Wag and Bone Show for Punchestown

The fifth annual Wag and Bone Dog Show in aid of the Kildare and West Wicklow Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals will be held on Sunday 9 September, in the parade ring of Punchestown Race Course.



The event starts at 2pm and the classes shown include the dog you would most like to take home, the best 'rescue' dog, the dog most like its owner, the best veteran dog (over 9 years), and the best dog with a child.

Other attractions include a demonstration of dog agility, a high jump competition and a terrier race.

The event is sponsored by Husse, suppliers of pet food and accessories, who will have a stand at the show. Refreshments will be available.

Our picture above of three local youngsters and their pets show what a joy it is when pets are looked after properly -- love is a two-way thing!

The KWWSPCA look after about 400 animals a year, including dogs, cats, swans.

The organisation, which has been in existence for close to half a century, has no animal shelter at the moment, as the land on which their previous one was located, in Dunlavin, was sold.

"We need a premises not to close to other people," says Sally McCaffrey. "But there does need to be somebody living close by to keep an eye on it and the animals."

The numbers of animals which the organisation has to care for is fairly consistent, and the Sally McCaffrey describes the situation as 'horrendous'.

The KWWSPCA doesn't deal with lost dogs as such, which are the responsibility of the dog warden service. But they do generally find a home for most of the animals which are rescued, unless they are so badly treated that they can't recover properly.

The organisation is also hosting a Sponsored Dog Walk at Punchestown on Sunday 23 September, between 11am-12.30pm. Further information from Sally McCaffrey at 087 2054955 or Sue Craigie at 086 8179690.