Your Village Hordle April May 19

Dogs take centre stage at Dogstival
Did you know that, in The New Forest, 39%
of residents own a dog? This is way ahead
of the national average of 26% and equates
to about 69,000 forest dogs…. And it's quite
likely that a large percentage of them will
be descending with their owners, on the
2000-acre Pylewell Park Estate near
Lymington on the weekend of the 18th and
19th of May for a huge festival devoted
exclusively to them.
It's called "Dogstival" and it's being hosted
by wildlife enthusiast, proud dog owner and
local resident Chris Packam. There are
arena displays, expert talks and
demonstrations, a behavioural stage and
plenty of activities for your dog to actually
take part in too. Added to that we're being
promised live music and children's
entertainment plus 250 stands and
exhibitors. All in all, it's shaping up to be a
major event in the canine calendar.
About hosting the event, Chris said "The
festival appealed to me because it
combines my favourite things; dogs,
walking in nature, raising funds for causes
that I'm passionate about and spending
time in the New Forest. I'm looking forward
to a great couple of days with fellow doglovers
and their dogs at Dogstival.
Here at Sophie's Pet Care, we like the
concept of this festival too, because it's not
just the usual commercial gathering of
people selling dog-related products, but
rather it involves and actively encourages
visitor's dog participation throughout both
days. Managing Director Sophie Gates said
"It's rare to be able to gain professional
advice and see demonstrations about how
to solve the typical mental and behavioural
problems that dogs increasingly have at
home — and on a lighter note, I love the
idea of the 'Come and Try Zone' with agility
and recall games and the promised K9 aqua
sports too, but the big one for me is that, at
the very heart of Dogstival, it's all about
animal welfare and responsible dog
ownership in The New Forest."
Add a vintage fun fair, views across to the
Isle of Wight, and a packed programme of
arena events, and it really sounds like
something not to be missed. For more
information and tickets, visit
www.dogstival.co.uk If you're a dog-lover,
then you'd be barking mad not to!
Sophie's Pet Care The New Forest's leading
dog walking experts
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