People gathered at Baggeridge Country Park to remember their four-legged friends during the first Dignipets Memorial Walk.

Animal lovers from across the region met on Saturday, September 7 to walk in memory of their past pets and to highlight pet bereavement.

Dignipets is a mobile veterinary service specialising in palliative and end-of-life care. They provide home visits across the area for pets with a chronic or life-limiting illness that benefit from veterinary support in their own home.

The practice organised the walk for pet owners that have needed Dignipets previously or for anyone who just wanted to take time to pay tribute to their lost pets. Merel Taal, one of Dignipets' veterinary surgeons, said:

"There were a few tears and many stories about pets that are missed and also those that are still with us.

"The walk was lovely and gave bereaved pet owners a chance to connect and to know that they are not alone.

"It is heartwarming to see so many of us coming together to pay tribute to lost pets. We share big parts of our lives with our pets and losing them can be very difficult.

“With this event we are trying to create awareness and acknowledgement for pet loss in general."

The event also saw the Dignipets veterinary team on hand to give information on elderly, palliative and end of life pet care.

For more information, see the Dignipets Facebook page or visit dignipets.co.uk.