Daventry Dog Club provides socialisation for dogs and helps improve owners’ mental health

Daventry Dog Club set up to help our four-legged friends socialise has proven popular with pet owners too, so much so it is now part of a social prescribing programme to support people's mental health.

In August 2022, 22-year-old Daventry resident Ellie Cunningham decided to establish a Facebook group for dog owners to organise meetings for local canines and promote socialisation in a safe environment.

“I'm not a dog specialist. I wish I was. I’m just a huge dog enthusiast who loves to socialise and bring people together,” said Ellie.

Ellie adopted Milo when he was eight weeks old, just before the pandemic, and Max, a one-year-old, in August. Due to the restrictions, it was difficult for Ellie to offer her dog, Milo, the opportunity to socialise.

“As he got older, I started to worry and feel really bad for him. Socialisation is so important for dogs,” said Ellie.

There are currently 420 members in the Facebook group. Ellie met “amazing people” and formed close friendships. Some group members, who have become friends, frequently go for walks together.

“It can be beneficial to humans’ mental health. I’ve suffered from severe anxiety since I can remember and I struggled to get out there and meet new people,” said Ellie.

After going from strength to strength, Ellie's group has now been added to the social prescribing list at a town doctor's surgery.

Abbey House Medical Practice’s social prescribing link workers, Natalia and Emily, have been organising ‘wellbeing walks’ for the patients to support them “by bringing people together in a positive way and empowering them to take control of their health and wellbeing”.

As part of their role, Natalia and Emily have been connecting people to community groups and statutory services for practical and emotional support. Ellie’s group has been advertised through the practice, and as a result, people successfully joined the group and meetings.

There have been 14 'wellbeing walks' events to date, according to Donna Witts, manager of Abbey House Medical Practice. In addition to having social workers available for guidance, the patients can support one another. The fortnightly daytime walks take about an hour and cover just under two miles.

“Once established, the groups become independent themselves, forming positive friendships, and they often meet up outside the walks throughout the week.

“Our aim is to give our patients the opportunity to try something new and support healthy living. Walking and talking is proven to release endorphins, reduce stress levels, and encourage an improvement in wellbeing,” said Donna.

Steve Hedges has been attending the group’s meetings with his bichon frise, Freddy, since he joined the group in February. After losing his wife last June, he was referred to Ellie’s group from the wellbeing programme for support through the grieving process.

“We all get on well, and I must say it's something I look forward to every week. You can tell Ellie puts her heart and soul into the dog club as well as shows her love for all dogs. It has been very instrumental in helping my recovery,” said Steve.

Donna Pearce joined the Facebook community almost a year ago and has been co-managing the group for two months. Donna met Ellie while she was walking her “very shy” dog, Beau. Since joining the group's weekly walks, she said the dog's confidence has grown significantly.

“The group has been good for me and my little family too. I suffer from terrible social anxiety.

“I’ve made new friends and reconnected with old ones through the group. It’s literally a social club for puppers and their humans,” said Donna.

Ellie explained the owners' main concern is that they “are scared to socialise their dogs because they assume that there’s going to be a fight.” She confirmed that no fights have taken place so far on the Daventry Dog Club’s walks.

“Socialisation does not work for every single dog. People just have the opportunity to join and see if it works for their dog and for them as well.

“It’s honestly great. I’m so happy with how it turned out,” said Ellie.

Meetings take place weekly at Mayfield Park on Friday at 6pm and on Saturday at 4pm. Members have to fill out a form and agree to the group’s rules. The football field is public and maintained by the Mayfield Sports Club.