BOWOOD House and Gardens welcomed dog lovers into the grounds again this weekend with the inaugural Wiltshire Police Dog Display event.

The tenth and final Bowood Charity Dog Show, which has raised nearly £300,000 over the last decade, took place in June and man’s best friend returned to Bowood on Saturday and Sunday to impress and entertain visitors.

A variety of demonstrations were put on throughout the afternoon, which was free to guest as part of the entrance cost for Bowood House and Gardens.

Crowds, with many children in fancy dress as police and burglars, could enjoy mock chases to apprehend criminals and an agility and obstacle courses in the main show ring on the grassed area near Bowood’s adventure playground.

There was even the chance to see Sid, an explosives search dog, in action with the sniffer dog team.

The event was designed to give members of the public a better appreciation of the police force’s work within the community, and the tri-force collaboration between Somerset and Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire police forces.

Head of the dogs for the tri-force, Inspector David Eddy, said: “From my perspective, it’s gone very well. For us, raising our profile within the community has gone very well; it’s also highlighted how we are working as a tri-force collaboration.

“Although all our Wiltshire dogs are in Devizes, should there be an incident needing the dogs in the other areas, we can respond to that.

“It was really good for us to meet the public, let the dogs out and expose them to people in a relaxed environment. There were a lot of children who got to meet the dogs and interact with them and sit in the vehicles and have some fun.”

In addition to the dogs, the Roads Policing Team brought a crash vehicle, and the firearms vehicle with information on replica guns and the danger of carrying knives was also in attendance.

Bowood Visitor Services Manager, Katinka Rieger, said: "Last weekend’s Wiltshire Police Dog Display proved to be a hugely popular first-time event for Bowood and we were delighted to welcome just under 3000 visitors to the House and Gardens across the two days.

"It was really great to see so many enjoying the event and picnicking around the show ring. The police cars on display certainly attracted a considerable amount of interest while the dogs themselves gained a lot of fans among the children, in particular."

If you missed any of the police teams at Bowood, they will be present at the Emergency Services Show at the Hullavington Airfield on September 13.