It's probably the closest thing to dog heaven a pooch in Canberra is likely to find.
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A mouth-watering line-up of treats in Commonwealth Park for the RSPCA's annual Million Paws Walk helped attract about 4200 dogs and 15,000 owners. There were home-made biscuits, huge basins of water and five or six fun obstacles.
RSPCA volunteer Jan Phillip's stall, ''Dog's Breath Cafe'', even included a ''dogaccino'', which combines whipped lactose-free milk with liver sprinkles to garnish.
Organisers were still tallying donations, corporate sponsorship and entry fees last night and estimate about $200,000 is expected to have been raised, on par with last year's event.
Organiser Emma Pieper said the dogs were always on their best behaviour and so far no one had suffered a bite from an over-excited pooch. ''It's like the dogs know, this is an event for [the dogs], so chill. It's really quite bizarre,'' she said.
John and Jan Munro have taken their Maltese-cross terrier Tess to the walk since its inception 12 years ago. ''She really enjoys it,'' Mrs Munro said.
The five-kilometre walk around Lake Burley Griffin includes a treat for children as well, with a Scooby-Doo jumping castle, and for the adults, views of the High Court and Parliament House and camaraderie with fellow pet owners.
RSPCA chief executive Michael Linke said the combination of the crowd and beautiful weather made it the best event on record. He said money raised was spent caring for all animals in the RSPCA's shelters, not just dogs.
Mr Linke said companion animals were important to people's well-being, especially older people. Companion animals were popular in Canberra because of the city's alfresco-style culture.