Border Walk, a Dutch Border Terrier Club Activity

This article was published in the December 2005 issue of the Borderline.

If you ever visit the Netherlands and you see about sixty to fifty Border Terriers running, frolicking and playing off leash together; on a beach, in a forest or on the moor; accompanied by a group of about 100 owners you probably have run into a Border Terrier activity organised by our Dutch Border Terrier Club.

The Netherlands is a small country and we have one Border Terrier Club. The Dutch Border Terrier Club is 34 years old. When I got my first Border Terrier, twenty seven years ago, I became a member of the club and have been so since then. In the Netherlands most dogs are walked off leash in safe areas like on the beach, in the forest and on the moor.

During the year our club organises several activities; one activity is a Border Terrier walk. Our club organises two to three Border walks per year. One in spring, one in autumn and one in winter. Every walk is in a different area; beach walks are in the west, walks on the moor in the middle and walks through the forest in the east of our country. This way of there is always one walk in your region.

Our meeting point always is a dog friendly restaurant; where we are received with coffee and apple-pie. We talk, admire each other’s dogs and drink coffee till it is time to leave. First part of the walk always is on leash until we arrive in the area where it is safe to unleash the dogs.

Then the fun begins.
About forty Little Brown Dogs running and playing together! It is a beautiful sight. You hardly notice your surroundings; you only have eyes for the dogs having such fun! We walk for about one and a half hour and return to the dog friendly restaurant were lunch is served. While we are eating, all Border Terriers are lying very well behaved under the tables, dreaming of the next Border Terrier Walk when they will see their little friends again.

Joke Miedema
Photos: Mascha Möhlmann