A TV animal behaviour expert was the celebrity guest at a pet food and accessory shop’s first dog trainers' event.

Healthy Pet Store welcomed Chirag Patel, who has been seen on BBC One, Channel Four, 5 Star and CTV.

Mr Patel met dog trainers from across the area to share his thoughts on human-animal relationships and new training concepts, the store said.

More than 30 enthusiasts were at the event, called Chirag On the High Street, at the store in Salisbury Road, Totton.

They listened to Mr Patel, found out about new training gear and mingled with other trainers.

Deborah Burrows from Healthy Pet Store said: “The event was just fantastic.

"Chirag offered such an interesting insight into some of his behavioural concepts and challenged the way we describe relationships with our companion pets.

“Everyone had a smile on their face and the trainers said they thoroughly enjoyed meeting and mingling with Chirag. We all learnt a huge amount from him. I would like to say a massive thank you to Chirag for visiting us.”

She brought in bubbles and canapes for the evening and guests were given a goody bag containing essentials such as an Acme whistle, paracord lanyard, fleece tug toy and thermal flask.

“I loved seeing so many people from the dog-loving community coming together to learn and meet each other," said Ms Burrows.

"It was such a wholesome evening. The goody bags went down a treat too."

Mr Patel runs Domesticated Manners, which specialises in the behaviour and training of all animals under human care.

He has appeared on BBC One’s Nightmare Pets SOS and 5 Star’s Cats and Dogs at War.

He has a degree in veterinary sciences from the Royal Veterinary College and a postgraduate certificate in clinical animal behaviour form the University of Lincoln.

His business offers services including training classes and private consultations, as well as seminars and workshops for professionals and organisations, including those caring for zoo animals.

Healthy Pet Store was started in Totton around seven years ago.

Deborah Burrows finalised a deal to move into a former supermarket during lockdown in 2020. The move created the largest retailer of frozen fresh foods for meat-eating pets in the country by square footage.

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