Our schnauzery Sunday

We’ve just had the most brilliant Sunday doing one of our favourite past-times – meeting up with other schnauzers and walking and talking the afternoon away.

We headed over to Norbury Park at Fetcham, Surrey and did a casual 5k circuit round the tracks and trails with around 15 or so schnauzers, all minis with the exception of the delightful 7month old black standard, Miele.

 But she wasn’t the youngest, we had the most beautiful baby, Rodders who at 5 months must be snoozing his little head off tonight after all the excitement and energy he spent this afternoon.

 Renae and Susie-Belle love these schnauzer meet-ups, we’ve done several over the past year and this one was the south-east’s contribution to a loosely arranged nationwide schnauzer-walk, with others taking place in Wales, NW England and Dorset, the East Anglian was postponed due to illness.

Last year we had a couple locally at Norbury Park, we travelled further afield to Avonheath, Dorset in September and December and in November we braved a day out in London, all meeting up in Hyde Park where there were around 25 or 30 schnauzers on that meet, great fun.

I brought Susie-Belle out for the day to Norbury Park back in June last year before she was officially “mine” and it’s been heartening today to hear people say how well she has come on since that day – some haven’t seen her since her first daytrip with me.  Someone made the insightful comment that she has a confidence about her that wasn’t there before and she seems to have grown into herself, which I thought was an astute observation.

We both love these group walks as much as Renae and Susie-Belle so obviously do. It’s brilliant to see how well all the dogs get along, schnauzers seem to recognise and get on with their own in a very pleasing way that brings us down to earth. There’s no need to fret about the barking and yapping that mini schnauzers have the noisy tendency to do as everyone else’s is doing the same! No need to worry about what your own dog is up to as once the leads are off and the walk is underway, the pack-like nature of dogs becomes apparent as they trot along en-masse, checking and rechecking that everyone’s keeping up and no-one’s being left out or straggling behind.

These days are simple, joyous pleasures and this year we plan on doing many more around the country.