Hundreds of dachshunds and their owners meet in Leeds park for annual Christmas sausage dog walk

The Christmas meet-up of the Yorkshire Dachshund Group saw 288 of the pooches gather together with more than 500 animal lovers for the walk.

The event has more than doubled since last year, and was the fifth festive event organised by the group, which was founded by Shipley Dachshund owner Chris Campbell.

His mother Dee, who was bitten by the Dachshund bug after her son bought his first sausage dog Luna, said: “Any dog, any animal, is special, but when you see a Dachshund, especially a pup, it just breaks my heart. They are so special, with their little ears. They have a real emotional tug.

“Last year we had around 114 dogs, so we’ve doubled, and there would have been many more if it had been a drier day.”

There are now more than 3,000 members of the Yorkshire Dachshund Group on Facebook, and its fortnightly walks are usually attended by around 30 people and their dogs.

The festive event was a much larger affair, with dogs and the owners attending from all over Yorkshire and as far as Darlington.

Mrs Campbell, who owns Dachshunds Digger and Gracie, and Jackapoo Bella, added: “Dachshund’s are fantastic little dogs, so loving. They were all fantastic together, and just gelled as a pack.”