A pair of miniature schnauzers have stolen the hearts of those cooped up in Constable Country with their socially distanced photo tour of the area.
Mister Noodles, nine, and Wilfred Humphrey, eight, have become a social media sensation after their owner Graham Reed snapped them ‘social distancing’ when they jumped up and sat at opposite ends of a bench in Flatford.
Graham has since documented their daily travels around some of Constable Country’s most famous landscapes, in the villages of East Bergholt, Flatford, Dedham and Manningtree – proving to be a huge hit with the locals.
Graham, who has lived in East Bergholt for 11 years, said: “I walk my dogs every morning and this wasn’t intentional.
“It started when they jumped onto a bench and sat about two metres away from each other at opposite ends. I thought it was quite funny and rather topical so shared it on Facebook.”
From then on the 53-year-old took similar photos of the miniature schnauzers on their daily walks and shared them in groups online, not realising the impact they would have.
“I have had some lovely messages from people, especially those who haven’t been able to get out,” he explained.
“In East Bergholt some people are still scared to go out, while some are on the critical list from the government so they have to shield at home. This gives a bit of relief for some people.”
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Graham, who is a director of a marketing agency, said he never expected for the pictures to be so well-received.
He said: “It really is a great way to feel connected to the community and generate some interaction for people.”
The photos see the dogs queueing outside the portable toilets at the Red Lion pub, sitting outside the church, waiting patiently in line at the village pharmacy and even sitting in a boat along the River Stour at Flatford.
People have been sharing the photos with their friends and family online and now local businesses have been getting involved, asking Graham and the boys to pop along on their daily walks.
Graham even started asking people to come up with captions for the photos, which has provided a lot of entertainment for many people and brought in thousands of likes on Facebook.
People have been “bibbing” at Graham and his pooches when out walking in the village and they continue to get a lot of attention from passers-by.
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He has decided to retire the boys from their modelling careers for the time being, but will continue to post occasional updates online.
Graham’s next plan is to create a calendar of the dogs on their quarantine tour, with the proceeds split between St Mary the Virgin Church in East Bergholt and Schnauzerfest charity.
Graham runs the annual Dedham Schnauzerfest walk, which usually takes place in October.
You can keep up to date with the adventures of Mister Noodles and Wilfred Humphrey by following their Facebook page here.
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