by Elise on January 6, 2009
In a scene reminiscent of a recent episode of Emmerdale, a Manchester man had to crawl on his front across the ice to rescue his dog as it fell through the ice on a frozen lake. Twenty-five-year-old Marc Greenhalgh was taking his dog for a walk on New Year’s Day in Middleton, Greater Manchester, when the dog decided the frozen lake was an ideal opportunity to pursue some ducks. The cocker spaniel named Jarvis chased the ducks onto the ice, plunging into the icy cold lake as the ice beneath his feet broke.
Marc Greenhalgh plunged in to rescue his dog in a selfless act. He stated:
It was very cold to be honest. You don’t want to think about it at the time, I just wanted to get to him really.
When it happens you just go and do what you’ve got to do. There’s a lesson to be learned I think, I won’t be leaving [read more]
by Vivien on January 5, 2009
It is now past Christmas and the festivities are over, which means for most that it’s time to go back to work. If you have bought a new puppy during the Christmas break, the work begins now in the form of training them.
If you are tired or the puppy is tired then do not try to train them as they will not be as responsive.
The best time to train a dog is when they are full of energy, as they can listen to your commands without waiting for food or wanting to sleep.
One of the first dangers with a new puppy is that they have no [read more]
by Darren on January 4, 2009
Tory MEP Struan Stevenson has finally been successful in his nine-year campaign to get the trade of dog fur and cat fur banned in Europe. The EU imposed ban, Stevenson hopes, will result in China to do something about the slaughter of millions of dogs and cats every year within its borders.
Dog fur and cat fur is used by Chinese manufactures for things as common as the stuffing in children’s toys, as stuffing for coats and gloves. This has led to UK consumers buying imported products containing dog fur without their knowledge.
The trade of dog and cat fur is now illegal in the twenty-seven EU states.
Struan Stevenson began his campaign to get the trade in dog fur banned in 1999. He claims that Chinese manufacturers even use dog fur to stuff toy dogs, that parents buy in [read more]
by Elise on January 3, 2009
We all know that dogs can get stressed, particularly when they’re left on their own during the day while their owners are at work, but should you be offering your dog medication for stress? A UK firm believes so, after they bought the rights for some US invented drugs for dogs.
Dogs are big business in America, and the dog medication industry is worth £33 billion in the US every year, with some dog drugs heading to the UK. In the US, dog and cat owners are able to buy pet medications for everything from obesity to depression.
Acura Pharma, the British company, has bought two of the US drugs and plans on [read more]
by Darren on January 2, 2009
Is it a bird, is it a plane? No, it’s Superman… well, sort of. Actually it’s a man wearing a Superman T-shirt (and JUST a Superman T-shirt) who has acted just like the real Superman by saving his family, and their nine dogs, from a house fire in the middle of the night.
Thirty-two-year-old James Irvine was awoken in the early hours of the morning by a fire started by a neglected candle. James, wearing just his Superman T-shirt that he sleeps in, found his front room ablaze. He threw water over the fire before ‘flying’ through a burning [read more]
by Elise on January 1, 2009
The old saying with regards to giving dogs as presents is ‘A dog is for life, not just for Christmas’ – however this didn’t apply for one Labrador puppy as he was bought as a Christmas present, and abandoned on Christmas Day.
This is possibly the saddest dog story ever. The ten-week old Labrador puppy was bought by a couple as a gift for themselves, but decided they didn’t want him. They gave him in on Christmas Day to the West Calder Dogs Trust, in Scotland. The puppy, named Theo, was taken home by staff at the centre for the Christmas period.
Susan Tonner, the manager of the care centre, stated:
It is tragic that dogs are still being bought as Christmas gifts, then abandoned so quickly. People give such little thought to [read more]
by Darren on December 31, 2008
With the Jennifer Aniston movie Marley & Me already released in the US, and due for release in the UK in March, the film has been receiving some added publicity thanks to an online campaign that sees users able to create and care for digital dogs.
A game has been developed using animators with feature-film experience that allows users to create their own digital Marley, the star of the film. The game can be played on the website, and on the iPhone.
The game has been available since February on Facebook, but it has now been rebranded as can be used on MySpace, the web and you can pay for an iPhone download. The Marley puppy that you can create in the game is an [read more]
by Elise on December 30, 2008
A dog from Macclesfield, in Cheshire, has won a top military award for bravery after saving countless lives in several tours of Afghanistan.
Corporal David Heyhoe’s loyal dog ‘Treo’ was voted the finest animal in the Armed Forces at a ceremony hosted by national tabloid ‘The Sun’ earlier this month. Treo, a black Labrador, was nearly put down when he was younger as he was out of control, but like so many adolescents before him, he joined the army and it ‘straightened him out’.
Thirty-nine-year-old David and his dog Treo would search for explosives and land mines in Afghanistan, and they have just returned from a [read more]
by Darren on December 29, 2008
Most girls who are dog lovers have a strict policy when it comes to men and their dogs, if the man doesn’t love their dog (or more importantly, if the dog doesn’t like their man) the man is history.
Former Friends actress, and star of the latest Hollywood dog lover’s movie Marley & Me, Jennifer Anniston, is having troubles with her new boyfriend, John Mayer, and his hatred of her dogs. Jennifer is currently promoting Marley & Me, which opened in the US on Christmas Day (and opens in the UK in March) and has had to leave her beloved dogs behind because her boyfriend can’t stand to be near them.
Anniston has two dogs, a German shepherd and a corgi-terrier cross, but they’ve both been [read more]
by Elise on December 28, 2008
Christmas is the time of miracles, and especially for one dog from South Wales that had been abandoned, winding up in Cardiff Dogs Home. Staff of the dogs home wanted to find homes for Sebastian, the brindle mastiff cross, and eleven other dogs in their ‘twelve dogs of Christmas’ campaign. They ran the campaign in the South Wales Echo, and in the run up to Christmas had managed to house eight of the twelve dogs, including Sebastian, who had been abandoned in a field.
Deborah Preece from Ely, in Cardiff, was touched by the campaign in the Echo and offered to give a home to Sebastian. Deborah says:
As soon as I saw him I fell in love with him. He took to me really quickly. He jumped on me so much I fell over!
It broke my heart when I read the story in the paper and my husband agreed we should do something.
Seb is such a loving dog and he is getting better by the day. He still has a [read more]
