Last weekend saw over 400 animal lovers and their dogs travel across the country to take part in Battersea Dogs & Cats Home’s Muddy Dog Challenge at Coedarhydyglyn Park in Cardiff. The event raised an incredible £51,000 with more expected to come in to the charity.
The fun run is proudly supported by LV=. The Cardiff Muddy Dog Challenge was made up of 17 obstacles suitable for both humans and four-legged friends to crawl, climb, wade and jump through with the option of taking part in the 2.5k or 5k course.
They included Jo Page who loved the idea of the Muddy Dog Challenge so much – she ran it twice with two different dogs. Jo ran each of the 5k course with her Cocker Spaniels, mother and daughter duo, Isla and Jelli. As a Veterinary Nurse, Jo knows only too well the real plight of rescue dogs and firmly believes in taking all dogs out and about doing different things, which is one of the reasons why she decided to take part in Battersea’s challenge. She loved seeing the many fit and healthy dogs of all shapes and sizes enjoying themselves raising over £400 for Battersea’s homeless dogs and cats.
Other participants included 54-year-old Liz Wilson, who had never run before the Muddy Dog Challenge. She decided to take part with her three-year-old Standard Parti Poodle, Teddy, to raise vital funds to support the animal rescue centre. Liz started to build up her exercise on dog walks eventually working up to a 5k – complete with obstacles and a dog to handle. Her advice for anyone thinking about signing up is that it’s muddy but great fun.
Battersea’s Senior Challenge & Public Events Manager, Emma Lovesey, said: “Battersea’s Muddy Dog Challenge took place in wonderful Cardiff for the first time ever where dog lovers helped to raise an incredible £51,000 for the charity – with more expected to come in.
“We’re very grateful for all the support and can’t thank all of the participants and volunteers enough for creating such a fantastic atmosphere and making it a day full of fun and laughter. The money raised will help Battersea continue to care for the 7,000 homeless dogs and cats that come in every year.”
Places are still available at the Tunbridge Wells, Peterborough and Manchester Muddy Dog Challenges. To sign up, visit https://muddydog.battersea.org.uk/.
