Spooky spaniel shines on catwalk

AN ENGLISH Cocker Spaniel in a bloodied gauze was crowned the winner of a Halloween dog parade in Henley.

Dylan, who is 15, completed his costume with a fake dagger attached to either side of his torso.

He was one of 16 dogs who took part in the annual event in the Market Place on Saturday, which was organised by the Naughty Mutt Nice dog grooming parlour in Duke Street.

Dylan’s owner, David Walker, 53, of Greys Hill, said dressing his dog for the parade involved “bribery” and “cuddles”.

He said: “I had been looking for something for him to wear on Amazon but nothing seemed to be particularly original, so I thought I’m going to get some bandages and some fake blood and see what happens.

“As you can see, he wasn’t too happy about it. There were lots of treats and bribery and cuddles involved in getting the costume on.

“I’ve had him since he was a little puppy. He is well known in Henley because I have had him here all of his life.”

Noodles, a 12-year-old Maltipoo, was runner-up dressed as a pirate. Owner Tanya Milner said he would share the prize with his brother, Haribo, four, a Maltese who was dressed as a teddy bear.

Piglet, a four-and-a-half-year-old Patterdale Terrier, was crowned the winner of the sausage eating contest.

Owner Alex Humphreys said the category was made for her dog, who didn’t miss a single sausage. She said: “The competition was made for her really, she is very food motivated.”

Prize-winners received a hamper of goods from Naughty Mutt Nice as well as prizes donated from Mcadams Pet Food, Dogkind and Fenella Smith, including a free groom, dog shampoo, supplements, treats, dog bowls and dog chews.

Costumes were judged by Lorraine Hillier, of Hot Gossip café, and her sister Susan, Tom Ryan, from Honk! comedy nights, Philippa Ratcliffe, of Experience Henley and Tilly Matthews from Naughty Mutt Nice.

Karole Robertson, who owns the dog grooming parlour, said the 10th edition of the event was the biggest yet, drawing in a big crowd of spectators to watch the dogs walk down a red carpet.

She said: “There was a lot of people that came down just to watch and came down to support us, it was really special.

“We do it for fun, we do it to bring people together, we like to give something back to our customers and to the dogs.

“First place really caught our eyes, so we agreed with the judges but I think there were many good ones which were unusual and original.”