Seaside sausage dog walk draws international fans

Little sizzlers... dachshunds travel from far and wide to take part in the Southwold Sausage Dog Walk

More than 500 dachshunds are set to take part in a popular seaside sausage dog event, with one pet owner making a special trip over from Florida, USA.

The Southwold Sausage Dog Walk is being held at the town's harbour on Sunday, and in previous years it has attracted more than 2,000 dogs.

Organiser Laura Baggott said: "This year we are very pleased to welcome a sausage dog owner who has come over from Florida, especially to join us for the walk. We have also had dog owners from Texas and Australia attend the event."

In 2022, the event in Suffolk set an unofficial world record for the world's biggest ever gathering of dogs of any single breed, when 2,238 dachshunds attended.

Sausage dog owners from across the country and abroad will meet in Southwold

Ms Baggott said: "We hope the weather holds out for us, and a special thank you goes out to everyone who has helped get this event up and running.

"We had some last-minute red tape to go through, but that has all now been sorted, and we are delighted that this year's event is going ahead.

"Thank you to everyone who has been so patient, all our members, and of course this year’s stall holders."

The annual event began in 2017 with around 150 dachshunds and has now become one of the UK's largest meet-ups for dogs, with people commuting from all over the country and abroad to take part.

The event is partly aimed at raising awareness and funds to combat intervertebral disc disease, which is common in sausage dogs due to their long bodies.