Debbie Robinson reports on the UK Irish Water Spaniel  'Mingle' on Putney Heath, 3rd October, 2009.

"Fifteen and a half Irish Water Spaniels met for a walk at the beginning of October. The ‘half’ was Mace, an IWS-cross-Munsterlander. Mace looks like a hairy-tailed IWS, but his character and ‘chattiness’ are apparently all Munsterlander.

We were a mixture of regular Minglers, plus several families starting out on their first adventure with an IWS, including a couple of re-homed adult IWS. Marley tested this particular South London walk on Putney Heath for us with his owners, Norma & Roberta, and we weren’t disappointed.

Despite a suggestion of rain in the air, we stayed dry ... until the dogs had been in the lake and started shaking all over us!

We nearly lost a couple of IWS who were more interested in the ducks taking refuge on the other side of the lake ... The dogs dried off as we meandered up through the woods until we arrived at the top – onto an open grassy slope. The family resting at the bottom of the slope were rather taken aback to see a flood of galloping,damp IWS surging down the hill towards them. We were just pathetically grateful the family weren’t having a picnic!

We were over 30 people for lunch at The Telegraph pub, where we had an ultra-long table reserved for us. The staff didn’t bat an eyelid at one IWS determined to sit up at table on a chair and another trying to jump onto the table, convinced it was grooming time! (If only they were all so keen to be groomed) However, everyone was very well behaved once they’d settled down – both dogs and humans! The pub couldn’t have been more welcoming, supplying water bowls for the dogs before they’d even taken our drinks orders. It was the birthday of two of our IWS, Erin and Ria, and the pub gave them a sausage each in celebration.

Our next Mingle will be Saturday 6 March 2010, the week before Crufts. We’ll be walking on the shore/marshes of Pevensey in Kent, and lunching at The Bull’s Head at Herstmonceaux in Sussex, which is run by one of our Minglers and his IWS. More information will be circulated nearer the time."