We are the Guinness World Record holders for:
Tony Carlisle - Founder/Organiser
The Great North Dog Walk is the brain-child of Tony Carlisle and was founded by him in 1990. He has organised the event every year since and 2015 was our " Silver Anniversary "- 25th event. Tony is a former Teacher of Harton Technology College, in South Shields and is currently United Kingdom Fundraiser of The Year – for the 3rd time. Raised over £8.5 Million pounds for charitable causes. He has also donated 75 pints of blood and for this he holds the Emerald Award Certificate. The event has been supported by a host of celebrities in the past including Blue Peter, Record Breakers, Newsround, the Big Breakfast television show and more recently, CBBC Children’s TV in March 2013. Click here to view CBBC's Who Let the Dogs Out coverage of The Great North Dog walk 2012.
In 1997 Tony wrote to Dame Catherine Cookson and her husband Tom and duly received financial assistance and their blessing and permission to have the walk renamed the Catherine Cookson Great North Dog Walk. Butcher's Pet Care Ltd sponsored the event from 2004 until 2010, and Pets At Home sponsored the event from 2011 until 2015. Pedigree sponsored the event in 2016, YouMove Dog sponsored the event in 2017 and Dogs Trust sponsored the event in 2018.
This event is annual and measurable and the last dog walk was the 28th staging. It was held on Sunday 3rd June 2018 with 33,149 dogs, starting on The Leas, South Shields, England, United Kingdom, SatNav NE33 2JH. The 3 mile (4.8km) walk follows a coastal route along the cliffs with magnificent sea views. There are four different routes of varying lengths to cater for everyone within the community and over varying surfaces like grass, gravel and concrete. This therefore allows for baby buggies, wheelchairs, the young, the elderly, disabled and also older dogs to support this world record attempt. The event is Internationally recognised and holds the WORLD RECORD as the largest dog walk ever held (22,742 dogs). This is a record we would like to keep in the United Kingdom coupled with allowing interested parties to attempt this World Record and allow them to raise funds for the charity of their choice from the listed beneficiaries.
Next Walk: Sunday 4th June 2023 - 30th Anniversary
REGISTER NOW (FREE ENTRY)The Great North Dog Walk - History
| Year | No. Of Dogs | No. Of Breeds | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 13 | 5 | UK, GNDW |
| 1991 | 77 | 23 | UK, GNDW |
| 1992 | 124 | 36 | UK, GNDW |
| 1993 | 202 | 45 | UK, GNDW |
| 1994 | 267 | 58 | UK, GNDW |
| 1995 | 327 | 72 | UK, GNDW 1st |
| 1996 | 672 | 103 | UK, GNDW 2nd |
| 1997 | 983 | 113 | UK, GNDW 3rd |
| 1998 | 1,007 | 113 | UK, GNDW 4th |
| 1998 | 1,021 | - | USA, Connecticut |
| 1998 | 1,835 | - | Canada, Toronto |
| 1999 | 2,114 | - | USA, Texas |
| 1999 | 2,439 | 115 | UK, GNDW 5th |
| 2000 | 2,872 | 119 | UK, GNDW 6th |
| 2001 | 2872 | 119 | UK, GNDW 7th |
| 2002 | 3,117 | - | USA, Texas |
| 2003 | 4,372 | 127 | UK, GNDW 8th |
| 2004 | 5,017 | 131 | UK, GNDW 9th |
| 2005 | 6,339 | 141 | UK, GNDW 10th |
| 2006 | 7,766 | 147 | UK, GNDW 11th |
| 2007 | 10,272 | 154 | UK, GNDW 12th |
| 2008 | 12,339 | 162 | UK, GNDW 13th |
| 2009 | 17,427 | 169 | UK, GNDW 14th |
| 2010 | 18,113 | 178 | UK, GNDW 15th |
| 2011 | 22,742 | 182 | UK, GNDW 16th |
| 2012 | 23,301 | 185 | UK, GNDW |
| 2013 | 20,247 | 185 | UK, GNDW |
| 2014 | 24,542 | 185 | UK, GNDW |
| 2015 | 26,423 | 185 | UK, GNDW |
| 2016 | 28,947 | 185 | UK, GNDW |
| 2017 | 30,114 | 185 | UK, GNDW |
| 2018 | 33,149 | 185 | UK, GNDW | 2019 | Cancelled due to Founder / Organiser Septicaemia | UK, GNDW |
| 2020 | Cancelled due to Covid-19 pandemic | UK, GNDW | |
| 2021 | Cancelled due to Covid-19 pandemic | UK, GNDW | |
| 2022 | Cancelled | UK, GNDW |
