Newbury Showground enjoys paw-some weekend of four-legged fun

All About Dogs, a UK-wide festival devoted to dogs and their owners, came to Newbury Showground over the weekend.

Thousands of dog lovers attended the festival on Saturday and Sunday to enjoy various displays, activities, expert advice and family entertainment.

And this year, visitors enjoyed an unrivalled programme from fun dog show classes – for everything from the cutest pup and best rescue to waggiest tail – to talent shows for gifted pooches.

"It went really, really well," said social media and digital marketing manager for Aztec Events, Michelle Norris, which runs the show. "It was lovely to see the thousands of dogs and their owners come along and have a fantastic day out.

"The weather was on our side; it didn't rain. We had the most dogs we've ever seen.

"There was so much for them to do; we had over 100 stalls selling doggy bits and pieces."

The show was officially opened by TikTok and Instagram star good.boy.ollie.

"He opened the show for us, meeting and greeting people as they arrived," added Ms Norris.

"Then at 12, his owner did a Q&A. We had questions prepared already that we'd asked people on social media and then we opened it up to other people to ask their questions."

There was also the chance to take part in free and fun competitions and quizzes in the Village Green.

But the event did cause considerable traffic congestion in the area, with queues forming back along the M4 past the Chieveley services and down the A34 towards Newbury.

Some people complained of being stuck in the jams around the M4/A34 roundabout for up to an hour.