A Dumfries teenager and her four-legged companion have been crowned winners of a national dog walking competition.
The Dog Walk Challenge called on members of the Young Kennel Club to make the most of their daily exercise from January 18 to February 12 during lockdown.
And 18-year-old Katie O’Brien and her 18 month-old German Wirehaired Pointer, called Misty, were strides ahead of the other competitors clocking up 90 miles within the four weeks – 80 miles further than the competition requirement.
Katie said: “I am over the moon to win the challenge as I have never won anything like this before. It was a super fun challenge, especially in lockdown, as it helped give me motivation and set goals for myself.
“At the moment it’s easy to feel isolated but this challenge helped me feel connected to others who were also doing the challenge and I loved seeing everyone’s progress.”
The challenge involved walking short distances each day to ultimately total either five or ten miles in the local area, depending on their age.
Ben Ashcroft, Young Kennel Club chairman, said: “Many congratulations to Katie and Misty. Ninety miles in four weeks is an incredible achievement and they should be so proud of themselves.”
