6 Interesting Things About Twilight Bark
At Pup Aid I met many people, some for the first time, some old friends, and some I’d wanted to meet having found out something interesting from their blogs, and social media. Twilight Bark fell into the latter box, it’s a new blog on the scene and it’s teased my interest since I came across it earlier this year.
“We’re here to find the best local doggy businesses, animal charities, events, stories and all things ‘dog’ so we can report back to YOU directly from the ground!!! In addition I’m hoping to meet many dogs (and their people!) on our journey and pick up helpful tips as I go (which hopefully you’ll benefit from or at least enjoy reading!) So if you’d like us to visit or have any suggestions of where you would like us to travel to, then please get in touch via the blog or other social mediums!!”
It’s always hard to say why I find certain blogs and ideas fascinating; I have an eclectic mind and this one has settled in a corner of my curious brain. It’s probably something to do with the honesty of the blog and the journey to discover the joys of lives spent with dogs in all their wonder including the world of rescue, which can be far from wonderful. It touches me, so in classic, nosey fashion inspired by the nosey schnauzers I live with, I decided to ask Sarah, the woman behind it to tell me more.
Q1. Twilight Bark UK looks a lot of fun, what’s inspired you to do this?
Sarah: I’m known amongst my friends and family for my love of animals, particularly dogs. Having had a few health issues and numerous hospital visits over the last few months, I got a new perspective on my life and decided to take some time out and follow my passion about dogs and combine it with a love of writing. My view is you only live once so I took the plunge! I originally intended it to be a summer road trip incorporating a few charities as I went, but I became so enthralled about how many incredible charities and organisations there are out there (and the various ways in which they help dogs and how dogs help us) that it has become somewhat of a large focus! As with anything creative, you can suddenly find yourself heading in a different direction but often there’s a reason for that. If I can help shine more light on some of these causes and meet some truly remarkable people and dogs on the way, I can think of nothing better! I’ll actually be making a few changes to my blog soon to reflect this change in direction.
Q2. Love the name, tell me about it
Sarah: Thank you! I can’t take the credit, which lays with my dad! I wanted a name dog related so people would loosely know what they would be looking at, but I also wanted something a little intriguing. I came up with so many but none stuck. My dad then remembered the ‘Twilight Bark’ which is featured in 101 Dalmatians. I guess I see my role as spreading the word about everything dog related and people will hopefully then continue to pass on the information and share with their friends. It seemed like the perfect fit! The Twilight Bark reference also has a deeper personal meaning, as it’s what my dad used to say every time my mum’s family used to call when they were first together (there’s quite a few of them so normally one would call, closely followed by another) so it seemed a fun way to honour that.
Q3. Have you always had dogs in your life?
Sarah: Yes, I’ve been lucky to have always been surrounded by dogs since I was around 6. It actually came about in a strange way. My dad found a golden retriever (Teddy) on his way home from work and brought him home. Luckily he had a collar so we were able to locate his family who came to collect him. We loved looking after him for a few hours. He was so gentle and it prompted my family to decide to get one of our own; another golden retriever we named Basil. I still remember the day we went to pick him up! I was beyond happy and we’ve had dogs ever since including another golden retriever (Lucy) from a rescue centre (she’d had 8 homes before us and she was only two!) as well as Henry (a Labrador cross spaniel) who we adopted from our local vets where he’d been abandoned (he was only a puppy at the time and lived until he was nearly 16). He was a particularly special chap.
Q4. You’ve had a busy summer, what have been the highlights?
Sarah: Oh there have been so many but the one which has particularly stuck with me was my visit to Veterans with Dogs in Devon. I think we often underestimate the power of dogs and the ways they give so much back to humans. To hear firsthand how this special bond has inspired a Veteran to set up a charity to help others, via the use of dogs was incredible. Dogs have so many qualities and their perception about how we’re feeling when perhaps even we don’t know, is so very special. My visit to The Mayhew Animal Home was also inspiring and I was particularly touched by the way they house the dogs at the centre while waiting for their new home; specially created kennels designed to minimise stress and noise, with even a television, sofa and pictures on the walls to make it feel as close to a home as possible. There was even an area for books which are read to the dogs by volunteers. Seeing these kind of personalised initiatives was very special.
Q5. Does Ted go with you on your travels round the country?
Sarah: As I’ve been working with a lot of charities it isn’t always appropriate for Ted to come along (although Craig from Veterans with Dogs was particularly disappointed not to meet Ted so I should have bought him along then!) I have been lucky enough to take Ted along to any events we attend though, namely Pup Aid, the All Dogs Matter event ‘Pup Idol’ and most recently The Late Summer Show from Hearing Dogs for Deaf People. When Ted doesn’t come with me, he stays with my mum and her miniature dachshund, Millie, so he has plenty of fun without me! We’ve also been lucky enough to start product testing, which Ted absolutely loves!
Q6. What’s coming up on the Twilight Bark programme?
Sarah: We’ve got some exciting things coming up namely Schnauzerfest which you kindly alerted me about! We’re really looking forward to attending and looking further into puppy farming. I also have a visit to Dogs Trust in Basildon in October, which is their newest centre. I have looked at the ways Dogs Trust are helping educate owners of tomorrow via their education programmes but I thought it was also important to actually see what they’re most known for and that’s rehoming dogs; so I’ve kindly been invited to see what it’s all about and report back!
We’re also finishing our first product review from the The Pet Deli and we may have a few more coming up too! There are lots of other exciting things planned, so hopefully more people will sign up to the blog so they don’t miss out! I do see this as a very interactive experience, so I would love more people to get involved and let me know if they want me to visit a particularly charity or organisation; find out more about a particular topic or product or even a place to stay or take a dog. I’d love to hear personal stories about people and their dogs too. How have they helped dogs or how do their dogs help them? Perhaps maybe a feature in the future.
Find out more on Twilight Bark’s journey here and follow on Twitter
I’m looking forward to seeing Sarah’s journey and project develop and to welcoming her to a Schnauzerfest walk in a couple of weeks time.
