Dress up your pooch in Scottish theme and join in the dogs’ fancy dress parade and contest at 12.15pm. Prizes include three fun-filled holidays at the pet motel – complete with lake swims and TV time on the sofa in the Hounds Holiday House.

A show bag packed with doggie treats and toys will also be awarded to the child with the dog judged to have the best Scottish outfit.

As well as being a new fun event, one of the festival organisers Eric Richardson says the competition gives the public the chance to learn about the vital role dogs played for the early pioneers.

“The early settlers brought their dogs with them from Scotland to help them muster and move large herds of wild cattle that grazed on vast, unfenced properties and bushland,” says Eric.

To get dogs that were strong, fast with great stamina and willing to bite the cattle, Scottish hounds were mixed with the dingo and other Australian breeds. From this, popular Australian dog breeds such as the Australian cattle dog and Australian kelpie were eventually created.

Dogs such as the deerhound, greyhound and foxhound also made the long journey to Australia in the early days to catch game animals like deer, hare and fox that had been introduced from the Northern Hemisphere.

The dogs’ speed, power and courage to tackle a full-grown stag provided the settlers not only with entertainment in the form of coursing but also much-needed meat from game.

While some of her customers are busy sewing elaborate Scottish doggie kilts for their dogs, simple outfits can also be effective, says competition sponsor Wingham Pet Motel’s Rosalind Walker.

“My Hungarian Vizsla, Boris wore only a Scottish ribbon to last year’s festival and ended up on the front page of the paper!”

WHAT: Wingham Pet Motel Best Dressed Dog Contest and Parade – Best Scottish Outfit

WHEN: Saturday May 28

TIME: 12.15pm

WHERE: Main performance area, Wingham Central Park.