Suffolk Show...no dogs, now no Show!

I am very sorry for those who were looking forward to a day out at the Suffolk Show today.

We had decided not to go this year however in protest at the ban on dogs that was introduced in 2011.

A county show when the county is a rural one is not really a county show if country people cannot bring their canine best friends along. That means no more Suffolk Show for us I am afraid, although we will be attending Suffolk Dog Day on 29th July at Helmingham Hall.

Dog owners are often quite unreasonably discriminated against in so many areas of life these days.  I accept that in an urban environment dogs (and often their owners) may not feel at home, but in the country man's best friend should be allowed to keep the space that he has enjoyed over the centuries.

I despair of country pubs that are now too posh to allow dogs across the threshhold.  The same applies to holiday cottages.  Landlords who do not tolerate dogs in their longer term rental properties are often putting the lives of dogs at risk, since some people needing a home have to get rid of their dog to find accommodation.  We have given our support to the Dogs' Trust campaign to encourage landlords to allow dogs and certainly encourage them when we rent out property.

Dogs are not unhygenic or troublesome.  Their owners sometimes are however.

Rendle the Lurcher, not excluded from Chilton Jubilee celebrations!