DOG lovers were united at Oriel y Parc in St Davids on Wednesday, March 26.

The gallery and visitor centre held its annual Dog Awareness Day, where there was an opportunity to get pets micro-chipped free of charge with Pembrokeshire County Council's dog wardens.

From 2015 it will be compulsory for all dogs to be micro-chipped in Wales, as the Welsh Government moves to improve animal welfare and develop responsible dog ownership.

Dog-related charities and stalls were also in attendance, including Cwtch, which was raising awareness about puppy farming, Pembrokeshire Staffies, Greenacres Animal Rescue, and the community dog training company Sppot.

In the afternoon there was a sponsored guided walk on St Davids airfields, with all the proceeds going to Guide Dogs Cymru.

It was led by the national park’s walkability officer Paul Casson. He said: “As well as discovering a walk in a lovely national park location, anyone taking part will be contributing to the provision of a guide dog which will be named ‘Oriel’ as a result of last year’s name-a-puppy campaign.

“As well as working towards raising the £50,000 cost of a guide dog, it’s an opportunity to meet visually impaired visitors with their guide dogs in attendance, and help to significantly improve the quality of life for people with guide dogs.”