A seaside dog walk which regularly sees hundreds of Dachshunds and other breeds stepping out in Southwold has been put back to next year because of coronavirus.
The Southwold Sausage Dog Walk is usually held every few months in the coastal town, with visitors travelling from all over the UK with their pets to take part in aid of charity.
But, with coronavirus lockdown restrictions preventing social gatherings, organisers have confirmed they are not planning to hold any further walks until next March at the earliest.
The dog walks were the idea of Laura Baggott, who said she was inspired to raise money for pet charities after her Dachshund, Percy, was diagnosed with Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD).
The disease is often caused by slipped or ruptured discs in the back and is common in Dachshunds.
Because of the condition Percy often struggles with walking, but has received help from the charity Dedicated to Dachshunds.
A grateful Ms Baggott decided to arrange walks supporting the charity every few months as a way of saying thank you.
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The walks have seen as many as 500 dogs and their owners attend at any one time and have raised thousands of pounds for Dedicated to Dachshunds over the last few years, helping to pay for treatment of dogs who have suffered from IVDD.
A walk was held in January to mark Percy’s eighth birthday, but with social distancing guidelines likely to remain in place for some time that will be the only event to be held in 2020.
Even though lockdown restrictions have been eased in recent weeks to allow for families and friends to meet at a distance, there are still rules around large gatherings.
Ms Baggott said she had enquired about buying insurance for an event in October but premiums were too high for it to be cost-effective.
However Ms Baggott confirmed she and her fellow organisers are planning a “huge” celebration for when the next meet-up can be arranged.
She said: “We had planned to hold an event in October but we have decided it’s probably still not going to be safe. We can’t imagine people would enjoy it. “But we will really make up for it when we’re back next year. Hopefully the coronavirus will be gone by then.”
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