Dog-lovers dates

Lulu Hypermarket is all set to celebrate the unique bond between dogs and their owners on Friday with a canine carnival that will feature pet-care tips from experts, educational campaigns on choosing pets and huge promotional deals on pet food products.

The second-floor car park of the Galleria Mall in Zinj will be the spacious venue for the Paws & Tails Show and Lulu has invited animal welfare and care groups as well as professional pet grooming services and vets to set up kiosks to interact with the public.

Regional director Juzer Rupawala said: “We have designed the Paws & Tails Show as a platform for the kingdom’s animal-lovers.

“The afternoon will celebrate the sheer joy of the companionship of a dog with the focus being on giving them a great time.

“We are also seeking to use the occasion to spread awareness about humane pet care such as a movement to encourage people to adopt dogs from animal shelters, as this gives abandoned pets and strays the chance of a good and loving home.”

There will be free pet spa treatments, free veterinary check-ups, a pet & owner selfie booth, trick & treat displays and a pet parade where owners can show off their pooches with the chance of winning gift hampers.

The public will also get to meet Baloo, the famous, loveable chocolate Labrador who has become a mascot for the RIA Institute which teaches children with special needs.

Baloo and his owner, Sarah Clarke, will be there to meet families and Sarah will also read extracts from her best-selling illustrated book, pictured left, Where’s Baloo?

It has been created by expat Brits Sarah, a prolific writer, researcher and management consultant, with artist Sunanda Docherty, and made possible by the sponsorship of OAK Utility Solutions & Development.

Anyone would think this excursion was enough fuss for one week for a wise old dog like Baloo, but he’s already been a busy boy in recent days. Only last Friday, Baloo and Sarah took part in a fundraising walk for the Bahrain Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA).

The annual event has an extra level of intrigue this year, as there is a prize for the most sponsorship money raised. The walk was supposed to take place in February with a St Valentine’s theme, but the heavy rains in the country caused flooding, and so it was postponed until March 17, so instead it will have a St Patrick’s Day theme.

Unfortunately, Sarah could not participate on that date, so she twisted the BSPCA’s arm to do an early sponsored dog walk instead.

She said: “Because I’d raised so much money, the only honourable thing to do was take part in the walk anyway … but do it early! So I set out from the Animal Welfare Centre in Askar last weekend and Friday was sunny so it turned out to be a brilliant day.”

At the same time, the pair handed over their impressive sponsorship cash, although the exact amount is being kept secret so other ‘competitors’ don’t have a target to beat! 

What made the walk more special was the silly hats that both Sarah and Baloo wore. This is an idea that follows in the paw prints of former

BSPCA volunteer Sarah Womer, whose fancy dress efforts raised a substantial amount before she left the kingdom.  Sarah Clarke explained: “Sarah always used to wear silly clothes and decorate herself and the dogs in order to raise more sponsorship money, so I’ve carried on the tradition. My St Valentine’s hat was redundant, so I turned it into a shamrock! Although Baloo didn’t look too impressed at first, he soon got into the spirit of things.”

For more information and to download a sponsorship form, visit www.bspca.org, visit the Facebook page, or call 17591231.

To register your pet dog for the Paws & Tails show, call 33517076.