Macmillan Dog Show

by Wildlife Presenter Anneka Svenska

 

Tuesday 30th June saw a wonderful colourful array of posh pooches parade their stuff around The Royal Hospital Gardens, Chelsea, London, all in for a great cause – The Macmillan Cancer Trust, a wonderful charity set up to help alleviate the suffering of terminal cancer sufferers via the work of amazing nurses, doctors and palliative care. Macmillan is famous for this annual dog day which helps raise much needed money via this wonderfully fun dog show to help bring joy where there is often sadness.

 

I was invited to judge alongside a wonderful host of famous faces including Dexter Fletcher star of Hotel Babylon; our very own English rose, Felicity Kendall, Britain’s Next Top Model judge and milliner to the stars - Louis Mariette; Marc Abraham, onscreen vet on Paul O’Grady Show; ex model Jilly Johnson and her matching spotty Great Dane, and Fashionista Trinny Woodall.

 

 

It was a wonderfully hot day and the sun was pounding down. Lots of money was raised for the charity from all the various dog classes as well as face painting, bouncy castle, dog paraphernalia. Incredibly glamorous Chelsea ladies with heels and sunglasses paraded around the ring all day alongside some gorgeously glam-glam doggies.

 

I judged the Best Fancy Dress class alongside friend Louis Mariette. It was a tough contest as all the dogs looked amazing, but the winner came down to two pugs dressed as Marie Antoinette, wigs and all, and a fabulous cowgirl. Other eccentric classes included The ‘Loveliest lead and heels’, A ‘Bit of Ruff’ for mixed breeds, ‘Dog with the Waggiest Tail’, ‘Hound about Town’ and ‘The best 6 legs’, for owners and pooches to show off their slender pins in.

 

The charity managed to raise upwards from a staggering 28K at the end of the day, so all in all it was a very worthwhile and extremely colourful event. I am sure to return next year along with my large wolfy malamute Valdez, who managed to sleep for most of the time I was there.

 

For more information on The Macmillan Trust, please visit: www.macmillan.org.uk