Residents at The Dynes, Abbeyfield Kent’s home in Kemsing near Sevenoaks, were recently treated to a visit from a travelling dog show.
The visit was organised by the home manager and senior staff at the home following great feedback from residents after similar events in the past. Some of The Dynes residents invited along friends and family to the event, so there was a huge crowd gathered to watch the talented dogs put on a show, which was put on by Canine Perfomers.
Everyone gathered in the large living room at The Dynes to watch the dogs put on a show consisting of feats of agility, flyball, obedience and heelwork. Some of the show was set to music which had the crowd clapping along. Extra special tricks on the day included jumping over residents' walking sticks!
Canine Performers is run by Louise Ince, who trains the dogs and helped them put on the show on the day. Louise has had most of the dogs from puppies but the star of the show was Jodie, who was found abandoned on the streets of London at four months old, before being re-homed by Louise when she was eleven months.
Louise got the idea to visit residential homes after visiting her grandfather in his home with her dog. The residents enjoyed watching the dog perform and Louise has been visiting homes ever since.
Like all of The Abbeyfield Kent Society’s homes, The Dynes, which is in Kemsing, near Sevenoaks, practices the Eden Principles, a concept which helps eradicate loneliness, helplessness and boredom. The Eden Principles encourage creativity and novelty through contact with animals, plants, family and friends. The visit from Canine Performers was an extension of the Society’s commitment to the Eden Principles and all the residents enjoyed interacting with the visiting dogs.
Nicky Pett, The Dynes Home Manager, comments: “We’ve had Louise along to The Dynes before and the residents really love the show her and her dogs put on. After the last visit they were talking about it for weeks, so we had to get her back as soon as possible. Everyone at The Dynes really enjoyed the show and I think our residents particularly enjoyed interacting with the dogs afterwards; they're already looking forward to their next visit.”
For more pictures from the day, please see our facebook page.