lover and YouTuber, Phil Lester, Finn the Police Dog and his handler Police Constable Dave Wardell who championed #FinnsLaw and won the Kennel Club Friends for Life competition 2019, and television personality, Pete Wicks.