We had a wonderful dog show today (Sunday 24th September) in Mayow Park. It was a real community event and the weather held out for us.
Glendale put a proper ‘ring’ up for us (well it was a fenced square but you know what I mean!) - we really appreciated their efficiency in putting it up and taking it down for us on a Sunday.
Pam Mulvaney Brown, who runs the Narvik Dog Training School, came to
judge for us with her colleague and friend Kim. They were a fantastic team and
chatted to each owner before asking them to walk around the ring.
We had around 60 entries to our five categories with the most popular being ‘Best Behaved’. The dogs in this category had to demonstrate they could run to their owner when called and then sit nicely.
'Best Trick' was really fun with dogs spinning, dancing between legs and playing dead!
I operated a slightly unreliable megaphone but it did the job and sorry if anyone got tired of hearing my voice. As well as announcing the categories, it was important for me to share that it was our first dog show and was to celebrate 30 years of Friends of Mayow Park.
We didn’t know how the timings would work out but actually we ran ahead of time as everything seemed to run smoothly. We made a small profit - nearly £150 - from the small fee to enter each category and from spectator donations. Thank you everyone.
Every dog who entered got at least a small rosette and some biscuit treats. The 3 winners in each category got a ‘Winner’ rosette and were entered for the 'Best in Show'. A wonderful dog called Cora won the special 'Best in Show' medal.
It really was a fun few hours with many amazing volunteers all wearing the new Friends of Mayow Park tabards which made us look very smart - thank you to Robert Hero for these.
Also thanks to Whites Pet Store who donated some treats and Best in Show prizes. It was a wonderful way to celebrate all our marvellous (and clever!) dogs in the park.
Pippa Moss
PS from the editor: 2023 has been a milestone year for Friends of Mayow Park. As Pippa says above, 30 year anniversary of FOMP.
The fledgling group started at a meeting in Sydenham Library in March 1993, with support from Lewisham Council and initially named Mayow Park Users' Group. That seems a long-forgotten time before social media.
Over the years there have been many changes in the park, mostly positive, and the group has grown thanks to the strength and influence and involvement of the local community. Working together with Lewisham Council (the land owners) and Glendale (the park management contractors), a lot has been achieved. May that continue long into the future.
The Dog Show, the ceramic bat hunt (see a previous blog) and the bat walks have been key events for the Friends group during this year. The Dog Show must surely be the highlight of our celebrations, drawing in so many dogs, dog owners and spectators. It was a real joy to see. Ed
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| Some of the team before the show |
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| Some of the team again - with Pippa |
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| Cute dogs |
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| Best in Show |
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| Best in Show with runners up And one more photo as the event is about to start:  |
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