We are excited to have on sale the TIC’s first ever self-published book, ‘For Our Dogs’. If your immediate thought is ‘Why on earth…?’ then you might want to skip this bit! But if, like many members of the TIC team here in Saffron Walden the mere mention of the word ‘dogs’ is enough to engage your interest, then read on! The book is written by TIC colleagues Rachel Thomas and Claire Glover who initially thought it would be a good idea to produce a book of local walks and dog-friendly shops and eateries. What even they hadn’t expected was the deluge of interest from the community. The result: a beautiful book of walks, tips and anecdotes from a local senior vet, interviews with a local dog rescuer, Stansted Airport sniffer dog handlers, a local search and rescue dog handler, a guide dog owner, a puppy socialiser for hearing dogs for the deaf, the story of Chip the Spaniel who loved Audley End concert fireworks displays and taught himself to be an assistance dog, a day in the life of a local professional dog walker…and so much more!

If this at first glance seems an odd thing for a Tourist Information Centre to produce, then think again: the TIC’s role is to celebrate our community to everyone, whether they are visitors, locals or prospective locals and this book recognises that, if you own dogs, a community that recognises the importance of their presence in our lives and that goes to lengths to welcome them and encourage responsible ownership is a very positive thing. We know from our own experience at the TIC that owning a dog matters to many of our customers, and informs many decisions they make on social activities and destinations to visit; this new book meets those customers’ needs.

‘For Our Dogs’ is an incredibly diverse collection of material linked by a relevance to our beautiful district and its dog-loving population”: so says the cover of the book, and how true it is!

On sale now at Saffron Walden Tourist  Information Centre, £9.50.