Description:

One of the great things about walking with your dog is the people you can meet. Dog owners are usually only too happy to chat to any fellow pet lovers they may meet when their footpaths cross. Often you can strike up a firm friendship with a fellow dog walker you just happened to bump into (not literally, of course!) while enjoying a walk on the beach, by the river or over the hills in any of the many picturesque parts of Britain.

Rather than relying on a chance encounter, though, how much better it would be if you could arrange in advance to share your dog-walks with like-minded people, wherever you are in the country. Well, now you can. Paws For A Walk is a new nationwide service which has been launched to put fellow dog walkers in touch, whatever part of the country they happen to live in or be visiting.

The club is aimed at women who want to meet up and share a walk with their dogs. For an annual subscription that works out at just 50p a month, Paws For A Walk members will be able to access the club's database of dog walkers for the particular part of the country they are interested in. Members then make contact themselves and arrange to meet for a ramble. Their dogs benefit from socialising with others and the owners benefit by striking up acquaintances with fellow dog enthusiasts in various parts of the country.

Paws For A Walk has been launched as an online club. You can join up by visiting www.pawsforawalk.co.uk and following the links either to fill in an online form or download a printable version to fill in later.

The club plans to launch a members' area of the website, where those who have signed up will be able to create a unique login and password to gain access to the database