The Kyneton Daffodil and Arts Festival is coming up from 5 September and one of the highlights is the Kyneton Dog Dash on Sunday the eighth. We spoke to Sharryn, a current committee member for the event, to find out more.
The Dog Dash began four years ago. It was the bright idea of some locals who met up with each other and their dogs every morning in the Kyneton Botanical Gardens. The dogs would frolic with each other and the owners enjoyed a good chat. They decided to run the dog dash as a fun family event at the Daffodil Festival.
So what is a dog dash exactly? It is fairly simple. Dogs are released from the starting line individually and are timed until they cross over the finish line, where their owner is waiting. The owner may coax their dog to the line but cannot use any food or other objects to encourage them. The event is completely free to enter and trophies and prizes are donated each year by Henderson’s The Gas People. There are two categories for the Dog Dash, one for small and one for big dogs. There is a stick to check which category your dog is in. Simply put, if they are under the stick’s height they are small, and if over, they are big.
The enrolments have increased steadily each year. In the first year around 60 dogs were entered and last year there were ninety-seven. The event is held at the Kyneton Velodrome at 15 Mollison Street. The registrations are held at one o’clock on the day of the race and the dashing begins an hour later. It only takes a couple of hours before they are all done and the winners are declared. Sharryn says of the event, ‘It is a beautiful way to spend the day with your family and your pet’. She says the kids often run with their dogs and the atmosphere is one of great community spirit and joy. The dashes are also commentated by an MC which makes it even more enjoyable and humourous.
Do you have a dog you could enter in the Dog Dash? Why not head up for an afternoon of fun in the fresh air with your family, canine and human alike?