A brand-new social dog walking club is launching in Leeds and dozens of other cities across the UK this week.
After research has suggested that walking your four-legged friends in groups with other likeminded dog owners can lead to a whole host of wellbeing benefits, Walkie Dogs is officially set to launch nationwide in a couple of days time, and will be turning the popular Park Run concept into its very-own series of its very-own “bark runs”.
The social dog walking club says it’s dedicated to “bringing the UK’s dog lovers together”.
Launching this Sunday (18 August), group walks will taking place up and down the country each week, with the first events in Leeds taking place at Roundhay Park.
Walkie Dogs is dedicated to “bringing the UK’s dog lovers together”.
As part of the scheme, Walkie Dogs members will not only be able to embrace the outdoors and immerse themselves into the dog walking community, but they’ll also gain access to a variety of dog-friendly perks – including the ability to book onto weekly dog walks, and bespoke discounts on a range of products like dog staycations.
They’ll also get access to the ‘The Dog Pages’, which is a service directory offering information on groomers, kennels, and pet shops to members all in one place.
Members will be able to book onto canine first aid training courses at a discounted rate too.
And if all of this didn’t sound wholesome enough already as it is, the initiative also works closely with several charities too, most-notably partnering with animal welfare and dog rehoming charity, Blue Cross, and you can expect to see collection buckets to pop your donations into at every walking event.
Danny Silk, who is the Founder and Pack Leader of Walkie Dogs, said ahead of the club’s launch this week: “This project is the first of its kind on this scale and one that I hope will not only bring dog lovers together, but offer a supportive space which benefits local communities in lots of different ways, and we’re really excited to bring this to Manchester.
“We’re working closely with local communities across our 74 locations to ensure we create a genuinely positive space, and offer events which members can look forward to every week.
“I can’t wait to welcome everyone to the first walks.”
Bookings are offered on a first-come, first-served basis, with a maximum of 30 dogs on each walk, and you can find out more information on memberships and upcoming events on the Walkie Dogs website here.
To find out more about becoming a volunteer, head to www.walkiedogs.com/become-a-volunteer.
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