Hounds make a dash for Shrewsbury sausage social

After a jaunt around the park, the dogs had a chance to rub noses and get to know each other better.

And for two of the dogs it was the opportunity to reunite.

Many of those taking part in the Shrewsbury Sausage Social remarked how similar two of the dogs looked. And when they asked the owners, who did not know each other before Sunday morning, about the dogs, it turned out they were long lost brother and sister who had been adopted separately from Dogs Trust Shrewsbury at Roden.

Organiser Vanessa Fairfax-Woods said there were some very tired dogs after the walk, which saw more than 50 take part with their doting owners.

“It was a fantastic turnout, we would have been happy if only 10 people turned up with their dogs but we were delighted to see so many,” she said.

“They were of all ages, one lady brought five with her, and were all very well behaved. It was so lovely to see the two siblings meet each other again and something like that really makes doing this worthwhile.”

Vanessa, director of a food trading company who lives in Shrewsbury and who was keen for her three-and-a-half year old dog Audrey to make some more four-legged friends, had been chatting with a friend and realised there was an opportunity for devoted dachshund owners to meet-up have a chat and show off their pets.

She added: "It was brilliant. I got there 10 minutes before it was due to start and people were already waiting. I could hear the dogs before I could see them. Sausage dogs have a distinctive bark.

"My friend and I both have sausage dogs and we ended up chatting with people with the same breed of dogs and they kept saying it would be fun to get together. We just thought 'Let's do that'. It was a real glass of wine moment."

The meet-up did not take long to organise and word spread across social media.

"We started the Shrewsbury Sausage Social page on Facebook about six weeks ago and we didn't think it would take off like it has," added Vanessa.

All the dogs were very well-behaved and enjoyed a turn around the Quarry before letting off some steam while playing with their new-found friends.

Vanessa is now planning a Halloween-themed fancy dress get together.

"Sausage dogs are funny and their owners are quirky too. It just worked on Sunday and we will definitely be repeating this one."

To find out more about the group go to their Facebook page, Shrewsbury Sausage Social.