2012 Show Report
Mon 3 September 2012
A record crowd of around 9000 people converged on Hatfield Peverel on Bank Holiday Sunday for the second Essex Dog Day bringing over two thousand dogs with them. The event raised nearly £50,000 for PARC-Essex, the play and resource centre in Great Notley Country Park for children and young adults with additional needs.
Crufts commentator Peter Purves introduced a variety of displays in the main show ring including Tiffany Dyers’ superbly trained Essex Dog Display Team comprised of former rescue dogs and the masterly demonstration of dog handling by Frank Walker of the Essex Gun Dog School. Ray and Wendy Aliker brought their Ye Olde Redtail Falconry and gave a thrilling aerial display with falcons, harris hawks eagle owls and a hooded vulture swooping low over a ring of wide eyes toddlers drawn from the audience. Huskies in harness and Drug Enforcement Dogs were among other attractions.
A thousand dogs competed for glory in the two companion rings, the Scruffts crossbreed rings, the scurries and flyball courses and the lake. In another ring owners demonstrated their training skills in the Obedience Dog Show.
The Best in Show was won by Oscar a sixteen month old weimerama owned by Tracey Wallis, a carer from Danbury. “It’s the first time I’ve entered her in a competition” she said “although I tried to put her into the puppy class last year but she was too young at four months old. I’ll certainly show her again after this”. Once again, The Lord Lieutenant of Essex, Lord Petre presented the main prizes and MP Priti Patel drew the raffle for the benefit of Parc Essex.
In the breed advisers tents were twenty experts to answer technical questions and give advice to owners of family pets.
Visitors roamed around the show rings and eighty trade and food stands and admired the variety of dogs parading with their owners in sunshine. They came from all over Essex and Suffok but Charles and Jane Clayton travelled furthest, having flown in from Greece to consult one of the breed advisers. As they pointed out “There’s nothing like this in Crete !”
