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Doggy paddle: charity challenge competitors avert canine catastrophe

THE annual Vet Charity Challenge took an unexpected turn this year when one of the competing teams rescued an elderly dog that had fallen into the canal on which the kayaking element of the challenge was taking place. Competitors from Kruuse UK’s team managed to haul the dog, Barney, into their kayak, after spotting it struggling to get out of the canal. They paddled their way to a waiting group of vets and nurses who provided the dog with immediate attention before it was taken to Drove Vets in Swindon. ‘It was sheer luck that we happened to be paddling past at that point,’ said Andrew Groom from Kruuse. ‘The poor chap was struggling on the steep banks of the canal and kept slipping back in. He was getting very tired and at risk of drowning, and judging by his gums and heart rate, going into shock.’ The organisers of the challenge report that Barney made an excellent recovery and that news of the rescue was posted on Facebook, allowing the dog’s owners to trace it to the vets. It turned out that Barney had wandered off through an unlocked gate before falling into the canal. The Vet Charity Challenge took place on September 27 at St Francis School in Pewsey, near Marlborough in Wiltshire. Veterinary staff and industry partners made up 50 teams of four people that spent the day orienteering, cycling, kayaking and undertaking mental and physical tasks. Money raised through sponsorship will be split between Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, SPANA and Cats Protection. Cheques will be presented to each of the charities at this year’s London Vet Show in November. The winning team at the end of the day was ‘BVC Bashers – The Sequel’, comprising Andrew Cooke, Sarah Spencer, Matt Pugh and Chris Dixon from the Belmont Veterinary Centre in Hereford. This is the second year in a row that a team from this practice has won the challenge.