Would you like to walk in October in support of Schnauzerfest but don’t know where to begin organising one? Or, don’t use social media and feel unable to join any that others organise? If the answer’s yes, then why not join Janetta and do what she’s doing from her home in France. We’ll let her explain more…
This October I am hoping others will join me in a celebration of my dog Angel’s life and her love of walks. When she died unexpectedly in July, I pledged that I would always remember her with great happiness. She brought so much into the world and it was a privilege to share 6 years and 8 months in her company. It is my memories of our walks which have lifted me up when I’ve felt down since her death.
After the confinement of years spent in a puppy farm, Angel’s life with us was simple - she had the freedom to walk as and when she wanted to. She loved her walks and for most days of her life with us, we walked. Sometimes they were short around quiet village streets, others were spent exploring footpaths in the countryside.
Angel didn’t know Susie-Belle, the first dog I adopted from a puppy farm background. Susie-Belle taught me that simply walking with her every day helped her to embrace life. Walks healed her mental scars and I’ve gone on to witness this with my own dogs as well as many others. From Susie-Belle’s love of walks, friends and I were joined by others as we organised informal, simple walks in our local spots, and together we built a dog-walking, loving, enthusiastic community, which became Schnauzerfest.
To coincide with Schnauzerfest’s traditional month of walking, I’m inviting everyone who would like to, to join ‘Angel’s Walks With Friends’.
WHAT IS THIS?
Because I no longer live in the UK and can’t join walks organised by supporters, I will be organising my own here in France. In one of our usual, familiar places where the dogs and I can stretch our legs and remember Angel and all the dogs no longer with us, and those living in puppy farms. I will be thinking about all the dogs who need the help which Schnauzerfest provides.
My walks will be quiet as almost all our canine friends don’t live nearby, or even in the same country. But it will be fun, easy to do - a simple walk together but with me putting on an extra bit of orange to jazz up for Schnauzerfest month. Most meaningfully, it will have Angel at its heart and she’ll be with us in spirit along with all the others.
WILL IT RAISE FUNDS AND AWARENESS?
I hope so as that is what Schnauzerfest needs, but equally important will be the simple joy of walking, giving the dogs time in their day which is all theirs to enjoy. Something puppy farm dogs never get to experience. Followed by me coming home and making a donation in memory of Angel.
HOW YOU CAN JOIN ME
Obviously I don’t expect anyone to physically join me walking, although I may rope in a local friend or two and give them something orange to wear for the occasion. I’ll invite them to make a small donation to the cause which means so much to me, but there’ll be no pressure to do anything except keep me company and remember Angel, or their own dogs who are no longer here.
What I would love you to do to join in, is to pick an October day, or several (I may do a few during the month). You might choose the same day as me (I will definitely do an Angel walk on 1st October for example), or another, whatever suits you. Mark it as an Angel’s Walk With Friends in your diary, on social media if you’d like to, using the image here if you fancy, and tell me about it by emailing Schnauzerfest.
JOIN ANGEL’S TEAM (IF YOU’D LIKE TO)
If you’d like to raise some funds with your walk, I’d love you to join my Justgiving team link here. Or, simply donate straight to my fund using this link. But, there is absolutely no obligation to, what I would love most of all, is to know that people are out there walking for Schnauzerfest and thinking about all the dogs like Angel with no freedom or love simply because their fate was to be born into a life of breeding and confinement in a puppy farm.
