Pet lovers in Derby have raised over £60,000 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.
Pet lovers in Derby have raised over £60,000 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.
Over 500 participants came together at Locko Park, Derby on Saturday (13 May) in a fun-packed day full of mud, sweat and cheers. The event has so far raised a total of £66,432 which will go towards the vital care of the thousands of dogs and cats everywhere that the charity helps every year.
Following a starting line warm-up to get energised, participants of all ages tackled obstacles with their dogs as they waded through the mud at the canine crawl, bounded 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.
Taking on the mud on the day was Chelsea and Joel with their energetic one-year-old dog, Nev. The trio ran in memory of their previous dog Newton, who they fondly knew as Newt the Toot. After they lost Newt, they realised they couldn’t be without a dog so brought home their loveable Shih Tzu cross, Nev, who took part in the Muddy Dog Challenge in Derby last weekend.
Chelsea and Joel said: “After we lost Newt, we felt there was a part of our family missing and decided to bring our little whirlwind, Nev, home. We truly believe he was sent here for us by Newt, they share so many similar traits, the best one being their affection and love for everyone they meet. To honour his memory and love for an adventure, we felt it was only right to fundraise for Battersea in his honour.
“Nev absolutely loves the water and getting as muddy as he possibly can on long walks, so when we found out about the Muddy Dog Challenge, we knew it would be the perfect day out for him. Nev had such a fun day splashing around in the mud and was unsurprisingly taken by the water obstacles! He’s certainly worn himself out now and will be having a well-deserved nap when we get home. We’re so glad we decided to get our trainers on and take part in the Muddy Dog Challenge to raise money for dogs just like Nev who are waiting for their forever homes. We would recommend it to anyone!”
Battersea’s Senior Challenge Events Officer, Jasmine Monk, said: “Our Derby event returned for another year and has seen our participants raise a fantastic amount for Battersea. All of the money raised will allow our dedicated staff to care for the thousands of dogs and cats that need our help everywhere. 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 Muddy Dog Challenge event will be taking place in Stansted.
For more information on how to take part, please visit the Battersea website: https://muddydog.battersea.org.uk/
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For more information and images please contact press@battersea.org.uk
Notes to editors
- The Muddy Dog Challenge raises money for Battersea. Registration for the remaining events are still open at: https://muddydog.battersea.org.uk/
- Battersea is on the lookout for volunteers for various roles at the Muddy Dog Challenge, for those who don’t want to run the course but still want to get involved, please visit: https://muddydog.battersea.org.uk/volunteers to find out more about how to volunteer.
- Battersea offers love and expert care to dogs and cats in need by rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming animals across our centres, and by sharing our knowledge and resources with rescue organisations around the world. We do this because we want to help every dog and cat, everywhere.
- In 2022 Battersea directly cared for 2,278 dogs and 2,253 cats at our three centres. We also helped thousands more through our communities programme, campaigning work, supporting other rescue centres and animal welfare advocates, and sharing knowledge and advice with pet owners.
- In addition to the site in London, Battersea also has two other centres based at Old Windsor, Berkshire and Brands Hatch, Kent.
- We’re reliant on the generosity of the public to continue to fund our vital work helping dogs and cats and the people who care for them. To donate to Battersea, visit: https://donate.battersea.org.uk
- To find out more visit our website or follow Battersea on Twitter @battersea , Instagram @battersea or facebook.com/Battersea