Phaedra
Appearances
The Planet Reigate Podcast
38: The Reigate dog group and ideas for a Redhill town centre bridge… and more
We had a French bulldog. He was kicked out at a year and we said, well, he's still got a lot of friends. Of course, we want him to continue with those friends. So we asked the council if they had any land that would be available and they said, actually, yes, you can use the castle grounds for now. We don't mind. And then... Because the rose bushes, they wanted to replace them.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
38: The Reigate dog group and ideas for a Redhill town centre bridge… and more
They didn't want the dogs trampling on them, so they asked us to move over to the site where we are now, which is behind the Busby's Nursery on Lesborne Road. They have been instrumental in helping us. They have been fantastic, giving us parking every week. And we can't say enough nice things about them. They are fantastic people. And what is this land actually called?
The Planet Reigate Podcast
38: The Reigate dog group and ideas for a Redhill town centre bridge… and more
This is the former Bowls Green.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
38: The Reigate dog group and ideas for a Redhill town centre bridge… and more
Yes, there was a clubhouse here that got burned down three times, and on the third time, the insurance company said, we're not going to cover you for a third arson attack. So they showed us the land and said, if you'd like to bring all your dogs down here, that's absolutely fine. I have three rescues. Lilo was causing severe allergies and was taken on after the other two.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
38: The Reigate dog group and ideas for a Redhill town centre bridge… and more
Archie was being mistreated by his previous owners. He was there when I had my French bulldog, Monty. and they were like brothers, they were like siblings, and they met each other at Pets Corner, and so he's continued on, and he really is the ambassador of the group. If there's a nervous dog, he'll bring them in, he'll set them at ease, that sort of thing.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
38: The Reigate dog group and ideas for a Redhill town centre bridge… and more
He's a Frenchie pug, and I have another French bulldog called Odin, and he was rescued from a puppy farm. Simply put, they were starving him down, they thought they could turn him into a teacup. That's not how it's done. It's done through breeding, not feeding. So we got him out of there.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
38: The Reigate dog group and ideas for a Redhill town centre bridge… and more
From about half nine, we have around 40, and there will be attrition throughout the session.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
38: The Reigate dog group and ideas for a Redhill town centre bridge… and more
We love every size, every age. We don't discriminate based on breed. We have everything from Rottweilers and Whippets all the way down to Chihuahuas and Dachshunds. So we really do love every size, every age. What do the dogs get out of it all? They get to socialise constantly. They run around together, they get the social aspect and they get very, very tired from that.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
38: The Reigate dog group and ideas for a Redhill town centre bridge… and more
You can throw a ball for a dog for an hour and it won't even touch the surface of what the dog can get out of a large interaction like this. The more they play with each other, the more satiated the brain is and it really does calm them down and it gives them that feeling of, OK, I can relax now, I'm at peace.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
38: The Reigate dog group and ideas for a Redhill town centre bridge… and more
Yeah. The one thing that we do have to say is we don't allow treats or anything that can cause aggression. We have had people feed before. They do have their own temperament, their own way of doing things. We do understand there will be nervous dogs sometimes. We know there'll be rescue dogs. We know there's things in their past that will come up.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
38: The Reigate dog group and ideas for a Redhill town centre bridge… and more
But we try to mitigate that by not having anything that they can get upset about. So balls and treats stay away. But the rest of it is fully inclusive. And we absolutely love the time they get together.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
38: The Reigate dog group and ideas for a Redhill town centre bridge… and more
Absolutely. The key thing is that they get as much interaction with each other as possible. For example, we have young families. The children learn how to interact with the dogs. We have older families, and they'll organise walks with each other, and it really is just a nice way of meeting people. We give everybody advice if they want to know where is dog-friendly locally.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
38: The Reigate dog group and ideas for a Redhill town centre bridge… and more
We have a big list of places that will take dogs, cafes, pubs. Even some just standard shops will allow dogs in, and that's something that I don't think a lot of people in Reigate will know. You can take your dog, for example... The Market Stores, The Bell, The Chapel, which is a fantastic little eatery. It's family run. Gales, I believe, is outside. Cafe Nero.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
38: The Reigate dog group and ideas for a Redhill town centre bridge… and more
There is a lot of resources just in that little enclave alone. And there are a lot more that I could list, but that's a broad stroke.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
38: The Reigate dog group and ideas for a Redhill town centre bridge… and more
It really is, yeah. And we learn all the time. I don't think that I know everything about dogs. And the second that I stop learning is when I think maybe I should step away.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
38: The Reigate dog group and ideas for a Redhill town centre bridge… and more
We have a Facebook page and all they need to do is either shoot us a message or turn up at half nine on a Saturday as long as it's not raining. We do bump it to the Sunday from 10 o'clock if it is going to rain. And we do do one Sunday a month from 10 o'clock. and that's the second Sunday of the month. They can either shoot us a message or they can turn up in person.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
38: The Reigate dog group and ideas for a Redhill town centre bridge… and more
We are open to all and every, and as long as their dog is happy, they're happy, then we're happy.