FORESTRY COMMISSION IS TOP DOG
 2007 is the Year of the Dog at Forestry Commission England with a major focus on making forests and woodlands as welcoming as possible for man’s best friend.
Walkies in the Woods focuses on the physical and mental health benefits of dog walking as part of the Active Woods campaign to promote the healthy living opportunities offered by woodlands.
The Commission recently scooped a top award from the Kennel Club for its dog-friendly policies, and at Crufts 2007 (8-11 March 2007) it will launch a range of handy ‘dog-uments’. These will include a credit card-sized guide to safe and healthy forest visits for dogs and dog owners, and a branded dog poo bag to help visitors to clean up after their four-legged friends.
Last weekend (17 and 18 February) more than 6000 dog lovers attended the first Walkies in the Woods event, Dog Days at the National Arboretum, Westonbirt, Gloucestershire. A bigger and better event than last year, there was an action-packed programme that included a husky and wolf enclosure and the first heat of Scruffts, the national cross-breed dog show.
Over 300 dogs entered the shows over the weekend, with the cross-breed Scruffts competition on Sunday being hailed a resounding success by the Kennel Club.
Sue Sampson of The Kennel Club said,
“This is only the second year of holding the event at Westonbirt and we had 208 entries to the Scruffts classes compared with 140 last year, which makes the Westonbirt the most popular in the country.”
Representatives from the Forestry Commission attended the Kennel Club headquarters on Friday 2 February to receive the KC Dog Recognition Award for ‘a national authority which has made a positive impact to help improve the lives of dogs and their owners.’
The Forestry Commission has been an active ‘pro-dog’ partner of the Kennel Club and is a worthy winner of this award, working together with the Kennel Club to promote access to the countryside and responsible dog ownership.
Simon Hodgson, Forestry Commission England Chief Executive, who received the award, said,
“Dog walkers are our most loyal visitors, and by working closely with the Kennel Club we aim to ensure that the public forest estate is as safe, welcoming and enjoyable as possible for these visitors. We are delighted that dog owners have shown, through the Kennel Club, their appreciation for the Forestry Commission’s recognition of their place in the forest.”
Said Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary,
“Back at Crufts 2005, the Kennel Club agreed a concordat with the Forestry Commission to ensure that dog owners felt welcome in the forest, to make the best of the opportunities dog ownership brings and minimise any negative impacts. Since then, the relationship between the two organisations has continued to flourish with further joint initiatives planned for 2007, such as an activity trail for dogs and their owners, and ‘Walkies In The Woods’, which will encourage responsible dog walkers to enjoy Forestry Commission land.”
For more information about visiting the public forest estate, forthcoming Walkies in the Woods events and to submit a photo of your dog in the woods please visit www.forestry.gov.uk/england-dogs
Editor’s notes
- Walkies in the Woods focuses on the physical and mental health benefits of dog walking as part of the Active Woods campaign to promote the healthy living opportunities offered by woodlands. It is estimated that a dog accompanies one third of visitors to the countryside. Through the Walkies in the Woods promotion, Forestry Commission England and the Kennel Club want to ensure that dogs and their owners experience healthy, responsible and above all enjoyable woodland visits. For more information please visit www.forestry.gov.uk/england-dogs
- Active Woods is a national drive being led by the Forestry Commission to promote the vast range of health and fitness opportunities offered by Britain’s woodlands. Hundreds of events are being organised across the UK, including welly-wanging, den-building and meditation in the woods, reflecting the campaign’s three themes of naturally active, naturally stimulating and naturally relaxing. For more information see www.forestry.gov.uk/england-activewoods
- The Forestry Commission is the government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. It supports woodland owners with grants, tree felling licences, regulation and advice; promotes the benefits of forests and forestry; and advises Government on forestry policy. It manages more than a million hectares (2.5 million acres) of national forest land for public benefits such as sustainable timber production, public recreation, nature conservation, and rural and community development. For further information, visit www.forestry.gov.uk
- KC Dog, the Kennel Club Dog Owners Group, was established to help dog owners protect themselves by keeping participants informed about local policies that may affect their rights as responsible dog owners. The group assists participants in lobbying at a local level, whilst keeping members updated about KC Dog activity across the country. Since its launch at Crufts 2006, KC Dog has greatly improved the effectiveness of communication between local authorities, land managers and responsible dog owners.
For more information about Walkies in the Woods and the Forestry Commission’s work to welcome dogs and dog walkers in forests, please contact Rebecca Britton on 01223 346027, 07785 748351 or email rebecca.britton@forestry.gsi.gov.uk
e-mail: jo.fowler@forestry.gsi.gov.uk |