A fair compromise

For many of us, visiting a country show without our dogs would be unthinkable but we must always be mindful of their needs as well as our own, says David Tomlinson

- David Tomlinson

MY LOCAL county show, the Suffolk, takes place at the end of May every year, attracting around 90,000 visitors. A large percentage are accompanied by their dogs.

I'm sure that most of the human visitors enjoy the show but do their dogs also relish the experience? My guess is not many of them do or at least not as much as we do. We may delight in frequenting game and country fairs but it's not so much fun for a dog on a lead.

A cynical friend of mine insists that most people take their dog (or dogs) to country fairs, point-to-points and other horsey events to show them off. He argues that none consulted their dog beforehand, nor asked it afterwards whether it had enjoyed itself and would want to go again. Having taken numerous different dogs to equally numerous country events, I'm forced to accept the logic of his argument.

However, lacking a suitable canine babysitter, I've invariably ended up taking my spaniel (or spaniels) with me. I'm writing this a day after our local point-to-point, where I was accompanied by my spaniel Emma. She's not in the least bit interested in horses but she certainly enjoyed sharing our picnic. Last year she took part in the dog show, a popular and well-supported event. However, having failed to win a rosette, she declined to enter this year.