Dog walkers rally behind Melton's pawsome pet-friendly campaign

Residents brought their dogs to Melton Country Park for a special event to help kick-off the town's quest to become the most pet-friendly place in the UK.

We reported last week how Mars Petcare and Melton Council had joined forces to set up a number of initiatives to show how pets can benefit the lives of young and old in the community and the campaign is being supported by the Melton Times.

Sue Brown and Pauline Jones set off for a dog walk with Mayor of Melton, Councillor David Wright, as the town's pet-friendly campaign gets into full swing EMN-170205-114222001

placeholder image — Sue Brown and Pauline Jones set off for a dog walk with Mayor of Melton, Councillor David Wright, as the town's pet-friendly campaign gets into full swing EMN-170205-114222001

Once the campaign is in full swing, the plan is to enter Melton in the annual Kennel Club competition to crown the nation’s top pet-friendly town.

And the first event took place on Thursday and involved a chance for 30 owners to walk with their dogs around the country park and get more information about the campaign and pet advice from experts such as Sara Kelly, scientific communications manager at Mars Petcare.

Henley Hughes and dog Lotti get some advise from Sara Kelly, of Waltham Petcare Centre, as the town's pet-friendly campaign gets into full swing EMN-170205-114234001

Sara said: “We have always known that pets bring fantastic benefits to our lives and now we have the evidence to prove it. From being more likely to survive a heart attack, to having lower levels of depression following spousal bereavement to being able to concentrate in the classroom more effectively – there’s no doubt that pet owners are healthier and happier.”

The campaign aims to compile a database of pet-friendly businesses in Melton, educate owners on how to care for them and train volunteers to visit care homes and schools with animals.