THOUSANDS of people and their four-legged friends flocked to the North East Dog Festival this weekend.

The popular festival, at Kirkley Hall, near Ponteland, featured a range of dog shows, displays, demonstrations and have-a-go activities.

There were also shopping and charity stalls, a wellness bell tent with a range of talks on everything from first aid to doggy blood donors, and food and drink vendors.

This year's event also included a giant pool for the first time, provided by K9 Aqua Sports, with visitors able to test their dogs' dock diving skills.

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Ahead of the event, directors Rebecca Ashworth-Earle and Dawn Oliver-Doyle said: "Last year saw a record number of visitors for us with our biggest festival yet.

"As a team we've worked on how we can make it even better and bigger."

They added: "This is more than just an event for us; it is very much for the dogs.

"We love hearing stories from people whose dogs now enjoy activities (some competitively) that they first tried at the festival.

"This year has proved difficult for our team with higher running costs, but we hope the wonderful people will support this fantastic annual event."

The North East Dog Festival returns next year on September 2 and September 3, 2023.