Discovering Dogs

I am a sucker for cuteness. Little dogs are the apotheosis of cuteness in my eyes (particularly pugs and pomeranians). A trip to Discover Dogs (a canine caper held annually in November at Earl's Court Exhibition Centre) was therefore a no-brainer.

I went with my best friend, T, whose love for cute small things matches mine.

There are individual stands devoted to every breed of dog you can possibly imagine (and many more besides), and three main 'show' areas where mini-Cruft style competitions are held - competition categories ranged from 'Prettiest Bitch' to 'Waggiest Tail'. There are also lots of trade stands where you can purchase pressies for your pooch - one I particularly like the look of was PetsPyjamas.

We arrived at around 11am and spent a  while getting our bearings. Armed with a map, we made a plan of action, which involved paying visits to each of our favourite breeds (pugs, pomeranians, king charles spaniels, samoyeds, newfoundlands, to name but a few) and making time to attend certain competitions.

The best thing about the experience is that it is truly hands-on: you can pet and pick up most of the dogs, and, as a prospective pomeranian or pug purchaser, it was particularly helpful for me to be able to ask the breeders lots of questions.

I learnt, for instance, that black pugs have a better temperament and health record than their fawn-colouted compatriots.

For T, the experience was useful as she is still narrowing down the breed options: she prefers gigantic dogs (Newfoundlands are top of her wish-list), but realistically, in London it is pretty tricky to provide enough space and exercise for such a big dog. She might have to settle with a maltese or a bichon frise for the time being, but is perfectly ok with that!

Puggy love:

We left at about 4pm, having had one of the most enjoyable days possible in London on a soggy November weekend. I am even more excited about the prospect of my future pet!