Exeter animal lovers raise over £55,000 for Battersea at Muddy Dog Challenge
Pet lovers in Exeter have raised over £55,000 by taking part in Battersea’s Muddy Dog Challenge - one of the UK’s biggest obstacle courses where members of the public can take part with their dog.
520 participants came together at Escot House, Devon on Saturday (29 October) in a fun-packed day full of mud, sweat and cheers. The event has so far raised a total of £58,024 which will go towards the vital care of the thousands of dogs and cats everywhere that the charity helps every year.
After a starting line warm-up, participants of all ages tackled obstacles with their dogs as they weaved in and out of the mutt maze, wriggled through the mud at the canine crawl, leapt over the hurdling hounds and splashed through the doggy ball pit. Friends, family and volunteers clapped participants across the finishing line, where they were each handed a well-earned Muddy Dog Challenge medal and a rosette for their dogs.
Braving the mud on the day was Lavinia and her friend Karen with her rescue dog Misty. After years of wishing for a dog but not being in a position to have one, Lavinia met Misty and instantly fell in love from the moment they met. She said: “Misty has absolutely changed my life, every day I love her more and I can’t imagine life without her. While she’s a very mellow dog and is a real couch potato, she got stuck in and loved running around the obstacle course. All animals should be given a second chance and we’re glad to have been able to support Battersea in helping dogs and cats find the loving homes that they deserve.”
Also tackling the mud in Exeter was the Woofs and Wags team, who took part with their canine companions Barney, Harley, Wally and Hunter. Grace Rose-Gale, one of the team members who took on the challenge with her three-year-old Lurcher, Wally, said: “Wally is such a fun character, he loves to spend his days zooming around on the beach or in fields and will crawl under the bed sheets once he’s tuckered himself out from a day of fun.
“Wally had so much fun jumping around in the mud with his furry friends, they especially loved splashing through the ball pit! Having worked at a local rescue centre and rehoming rescue dogs myself, taking part in the Muddy Dog Challenge and supporting Battersea in any way that I could was really important to me and I can’t recommend this event enough.”
Battersea’s Senior Challenge Events Officer, Jasmine Monk, said: “Our Exeter event has seen our participants raise a fantastic amount for Battersea and all the money raised will allow our dedicated staff to care for the thousands of dogs and cats everywhere that need our help. I want to say thank you to all those who participated, volunteered, and cheered on their loved ones. Everyone here has helped make this a really special day and without everyone’s support, we simply wouldn’t be able to do it”.
Battersea’s next and final Muddy Dog Challenge event for 2022 will be taking place in Windsor.
For more information on how to take part, please visit the Battersea website: https://muddydog.battersea.org.uk/
