Family: Springing into action with the family pet at Springers dog club in Huddersfield
Mar 10 2010 by Hilarie Stelfox, Huddersfield Daily Examiner
Mounting concern over serious injuries and even deaths inflicted by dogs are big news at the moment and has prompted Government proposals to make owners face tough new regulations. But don’t forget that dogs are primarily great fun. HILARIE STELFOX went along to meet members of the Springers dog club in Huddersfield.
TEENAGER Nick Pollard, 13, may be one of the youngest members of the Huddersfield-based Springers dog club, but he’s already got ambitions to turn his hobby into a career.
“I want to be a dog trainer for the police,” says Nick, who owns a border collie cross called Dex.
“I’ve always been interested in dogs. My mum and dad got Dex for me for my birthday so that I could train him and compete in agility classes.”
Nick, whose father is the vicar of St Matthew’s Church in Rastrick, has been a member of Springers since he was 11 and attends the weekly training sessions.
The family has two other dogs – both rescue greyhounds – but it is Dex who is the star performer.
“I think it helps to get your dog well trained,” says Nick. “It’s good exercise for them and the dog has a lot of fun.”
This sentiment is shared by other members of the club and one of its founders, animal welfare worker Tina Shaw.
The club was launched 15 years ago by Tina and Ben Naylor, a former member of the dog warden service in Kirklees.
They’d been asked to organise a dog agility event for a springer spaniel rescue organisation – hence the name Springers.
The event proved so popular that the club grew out of it and now has around 60 members with as many dogs. Any breed is welcome.
Based in Crosland Moor, the club also has weekly training sessions in Meltham. Members take part in both agility and flyball events.
Flyball is a team relay sport where dogs navigate an obstacle course to retrieve a ball.
Imran Syed, of Golcar, and his eldest daughter, nine-year-old Miriam, joined over a year ago with their Hungarian vizsla called Poppy.
He says: “Being a member of the club gets you out into the fresh air and it’s good for bonding with your dog. It’s also good for their socialisation and we enjoy ourselves as well.”
An IT programmer, Imran says dog ownership provides him with a reason to exercise after a day at his desk. The family also has a three-year-old dalmatian who occasionally trains with the club as well.
