DOG-lovers and their pets joined in at an event on Saturday raising hundreds of pounds to help four-legged friends.

Both dogs and owners met up at the Cherished Farm Shop at Laverstoke Park Farm for a whole range of dog-themed events at the Dachshund Afternoon Tea, which was arranged to raise money to help combat a common disease for dachshunds.

Intervertebral disc disease, or IVDD, is the most common spinal disease in dogs, and can lead to disc herniation and spinal cord compression.

Dachshunds have a one in four chance of developing IVDD, and that is why Jade Merritt, of Cherished Farm Shop, and Hilary Bloomfield, a fellow dachshund lover, put their heads together and came up with the idea of an afternoon tea.

The event featured a selection of games and activities in aid of the charity Dedicated to Dachshunds.

Jade said: “We are thrilled to report that the afternoon raised the impressive sum of £724.60 which has been transferred to the charity.”

Overall, 125 humans came along on the day and 70 pooches took part in fancy dress competitions, an afternoon tea for canines and their owners, and the day’s final event, the ‘Dachshund Dash’, where all of the dogs took part in a race from one end of a field to another.