Walking For a Purpose: Charity Dog Walk Raises a Paw-some £50,000 for Dog Rescues

Communities across the country took part in the Agria Dog Walk with more than 30,000 dogs coming together to raise money.

Back for its fourth year, the Agria Dog Walk returned for 2023 on National Dog Rescue Day (20th May), raising over £50,000 for animal charities across the continent. The international initiative saw walks taking place across Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Norway and Sweden, with more than 30,000 dogs taking part.

Announcing a brand-new, three-year partnership with English Heritage, the UK element of the annual charitable event marks the beginning of Agria’s support for the trust’s dog-friendly days out and took place in five locations, including: Dover Castle, Kent; Witley Court and Gardens, Worcestershire; Pendennis Castle, Cornwall; Wrest Park, Bedfordshire and Birdoswald Roman Fort, Cumbria.

Here in the UK, Brits raised just over £18,500 for a selection of rescues, including Retired Greyhounds Canterbury, Help4Hounds Rescue, Daybreaks Trust, Spaniel Aid UK and Dogs First Animal Rescue. With over 1,500 dogs and their families taking part, the fundraiser welcomed internationally recognised animal rights activist and model, Jodie Kidd, along with her Dachshund, Sausage, to the walk at Dover Castle, one of the country’s most scenic English Heritage sites.

Jodie Kidd, animal activist and supporter of the Agria Dog Walk, said: “Unfortunately, it’s thought that there’s 100,000 homeless dogs in the UK and with a really sharp rise in dogs being left in shelters after lockdown and especially now we have the cost of living crisis, we’re trying to grow awareness and raise funds for these amazing animal rescues and to encourage people that might like to own a dog, to go down to a shelter and rehome a gorgeous dog that’s homeless at the moment.”

Each event was packed with entertainment for the whole family, including dog-friendly ice cream, local artists hosting children’s art sessions, face painters, plus demonstrations illustrating how to teach dogs tricks or how to whizz around an agility course.

Vicki Wentworth, CEO at Agria Pet Insurance, says: "We are so grateful to have been joined by so many adorable dogs and their families, united in our collective endeavour to raise funds for remarkable charitable causes. As we continue to see widespread economic pressure, we’re proud to be able to continue our support for animals that have been abandoned due to no fault of their own. Both the Agria and English Heritage teams have created fantastic events and we can’t wait to repeat this success next year!"

Emma Atherton from Spaniel Aid UK, says: “As a small self-funding charity, we rely on donations and fundraising events to help us to pay for our huge vet bills and to buy supplies for our foster dogs. Our vet bills from the 1st January to 21st April 2023 were at £121,765.97, and this is now a lot more, so Agria selecting Spaniel Aid UK to be one of their chosen charities for this event will really help us to keep caring for all dogs in foster with us.”

Ruth Price from Daybreaks Trust, says: “We are constantly inundated with requests to take dogs for rehoming and we currently have a waiting list for greyhounds retiring from racing, that are waiting for a space at Daybreaks in order for us to find them a home. Along with trying to raise funds to keep running, we are constantly under other pressures, so this event is a great help.”

For more information, visit: agriapet.co.uk/agria-dog-walk/ and to learn more about English Heritage dog-friendly days out, visit: english-heritage.org.uk

ENDS

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About Agria Pet Insurance

Agria is one of the world’s leading animal insurers, specialising in small animal, equine, and agricultural insurance. Founded in Sweden over 130 years ago, Agria began underwriting policies in the UK in 2009 and is now a prominent part of the UK pet insurance sector.

In the UK, Agria works with over 40,000 vets, breeders and rehoming organisations, providing insurance for cats, dogs, and rabbits. Agria also administers pet insurance schemes for the leading small animal registration bodies, The Kennel Club, and the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF).

Agria Pet Insurance is the UK’s Most Trusted Pet Insurance Provider, Fairer Finance, Spring 2021, one of the UK’s Best Workplaces™ 2020, ranked by Great Places to Work®

Agria was also the winner of Pet Insurance Provider of the Year and Best Claims Service in the Moneyfacts Consumer Awards, two years in a row.

For more information, see www.agriapet.co.uk / www.kcinsurance.co.uk / www.gccfinsurance.co.uk.