POOCHES were vying for titles such as the waggiest tail and most appealing eyes at a novelty charity dog show.

More than 100 owners and their pets turned out for the fifth such event in Bricket Wood which took place on Sunday September 12 in aid of Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.

Patron of the charity’s Hertfordshire branch, actress Rosie Marcel, who plays Jac Naylor in TV drama Holby City, opened the event with her husky Ainu.

The show on St Stephen Parish Council’s field included competitions for the handsomest dog, prettiest bitch, waggiest tail, coat in best condition and best rescue dog.

The prize for best in show went to a beagle/cocker spaniel cross called Benji from St Albans.

There were also various stalls selling merchandise and other goods, a raffle and a giant bouncy slide for the younger visitors, as well as a demonstration from the National Hearing Dog demonstration team led by trainer Lucy Rimmer to show how clever and important the dogs are to their deaf owners.

Branch chairman Liz Arendt said: “We were delighted to see so many dogs at our show and, once again, we were lucky with the weather.

“But a lot of hard work goes into setting up and organising the event, and all the credit goes to the branch committee members.

“We are also grateful to the many supporters who helped to run the show and all the sideshows.”

The event is expected to raise around �1,000 for the charity, which trains dogs to assist people with severe hearing loss by alerting them to everyday sounds and dangers.

It costs �20,000 to train and support a hearing dog throughout its working lifetime and, in its 14 year existence the Herts Branch has raised �400,000 in total.

Liz added: “We hope that everyone will continue to support our events in the future so that we can reach our target of half a million before too long.”