HUNDREDS of dog owners and their four-legged friends headed to Highcliffe Castle for the first ever Pet Fest event.

Visitors were invited to bring along their dogs and browse various pet-related stalls and also enter some ‘light-hearted’ dog competitions - which saw one dog dressed up like a badger.

The canine-themed event was the brain child of Highcliffe Castle events assistant Jade Niskanen.

Jade, 24, is currently on a placement year at the castle as part of her events and leisure marketing degree at Bournemouth University.

As part of their placement year each student has to come up with and organise their own event and for Jade her inspiration came from her love of animals.

“I have always loved animals - especially dogs - so when it came to organising my own event I knew I wanted to do something dog related,” said Jade, who lives in the Lansdowne area of Bournemouth.

“Truthfully I can’t believe how brilliantly the event has turned out.

“Hundreds of people have shown up and I think we have nearly every breed of dog here as well.

“Although I’m only at Highcliffe Castle on a placement year I really hope this is something they carry on with and it becomes a yearly event because it has just been so fantastic.”

As well as offering dogs and humans a great day out the event also showcased 20 stall holders including various pet charities, pet accessories and even still life drawings of your pet.

Guide Dogs charity fundraiser Pete Bungay also attended the event and gave a talk about how his guide dog Thomas had changed his life.

Pete, 47, has a degenerative eye condition and is registered blind.

And for those visitors who got bored of seeing dogs there were also piglets, chicks, goats and donkey called Max for them to pet thanks to Longdown Activity Farm.

But the highlight of the event were the various competitions - which included smallest dog, a veteran and puppy competition and of course a best dressed category which was won by 12 week old doberman Honour dressed in a fairy costume.