Canine Welfare and Training unveils training and flyball venue

Canine Welfare and Training was established during the pandemic, aiming to make dog training more accessible to the public.

Early success allowed the charity to begin looking for a permanent home in the city, which it has finally found in M90 Commerce Park, between Kelty and Dunfermline.

Plenty of fun to be had at the new training centre (Image: Derek Young)

Secretary and trainer Michelle Atkinson said: “We’ve been outdoors for the last three years but it’s Scotland and in wintertime it’s just a nightmare, so you need an indoor venue for training.

“It’s so difficult because a lot of people don’t want dogs in their unit. We’ve had to get our own venue because if the council let us use one of theirs then it would need to be deep cleaned since people have allergies.

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Speaking about Sunday’s grand opening, she said: “It was tough to organise, but everyone had a fantastic time. We had stall holders from Falkirk, and people coming from all over to be in this dog environment, and to see flyball live.”

Flyball is a one of the sports which the venue will be used for. It is one of the only team sports suitable for dogs.

(Image: Derek Young)

Teams consist of four dogs, who must run over a line of hurdles to retrieve a tennis ball and then return to their owner holding the ball.

Miss Atkinson said: “We’ve tried to get these registered as sports, but the European sports council said that you just release your dog and recall it. They’re not considering the months of training that goes into getting your dog to that point.”

The charity looks forward to hosting activities including a canine first aid course on the 17th of November, and puppy classes which will run over the course of a month.