News
The Phoenix
“Sponsored Winter Dog Walk” 2026
The Winter Dog Walk fundraiser was held on Sunday morning 11th January 2026, and took place in and around St Sauveur’s walking paths and woodlands. This being the first Winter dog walk fundraiser that Phoenix had done in St Sauveur, the organising team had to be mindful of the weather conditions on the event day. All the outdoor poster mounts and advertising boards had to be waterproofed.
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The assembly point was the St Sauveur campervan parking area. The participants and their dogs started arriving at 9h00 in full winter attire, and registration started at 09h30, by which time there were walkers and excited dogs everywhere. All dogs were kept on leads in the assembly area, and were very well behaved.
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A group of nine Cani cross runners from Croc’Cyrano, and their dogs, were eagerly waiting to start their own race, well before the rest of the walkers. Two of their dogs (Lester and Pilou) were SPA dogs. There were also three other SPA dogs, Jack, Nounours and Tyson, with their SPA volunteer walkers. All five SPA dogs are up for adoption. ​
​The turnout was surprisingly large, consisting of 80 walkers and 56 dogs, and the mix of dog breeds, sizes and ages was something to behold. Quite a few walkers had two dogs in tow, and some had none. In addition to the dog walkers and their furry friends, there was a small group from our local St Sauveur walking club (Association des Chemins de Randonnées de St Sauveur), who were delighted to join the dog walk.
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There were three special Phoenix rescues doing their first “public” walk with other dogs. Buddy, a dog with an unfortunate past and almost ready for adoption. Miel and Biscott, two of three dogs rescued from Marocco, with Miel ready for adoption. Another first-time walker in public, was Tao, a tall, leggy Spanish Galgo, a very recent rescue, also with a sad past.​
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The main group of walkers departed a little after 10h00 in cold, misty conditions. Once off the tarred road, the route was very wet underfoot. The walkers had to contend with puddles, shallow pools, sodden grassy patches and slippery, muddy tracks. But there were also stretches of wide service roads, leafy paths, and winding ups and downs in single file along wooded footpaths. With the exception of one big uphill towards the end, the ±8km route was not a difficult one. The sun appeared after the first half hour, and for the rest of the walk everyone enjoyed the winter sunshine.
​​It was a perfect winter’s day to be out walking with our furry companions. A great bonding day for man and beast, and hopefully new friendships were forged and interesting conversations struck up. Amongst the walkers was the roving photographer, Reija Feldmann, who was constantly on the move.
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The walk took just over two hours, and once all the walkers had returned to the parking area, most made their way to the refreshment table. Hot beverages with a small pastry were on offer for one euro. Then the lucky dip draw was started. There were 10 carrier bags, each filled with an assortment of goodies for dogs. Jo Bish gave a short introduction to Phoenix, followed by an entertaining raffle draw. Ten lucky dogs went home with these gift bags.
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​A convivial day was had by both two and four-legged walkers, and the participants expressed their thanks and appreciation for the organisation and work that had gone into making this fundraiser a memorable and successful occasion. Quite a few people asked if and when the next dog walk would take place.
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A large selection of photos taken by our roving photographer, as well as those taken by other walkers, can be viewed on the here.
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A BIG Thank You to everyone who participated in the organising, all the walkers for putting in the effort on the day, and everyone who donated towards and sponsored the event. We are happy to announce that to date, the Winter Dog Walk has raised €2,500. We do it for our dogs!
Madeleine Bath
What an excellent event you organised. So very well attended too so the publicity worked. I spotted the poster in various places and Fabienne had primed ICI Perigord radio. That must have helped.
Thank you to whoever marked the route with red and white tape. So well placed. Clear, easy to follow maps too. Without all that preparation, I for one, would have got lost in the woods.
Hugh Dunlop
We were so happy to see so many people and dogs arriving to brave the chilly morning, that we knew it was going to be a success! In fact, the car park was full and there were 84 humans and 56 dogs milling around. And then lo and behold the sun came out just in time!
After the walk the participants enjoyed a hot drink and a mini pastry. I was amazed by how well behaved all the dogs were – they seemed to love meeting other dogs and even other humans! Several people asked me when the next walk would be!
David Tong
There is always a risk holding such an activity in the winter, so we had a good "Plan B" in place just in case. But we did not need it as the weather was perfect, albeit somewhat chilly.
It was good to see so many supporters and K9 friends enjoying the opportunity.
The location was ideal: shelter, power, water, parking and toilets. Perhaps the registration tables could have been more visible but you cannot have everything and it was nothing that a stentorian bellow couldn't overcome.