Muddy Dog Trek FAQs

The Muddy Dog Trek is a 10km and 20km trekking challenge where humans can walk with their dogs to fundraise for Battersea.

The trek is a circular route in the beautiful South Downs, starting and finishing at Firle Place, near Lewes.

Saturday, 27 April 2019 from 8am to 5.30pm (BST).

There are several stiles along the route. Most of them have gaps for dogs to get through, however some dogs may need assisting round, or lifting over certain stiles. Please ensure that you and your dog can easily and comfortably negotiate stiles of varying types.

All human participants must be aged 18 or above on event day. All dogs taking part must be aged 1 or above on event day.

Please email muddydogtrek@battersea.org.uk or call 020 7627 7883.

We are looking for amazing volunteers to help out at the Muddy Dog Trek! You’ll have a day of fun, support Battersea, and make lots of new two and four-legged friends at the same time. There are roles available at the event village in Firle as well as at the rest points along the course.

Email muddydogtrek@battersea.org.uk for more information.

Select the ‘Register now’ button on the event page or click here. You will be taken to Eventbrite where you will be asked to select which distance you would like to trek, and if you are taking part with or without a dog. Please then complete the form and click pay now.

Yes, all participants will be required to pay a non-refundable registration fee.

The registration fee goes towards the cost of putting on the event including venue hire, signage, maps, refreshments, first aid, vet cover and marketing. You will also receive a t-shirt, medal, bandana and rosette for you and your dog on the day.

We ask that every human participant raises a minimum of £100 in sponsorship so that we can ensure as much money as possible goes towards helping our dogs and cats. You will be given up to one month after the event to complete your fundraising, so you do not need to have raised the full amount by event day. We will be providing you with lots of fundraising advice in the lead up to the event and our dedicated team will be on-hand to support you with your fundraising.

We advise speaking to your vet about training as all dogs are different. We advise that in the lead up to the event, you should consider going on several long walks, gradually increasing the distance to improve you and your dog’s stamina prior to the event. Both distances include varied terrain, hill climbs, steep descents and stiles so you should adapt your training accordingly.

It is important that you wear suitable clothing for trekking in, including walking trousers and walking boots, trainers will not be suitable. Please check the weather and consider if you will need warm, waterproof clothing or a sun hat and sun cream.

It is important that you bring plenty of layers of clothing if it is going to be cold. It may be helpful to bring a backpack so you can put any clothing you remove in it. Please bring a large filled water bottle and water bowl, to keep you and your dog hydrated and you can refill these at rest stops. We also recommend that you bring any snacks you may need on top of what is provided.

We will send a detailed kit list ahead of the event via email, so keep an eye out for that.

The Muddy Dog Trek is a challenging event and will not be suitable for all dogs. Please consider your dog’s age, health, breed-type and ability before registering. For example, many flat-nose, overweight or older dogs might struggle to complete the 20km distance but may be able to complete the 10km distance if they are used to regular long walks. We advise speaking to your vet before registering as all dogs are different. We also advise that in the lead up to the event, you should consider going on a few long walks, gradually increasing the distance to improve your dog’s stamina prior to the event.

Please note that both distances include varied terrain, hill climbs, steep descents and stiles.

All dogs taking part must be aged 1 or above on event day.

Yes, due to the number of dogs taking part, livestock and potentially horses along the course, it is important that you always keep your dog on the lead. Please ensure your dog is on a short, controlled lead, especially when in busy areas such as the event village and rest stops.

It’s fine for dogs to take part with a muzzle.

No, only one dog is allowed per participant.

Due to the high number of dogs taking part in the Muddy Dog Trek, all dogs participating in the event need to be sociable around other dogs. If we feel that your dog is becoming reactive or stressed on the day, you may be asked to leave the event by a member of the Battersea Team.

Yes, this is fine. You take part at your and your dog’s own risk. The main function of a titre test is to show the level of immunity a dog has to certain viruses such as parvo virus however one of the difficulties with a titre test is that the immunity can change depending on the length of time since the last vaccine and the longer the time frame, the less exact the result becomes. Our concern is obviously the safety of the dogs taking part and if your dog is not vaccinated then s/he is more susceptible to viruses such as parvo but also others such as distemper, hepatitis, para influenza and leptospirosis. We would strongly recommend that you speak to your vet about having a titre test instead of a vaccination which is what we would naturally prefer for safety reasons.