St Elizabeth Hospice has announced the cancellation of Suffolk Dog Day 2023 due to the hot weather predicted for the coming days and related health concerns for both dogs and supporters alike.
Due to take place on Sunday 10th September at Helmingham Hall, Suffolk Dog Day is a staple event in the Suffolk calendar, full of fun for dogs and their owners of all ages, however the charity has taken this difficult decision to cancel this year’s event following guidance from event partners at the RSPCA and Nightingale Vets.
James Fox-Golding, Events and Challenges Manager at the hospice, said: “We are sorry that we have had to take the difficult decision to cancel this year’s Suffolk Dog Day.
“The safety of dogs and visitors at the event is our highest priority and we have made this decision in collaboration and support from our event partners at the RSPCA and Nightingale Vets.
“This decision has been taken early to give as much notice as possible for visitors, supporters and stallholders. We wish to say a heartfelt thank you to our volunteers, sponsors, stallholders and supporters for their understanding. We look forward to welcoming you all at Suffolk Dog Day in 2024.”
RSPCA Suffolk Central Branch Manager Gemma Walpole, said: “We were very much looking forward to attending this year’s event, but we fully support the decision to cancel to help protect the health and welfare of dogs during this hot weather.
“This year the RSPCA has been running a ‘Dogs Die on Hot Walks’ campaign alongside its long-standing Dogs Die in Hot Cars campaign. The aim has been to raise awareness of the dangers of exercising dogs in hot weather as they can quickly become victims of heat stroke, which can sometimes be fatal.
“Although we understand this will be disappointing news, by cancelling the Suffolk Dog Day, St Elizabeth Hospice will be helping dogs stay safe and cool in the September heatwave. We applaud them for putting the welfare of animals first and foremost in their decision making.”
For further information visit: www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/dogs/health/hotwalks
Dr Emily Nightingale, Nightingale Vets, added: “At Nightingale Vets, the wellbeing of our patients takes precedence over anything else. With the unseasonally high temperatures forecast for Sunday, we advised the organisers of the Suffolk Dog Day about the hot weather health risks to the attending dogs, and fully support their decision to cancel the event.
“When temperatures rise above 24 degrees celsius all dogs are at risk of heatstroke and breathing difficulties which is amplified further for very young dogs, older dogs, flat faced breeds, as well as overweight dogs. As it will be very hot over the next few days make sure your dog has somewhere cool to rest, offer cold water, and only exercise your dog when it’s under 20 degrees celsius.
“Whilst we are sad we won’t be meeting lots of fabulous dogs and their people this weekend, we are grateful to the St Elizabeth Hospice for all their hard work in organising this event, their unbounded care for people and pets too, and we look forward to supporting this very deserving cause in the future.”
For those who have pre-booked tickets for the event, you will have received an email in your inbox, which includes the following link – www.stelizabethhospice.org.uk/refund-form-suffolk-dog-day/ – to request a refund for your tickets or you can decide to donate your entry to the hospice. Please complete this form by midnight on Thursday 14 September.
Do make sure to follow the Suffolk Dog Day website – www.stelizabethhospice.org.uk/suffolkdogday – and Facebook page for updates and news of the much-loved event’s return for 2024.