Hundreds dash down to Suffolk for annual sausage dog walk along Southwold seafront

It may not be the biggest breed but the diminutive daschshund can lay claim to one of the largest canine gatherings in the world.

Hundreds of sausage dogs and their owners descended on Southwold in Suffolk to take part in an annual walk.

The annual event began in 2017 and has grown into one of the UK's largest meet-ups for pets. People come from all over the country to take part.

Laura Baggott is the organiser who set up the event.

“It started with just me and a few friends putting out a message on Facebook. We got about 150 dachshunds. So it’s grown hugely since then”, she explained. “It’s always such a great event, with a great vibe and everyone loves it.”

Last year the event broke a world record for the largest gathering of a single breed of dog with 2,238 dachshunds taking part.

“We’re just volunteers and it takes a lot of money and time to organise,” explains co-organiser Stuart McBurney. “After breaking the world record last year, we decided to scale back. So this year is just about the dogs, the walk and the people.”

The walk runs from the harbour along the beach to the pier, and attract hundreds of spectators.

It raises money for the charity Dedicated to Dachshunds with IVDD, helping dogs with intervertebral disc disease. The breed is prone to the condition because of their physical shape.

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