Dogs Allowed
Sunday 14th June
Well, that’s it for this year. We’ve had two days of fun in the sun and rain and everyone is exhausted and looking forward to some time for relaxing. Thanks to everyone who helped, especially my sister Janet, my daughters Arwen and Ria, and Jak, Arwen’s boyfriend. Like an Oscar speech, I could go on and name many, but choose to single out those of my family who have given their time willingly and with good humour.
So, watch this space early in 2010 for an update on the arrangements for the next extravaganza. For photos of Dogs Allowed got to the website, www.dogsallowed.org.uk. This is Hazel Collier signing off!

Thursday 11th June
My head is reeling, and my poor sister who has come to help may be regretting doing so. We have to have a sign for every group or business who is attending Dogs Allowed, so that they can see where to pitch their gazebo, park their van, or lay out their goods in the marquee. So, we’ve had the laminator out and done the fiddly job of laying A4 sheets into laminator pouches so that no stray edges protrude. A tricky job, especially for someone like me who is not patient.
Still, it will all be worth it tomorrow when we attach the signs to the wooden stakes and get a picture of how it’s all going to look.
Now it’s time for a G & T and not much else so that I can relax and get a good night’s sleep. If I manage six hours I’ll be very happy. Tomorrow is a full day and at the end of it we should be all set up for the start of the 2009 Dogs Allowed extravaganza.

Wednesday 10th June
My sister has arrived to help out at Dogs Allowed. This year has become a family affair, I have enlisted the help of two daughters, one daughter’s boyfriend, my husband and the aforementioned sister. There’s plenty of work to go round. Tonight we have our final preparation meeting in the pub (where else?) and after that we should be set to go. The Borders Vintage car people have kindly lent us their little portakabin so we have somewhere to go to when we want to relax, and they have also left us, after their event last weekend, a mini marquee which will be used as the Command Centre. The next couple of days will be spend printing cards for pitches etc. and signs for just about everything. I hope we haven’t forgotten anything but we’ll take some black markers and card just in case.
So, bring your dogs, bring your family and enjoy a day in the grounds of Thirlestane Castle this weekend. See if your dog wins a competition, jog round the grounds with your dog in aid of the Arthurshiels Animal Rescue Centre, eat an organic burger and wash it down with an ice cream. Come to the beer tent to quench your thirst and if your dog is sometimes badly behaved ask the advice of our two dog behaviourists who will be available both days.
Have fun, learn and enjoy.


Thursday 4th June
Only 8 days to go. The list of things to do should be getting smaller but somehow it isn't. The programme has gone off to the printers and the event map is finished. Now it's time to draw a layout so that every charity and business that is coming to the event can find their pitch.  We're going to make little signs to be attached to stakes and pegged in the ground so that we don't have a free for all. There's plenty of room for everyone and we want the charities evenly spread out around the competition ring.
I'm also working on a list of jobs for the volunteers, from taking money at the gate through to helping at the competitions and judging. I'm keeping an eye on the weather forecast, mostly for my own benefit, as I don't want to overheat or get cold. I delivered a banner to the castle today and there was a lot of activity as they get ready for the Borders Vintage Car Rally this weekend. The good thing for us is that everything will be in place; we just have to go in and stick up our own signs and directions. That's much better than have to set up everything ourselves.

Friday 29th May
Two weeks tomorrow to the opening of Dogs Allowed. I'm putting the final touches to the items for the programme - if one or two people would get a move on it could go to the graphic designer today. The roadside banners arrived and they are great! If you drive up and down the A68 or A697 look out for them.
We have the running order for the two days sorted out now, and as soon as the programme goes off to the printers we'll be putting the timetable for each day on the website. The order of competitons is slightly different on Saturday and Sunday so that if you can only come for a short time you can pick the right period. If you like to watch dog agility demonstrations then come on Saturday. if you prefer to see gundog puppies being put through their paces then come on Sunday. Everything else will be on for both days.
So, to check you have the right money with you when you come - it is £5 entrance for adults, with children and dogs free. A programme will set you back £1 and it is £1 to enter each competition. There is food and drink on sale, but if you prefer to bring a picninc there'll be chairs and tables available.
For the children we have a roundabout, a bouncy castle (or two), a Crafty Craft tent and the regular children's playground.
For adults, if they can bring what was there last year, there will be an inflatable assault course and a goal scoring opportunity, both courtesy of the army.
For dogs, as well as the chance to make new friends, shine in a competition, watch demonstrations of other canines doing serious stuff and jog around the castle grounds, they can have a free health check, courtesy of the PDSA. Did you get your dog from a rescue centre? Chances are they will have a stand at Dogs Allowed so you can show the volunteers there just how well the dog is faring now.
If you are feeling flush you can buy just about anything and everything for your dogs as well as other stuff. Look out for the big marquee, it's a good chance to see a range of goods and services in one place. No need to drive miles to get something for your dog; the chances are it'll be there, just a few minutes walk up from the car park.

Wednesday 27th May
I have a car boot full of posters, flyer and dog invitation cards. I have to be careful when putting shopping in the boot that I don't tear them. I'm really thankful I insisted on a cargo net when I got the car. Some more prizes for the competitions arrived yesterday; too heavy for me to lift so I was glad I wasn't on my own. I think they're 5 kilo bags of dog food.
If you're having a stand at Dogs Allowed your flyers and cards will be arriving by post. Give them all out, if possible, to spread the word. The more people and dogs that attend the more fun it'll be for everyone. The weather has been so good lately that we're adding up the number of water bowls we have for dogs, in case we need extra. The poo bags have arrived, ready for handing out, so that's something else I can tick off the list. For any of you who haven't been to Dogs Allowed, you get a poo bag and a small label when you arrive. The lable is to tie on the dog's collar with a mobile phone number written on it so that if the dog gets loose and we find it we can ring and tell you where it'll be. We haven't needed to do this so far, but make sure your mobile is with you and charged up if you want to use this facility.

Saturday 23rd May
I'm just putting the programme together, ready to send to the graphic designer. We can afford this year to have more articles than we did in 2008 so I have contributions coming in from the Dogs Trust, Greyhound Rescue, Springer Spaniel Rescue, the Dog Aid Society, Hearing Dogs for the Deaf, Arthurshiels Animal Rescue, the Midlothian Dog Training Club and the Buccleuch Gun Dog Training people. I think the programme is going to be great. The 2008 one was lovely to look at and this time it will be superb. We sell the programmes for £1 so they shouldn't be too expensive for anybody. For those of you who don't want to buy a programme we'll be listing the running order for each day on the website as soon as it's finalised.

Tuesday 19th May
I’ve been thinking about the competitions. The reason for that is I’ve been sorting out the prizes, to make sure we have enough for everyone. We have theses competitions:
Dog with the waggiest tale
Dog with the smiliest face
Dog most like its’ owner
Best rescue dog
Best dog under a year
Best veteran dog
Dog fancy dress
At £1 a go to enter I think there’s great opportunity for all dogs to shine. We don’t mind if the dog has a front end from one breed and a back end from another. If they have a great wag or a smiley face they can go into our fun competitions. I’m still hoping  we get some great entries into the Dog Fancy Dress competition; any Darth Vaders out there or Batman and Robin?

Monday 18th May
Only 26 days to go to the start of Dogs Allowed. The Scottish Boxer charity is coming; a new one to me. June is a good month for 'Jog with your dog', it'll be warm enough for it to be enjoyable for the human joggers. I'm sure the dogs don't mind the weather. We're planning to take photos of the giant Scottie dog who is leading the jog, so keep looking at the website for pics. If you want to support the Arthurshiel Animal Rescue Centre please come and jog. There's no sponsorship involved, just a donation on the day. The first pair get a prize and a rosette, just the thing to display proudly at home.
If jogging is not of interest to you, then enjoy a cappuchino or have some hog roast, put your dog into one of the competitions, or enjoy the terrier racing. That's just a few of the other things you can do. When the programme for each day is ready it will be posted on the website.

Friday 15th May
The invitation cards for dogs will arrive from the printers early next week. The next job is to get them sent to anyone and everyone who may be able to give them out.  I am looking forward see the art from Alasdair Stroyan, www.alasdairstroyanarts.co.uk. His paintings of dogs, or with dogs in them are lovely and just the thing for a special present for someone. At the other end of the scale, the Crafty Club gazebo will give the opportunity for children to try out arts and crafts, all with a dog theme. Not quite the same standard, but it’ll be fun to see what the children make and do. I’ve been told by a few people that June is going to be lovely, weather wise, and I’m hoping they’re right. Even though we had some snow last year, and it was very cold, it wasn’t wet and raining. I’m sure the dogs will be happy and we’ll make sure there’s plenty of water available, especially if it’s hot.

Thursday  7th May
Some good news for Dogs Allowed. The PDSA are coming with a van kitted out to do dog health checks. These are free of charge and I’m sure they’ll be very popular. I’ve never heard of this facility being offered locally and when I got an email asking me whether we wanted them to come I was surprised to find the mail came from an office in Shropshire! Fortunately the van will be coming from Northumberland so it won’t be too long a drive.
As well as this good news I heard we’d secured bouncy castles for the children and a hog roast that also offers pheasant burger and other such delicacies. Things are really coming together now.

Monday  4th May
I had a good idea a couple of days ago. I ran it by a few people and now I’ve to get the work done. I’m going to make up invitation cards for dogs and give them out to people walking them. I can give piles of them out to people who go to all sorts of places and they will help by giving them out. It’s a good way of advertising Dogs Allowed without spending much. We were thinking of putting posters on trees in areas popular with dog walkers but with that someone has to go and remove them after the event and it’s always hard to get that done. If I make the invitation cards small enough we can all just carry them round with us till we see a person out with their dogs(s).

Saturday  25th April
It’s getting closer. Walter has updated the Dogs Allowed design and changed the colours. The first flyers are going to be distributed at a dog event this weekend and 66 sample packs of dog food have arrived from Fish4dogs. They’ll be added to the other prizes that have been donated. We had good news; the Borders Donkey Sanctuary want to have a stand and they’ll bring one or two donkeys. Lovely. The application for the event licence is in the post so all we need now is confirmation of sponsors to make my weekend a good one. As the event gets closer it takes more and more of my time; when I look back on last year I am amazed how much we did and what detail we went in to. This year I gave myself the job of documenting what I do and when, so that we have a plan for following years, but of course it’s very hit and miss at the moment. I’ve sent the feedback questions to be transferred to hand held pda’s. It’ll make life a lot easier that we won’t have to go round with clipboards and ask people to fill in questionnaires. And afterwards, we get an e-copy of the feedback, all ready to analyse and present to our advertisers and sponsors.

Monday 20th April
We got a sample of the posters and flyers for this year; very swish. What a good idea to update the logo etc. so that eyes are drawn to it. It means I have to make new badges and passes, but I never expected things to be easy. I'm really glad we have a forward thinking graphic designer, I'm definitely out of my comfort zone when it comes to presentation and I love it when someone else does what's needed.

Sunday 19th April
We got some good news yesterday; although it is too warm in June to have a demonstration of dog sledding, we are going to have huskies to drool over and pet; a static display is more than we could have hoped for. We also have had confirmation that there’ll be a demonstration of gun do training on Sunday 14th. This is balanced by Dog Agility on Saturday 13th, so both days will give value for money. All we need now is weather as good as that of this weekend; seventeen degrees and sunny, that’s be a real draw.

Wednesday 15th April
Marquees, portable loos, competition ring barriers, cones, skip for rubbish;  all necessary items for the event, but not kit that I have any experience with. I can talk generator outputs after Lauder Live last year, but can’t visualise how big a ring 100 barriers will make, or what a 60ft marquee translates to in floor space when erected. I think I’ll have to take plenty of photos when it’s all in place so that I don’t go through the same thing in 2010.  Once I can walk round the marquee I’ll be able to see it in terms of tables, chairs and people, but I can’t do that with just measurements. A great thing for us is that we are sharing all these things with the Borders Vintage Car Rally, an event held the week before. So in theory, all we have to do is go in and put our stamp on it, as we’ll have been given the layout and will have had a chance to see where our exhibitors will go by visiting the car rally and getting a feel for the space.  It is a good thing in terms of reducing our carbon footprint to have one delivery and one pickup for the two events. It all goes towards a sustainable future for both groups.

Tuesday, 31 March 2009
We have greyhounds! I was very pleased to get an email from Dumfriesshire & Cumbria Greyhound Rescue, as the Borders Greyhound Rescue group can’t attend this year and I do love greyhounds. A great addition to the weekend. Another confirmed attendee is Alasdair Stroyan. Those pet portraits are so good you could start your own gallery at home and have a wonderful display. The third confirmation that we had this week was the army recruitment people will be coming. Last year they brought a mobile assault course which went down well. Let hope it’s available again.

Thursday, 26 March 2009
I went to a very interesting meeting on Tuesday, which included the launch of a website for event organisers.  It’s great to be able to pick someone else’s brains and share experiences. It’s time today to go over the Dogs Allowed Website and make sure we have all the information on there for this year. We also need a great picture for the front page; we still have last year’s photos there, so it’s time for a change. I think I’ll ask some neighbours so send me dog photos and then I can have fun choosing. My friends have a gorgeous boxer, perhaps they have a photo of Lewis that I can use. This is one of the fun bits of getting ready for the event.

Tuesday, 17 March 2009
I had a phone call last night to confirm that the Midlothian Dog Training Club (http://www.mdtc.co.uk) will be coming to Dogs Allowed on Saturday 13th June. They’ll be doing two sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The sessions will consist of demonstrations of basic to advanced obedience, displays of working trials dogs and a fun dog agility competition, open to all. It sounds great. All I need to do now is find another club for Sunday. The day is shaping up and if we get some sponsors we’ll be able to pay for it all! We still haven’t set the entry price as we want to keep it as low as possible; the final price will reflect the amount of sponsorship we’ve been able to attract.
I asked the RAF team from Lossiemouth to come and do some dog demonstrations but don’t know yet if they are free. Last year they planned to come but most of the dog handlers got sent to Basra so they never made it.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Friday, 6 March 2009
I had a lovely day out yesterday at a spa, and now it’s time to catch up on the to-do list. Sponsors, must get sponsors. Advertisers, must get advertisers for the programme. Event calendars, must get Dogs Allowed added to as many online calendars as possible. Prizes, check what’s promised and what’s left to find. There are a number of us getting the event together this year but I’m the one with all the paperwork and lists and invoices and quotes and feedback from 2008, so if I forget to dig stuff out and share it with the others we’re going to find life difficult. I won’t call it displacement activities but I tidied up my online filing the other day to make it easier to see how much work there is left to do! I now have all documents stored away from my hard drive(s) but haven’t actually gone through them to set priorities. Urgency Importance Matrix? What for? If I were properly organised I’d know the body snatchers had been at work. It may appear that those of us getting the event together this year are working to a plan, and I’m pleased if it does, but the plan is mostly in our heads at the moment. We have another meeting on Wednesday and I’m expecting to be wowed by the amount of work everyone else has done.
I don’t have a dog, but find myself looking at dogs when I’m out and about and subconsciously deciding which competition they’d be likely to be entered into. There’s a bit of controversy about Dog Fancy Dress; I hear as many people in favour as against, as they seem to love dressing their dogs up and the type of costume is extremely varied. I’m looking forward to a parade of Batmans, Robins and Supermans, and that’s just a few.  The Easter Bonnet parade last year didn’t give enough scope for imagination, it seems. We only had one entry in Best Dog Tricks last year; come on all you with clever dogs, practice away and come and give us a chance to ooh and aah over them and their tricks

Monday, 2 March 2009
Some good news; the dog behaviorist who came to last year’s event is happy to return. This lady is very interesting as well as being an expert on dogs. She did some judging last year and in the photos looked as if she was very knowledgeable. Judging is hard to do, especially when it’s the dog with the waggiest tail, or the dog with the smiliest face as it’s nigh impossible to choose a winner. They all look lovely. I’m glad I can stay in the competition hut and take names, it’s a much less fraught occupation.
We have some rain ponchos left from Lauder Live (our outdoor concert last year) and I’m wondering if it’s tempting fate to plan to have them on sale at Dogs Allowed. Perhaps I’ll take them in the back of my car and then decide on the day.
Lauder Rotary took the money at the gate last year and I’m hopeful they’ll be able to do it again.  A lot of people got in free last year when they should have paid, but I think we have learned lessons and can stop that happening. It always surprises me that even when an event is very cheap, and children and dogs go free, there are still people who try to get in without paying. This year we have hand stamps, different colours for the two days, so be prepared to wear purple or black on the back of your hand. It’s all vegetable dye, so no problems with allergies.
I am getting ahead of myself, but the part I like is putting the running order together for the two days, and then laying out the programme. The graphic design is lovely and then end result surpasses expectation. I’m not at all artistic but appreciate the finished product and am very happy to feel I have been part of the ‘putting it together’ bit.

Tuesday, 24 February 2009
More Pet Food companies donate prizes; I must day I have pleasantly surprised by the responses so far. It’s the bigger sponsorship that we’ll probably have trouble with, but I won’t know how everyone is doing until our next meeting. I’ve also had offers of help and that surprises me, although may be it shouldn’t. It felt as if the small number of us who organised and ran the whole event last year were all that there would ever be, so I’m very happy that folk have started to come forward. If we don’t have to work at the same frenetic pace as last year we’ll be able to implement some improvements that need more manpower.
It’s exciting that we have a dog rescue charity coming from Mull, and a business coming from Bristol; it was always our intention that dog people from everywhere would find the event worth visiting, but we never expected it this quickly. We had ideas that it would take about five years to get established but perhaps it won’t.
Last year I made badges for the helpers to wear and stick-on passes for the tickets that go to sponsors; this year I’ll be doing the same but they’ll be a different colour as I go some end-of-line stationery at a knock down prices; probably because it’s blue!  And I got yellow vests from a well known high street shop where everything is one price (£1). Truly a bargain. What I really wanted was yellow vests with a small see through pocket at the front and an A4 size one at the back, so that we can use them for various events and slip a sheet with the name of the event in the pockets. But if these are available I haven’t been able to find them.

Tuesday, 17 February 2009
We have two Pet Food companies who are donating prizes and two new traders to add some variety. You can now sip a speciality coffee whilst eating freshly made cakes before taking your dog to have its’ photo taken for printing on a t-shirt, mug, mousemat etc.  What a lovely idea for presents. We’re offering the Dogs Allowed logo for the weekend to be used for printing. I’m getting ahead of myself here (I don’t have a dog) but I can imagine having a t-shirt with a picture of my dog with his/her winning rosette on the front and the Dogs Allowed logo on the back. Surely a collectors item! Perhaps we have here a competition for 2010; the best t-shirt printed over the weekend.

Wednesday, 11 February 2009
Lauder Limpers (our local running club) laid out the course through the Castle grounds for a sponsored dog walk last year. I  asked if they would do the same this year and was surprised to get an email asking if we wanted them to get hold of a giant Scottie Dog costume for someone to start off the “Jog with your dog” which will replace the sponsored walk. I suppose that in our state of finances the first question I should ask is “How much will it cost?” but I was actually thinking about how soon it could be borrowed as it would make a great photo for the Dogs allowed website.

Tuesday, 10 February 2009
On Sunday night I sent out sponsorship requests to Dog Food companies and I have already had a positive response from one. I don’t know yet the level of support they can give us t it’s very encouraging. I’ve worked it out that if I didn’t have a domestic life I could get the event organised within the next couple of weeks. Instead I’ll just have to keep doing a couple of hours during my awake periods in the night. I’ve always thought sleep was overrated. Last year the entry price was £3 for adults with dogs and children free. We’re not sure whether year we’ll have to increase the entry price to £5,  which is still only a tenner for a day out for mum, dad, dogs and kids.  Good value. Any of you reading this who are not sure whether or not you’d come, see the clip on YouTube:
www.youtube.com/watch? v=okvFuhwAV9Q&feature=related .

Tuesday, 3 February 2009
Today I am thinking about our options for sponsorship. It’s hard to see how companies can be enthusiastic about shelling out money to sponsor the event when many of them are fighting for survival. Somehow we have to find those who are in a good position to ride the recession. In 2008 we got sponsorship, program advertising, and donations for prizes. We need to do the same this time round. It’s time to pass round the sponsorship packs to the other board members and see what we can all do. If anyone reading this would like to sponsor us or donates prizes please go to www.dogsallowed.org.uk

We’re adding a friendly session of jogging with your dog this year to replace the sponsored walk. There’ll be a charge to do it and the proceeds will go to Arthurshiels Rescue Centre in the Borders. Don’t fight over the dog if there are couples there who both want to join in, one can run with the dog on Saturday and the other on Sunday. It’s very cheap to come to Dogs Allowed so you can afford to be there both days! The weather in the Borders can be a bit wet, but in June it’s warmer than it is at Easter.

Monday, 2 February 2009
It’s that time of year. We’ve had the kick-off meeting for Dogs Allowed and divvied up the jobs. Now we all have to find the time to fit in our tasks with all the other things we do.
To use the parlance, it’s going to be bigger and better this year. We had a great two days last year which just about everyone enjoyed, and have moved this year’s event to June in the hopes we won’t almost freeze to death as we did at Easter 2008. All the Dog Charities and Dog-related business that came last year want to return and we have had enquiries from some additional ones. If you got you dog from a charity or rescue place in a 100 mile radius of Lauder you can probably find them represented at Dogs Allowed.
It’s virtually impossible to say what was the most entertaining; the Quack Commandos, the Search and Rescue Dogs, the Dog Sledding Demonstrations or the Terrier Racing.  I was disappointed to miss the Best Dog Tricks competition; I really wanted to see the trick involving a dog and a ladder. Well done to the lady who raced up from the car park with a dog, a ladder and three children in tow.