This was one of the first events of this type that I took Severus to and at the time of our visit, he was six months old and we went with one of my best friends and her younger dog (a 17 month old chihuahua).
From what I read on Social Media, this was the first year that a second gate was open to the site which made things easier for us but as it happened, everyone filtered into one queue to enter the car park, which was managed fairly efficiently although the site manager seemed a little frazzled and perhaps concerned that there would not be sufficient parking for all the attendees.
Upon entering the site, we picked up an event programme although we didn’t really need it as the even was laid out so well and I thought that generally speaking, there was plenty of space to move around without the worry of our small dogs becoming intimidated by the crowds.
There was a good selection of stands to browse around althugh there were several selling much the same kind of thing, nevertheless, there were offers and discounts available which meant that I was able to treat Severus to some lovely new things including a new drying coat and matching beach mat ready for our seaside trips!
In terms of the have-a-go activities, we had a go on the ‘Barkour’ Agility and the Puppy Agility which was a nice activity for both dogs and they made good choices about which obstacles they wanted to interact with.
In terms of food options there was a good choice available and there was even some appropriate vegetarian/vegan food that my friend and I enjoyed at lunchtime (thank you Beaky Blinders… an absolutely delicious offering).
There was one stand who had scattered treats on the ground which I didn’t think was the best approach, particularly as some dogs might have allergies but aside from that, I think the welfare of the visiting dogs was catered for as best it could have been. There were plenty of water bowls around the site and paddling pools to cool off.