Discover Dogs at Earl’s Court

Having lost our darling Henry (a long haired Chihuahua with a heart of gold and the attitude of a warrior) less than two weeks ago, I wasn’t sure that spending an afternoon surrounded by dogs, dog things and lots of excited children with dogs would be a good idea. But it was a lovely experience and a fabulous way for a family who have a dog or are thinking of getting a dog to spend an afternoon.

It’s run by the Kennel Club so there are stalls where you can meet just about every breed of dog (they boasted 200 and I believe them) and speak to the owners about their dogs' temperaments and their suitability for your family. Of course, I tarried a while with the Long Haired Chihuahuas, although it was hard for me as there was a perfect Henry lookalike there.

Kids crowded around white puff ball Bichon Frises and fluffy German Spitzs and laughed at fur-free Chinese Cresteds. Naturallly, they adored the Pugs and the Poms and all the other toy dogs. Parents had to subtly shoo them away from some poodle action in one pen.

There were mournful Basset Hounds, down to earth Australian Cattle Dogs, horse-like Wolf Hounds, majestic Borzois and slinky Salukis and Sloughis. I was taken by the silent Akitas and perky Boston Terriers. New discoveries for me were the Lowchen (Little Lion Dog) from China and the Italian Cirneco dell Etna. What an excellent geography lesson!

Kids were crowded around the pen by the Police Dog area – one of the handlers was playing rough and tumble with some adorable Alsatian puppies. And there were a huge and rather placid German Shepherd at the SSAFA Forces stand doing his bit for the Poppy campaign.

Then there are all the shopping stalls. If you want anything to support your dog – whether it’s a bed (there were some even shaped like little cars), poop scooping kits, natural food, travelling water containers, sparkly collars or even a dandy little parka to keep them warm on winter walks – you would find it. I was stunned at the array of dog outfits – including Santa suits! Pet Boutiques from Essex!

This is an ideal first dog show – if you are new to the concept - and Young Kennel Club was there in force to ensure that kids are well catered for if gazing at and petting just about every type of dog wasn’t enough. There were seminars (how to help your dog lose weight, obedience training etc) with short films if you needed to rest your legs a while.

There was, of course, all the usual paraphernalia around dog shows – the grooming booths and the exercise areas. And some took the whole process extremely seriously, while others were there for the sheer fun of it. What I really liked was that there were a number of rings, apart from the main show area, where kids could try out their dog walking or agility or other skills. And, to demonstrate that it’s not just for pure breeds, some lovely events for those who have Heinz 57 variety dogs – I particularly liked the “Prettiest Crossbreed Bitch” competition (part of “Scruffts”) in the companion dog ring , the “Best Buddies “ (child handler under 12) and – best of all – “Dog the Judge would most like to take home”. Fantastic.

On a more serious note, there were a number of charities present – not least all the rescue centres (I fell in love with a beautiful, blue eyed Border Collie who sadly didn’t fit in my bag or I would have snuck him out, and a couple of shaggy Briards). I spied the Blue Cross and Battersea Dog (and Cat!) home as well as Wood Green which also does rehoming.

There was a new Kennel Club foundation called “Bark and Read” to provide dogs as reading companions for children (watching a small person reading to a dog, with the dog looking as if it were listening intently, was a heart warming sight) to help improve literacy. And a campaign to avoid inadvertently supporting puppy farms.

Personally (as I am a psychologist by training), I was heartened by the news that Bath Spa University had carried out a study to find that a person’s choice of dog breed is likely to indicate how a person ranks in the five common personality traits – conscientiousness, intelligence and creativity, emotional stability, extroversion and agreeableness. It found that owners of toy dogs rate the most highly on the intelligence scale – Sir Isaac Newton owned a Pomeranian, don’t you know!

If you hurry, you can still get there – it doesn’t close until 5pm today. And under 12s go free. However, be prepared for your kids to get serious about wanting a dog if you haven’t already got one. I thought that they could have had a stall for kids with worksheets showing exactly what’s involved in owning a dog – with dog duty rotas and perhaps lists of those things that must be given up (leaving shoes and football kit lying around in the chew zone, or long days out at theme parks etc) as well as all the fun things about dog owning. Personally, I would have also welcomed somewhere that deals with bereavement – although I have to say that Direct Line who had insured my dog are doing well in that area.

And, in time, I will be downloading the Kennel Club’s free puppy buying guide App as whilst I can never replace my Henry, we are certainly a dog family here and will need another companion for me and my daughter (and my son, although he’s never going to admit out loud that a small dog could win a place in his heart).

http://www.discoverdogs.org.uk/