It’s been a great start to 2025 for Team Dorset Dogs so we thought we would bring you a review of our year so far!
Welcome to our new Project Officer Dawn!
We are excited to welcome Dawn and her 3-year-old cocker spaniel Hobbs to the Dorset Dogs team! Dawn has been working on dog-based projects in the New Forest for 10 years, and she is now looking forward to working in Dorset and meeting Dorset dogs and their owners. Dawn and Hobbs will visiting lots of sites across the west side of our project area including the Purbeck Heaths, the Sika Trail in Wareham and Thorncombe Woods – say hello if you see them out and about!
What have we been up to recently?
This spring, our team has been busy out and about, meeting and talking with dog owners during site visits and pitstops. We’ve handed out many a goody bag and shared advice on fantastic off lead dog walks – it’s been great to meet so many dog owners who agree with our way of thinking and practice responsible behaviour in the countryside!
The team attended the annual SSCAMP (Southern Counties Canine Access Management Partnership) meeting held in Beulieu – Parasiticides, dog poo bags and dog walker surveys to find out what really matters to our dog community, were the subjects of the day. Thanks to our partners for the research and information on these topics.
Dorset Dogs also attended the Mitigation Meetup hosted by Bird Aware Solent, exploring a wide range of topics and gaining valuable insights including how dog walkers can make a real difference by walking in a wildlife friendly way. We were really pleased to hear from Dog Trainer and Behaviorist Natalie Light, who we’ve worked with on our Top Training Tip videos. A highlight was Anneke’s talk on building positive relationships with dog owners, which sparked great conversations around dog owner engagement. It was a day full of learning, networking, and fresh ideas!
K9 Firewise Patrol
Our dedicated K9 Firewise Patrol volunteers have continued their regular heathland patrols, reporting any potential dangers or fire sightings, now joined by four enthusiastic new recruits submitting regular updates. You can find out more about our K9 Firewise Patrol here.
With summer in full swing and dry conditions increasing wildfire risk, their presence is important in high-risk areas of heathland. Project Officer Kyri recently attended wildfire training with Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue, gaining valuable insight into how wildfires behave and how the fire service tackles them on the ground.
We have lots of exciting plans for the rest of 2025 so keep checking in here and on our social media.