A bomb sniffing dog who was injured by the Taliban in a grenade attack is back on the front line.

Hobo, a black Labrador, was hit by three pieces of shrapnel from a grenade launched by Taliban forces whilst he was on patrol with 2nd Battalion the Royal Gurkha Rifles.

The battalion came under fire whilst on patrol in the Nahr-e Saraj area of Helmand Province. Bleeding profusely from a neck wound, Hobo was given emergency first aid and was airlifted back to base along with several injured troops.

Captain George Shipman, who led the patrol, leaped into action to save Hobo’s life.

The 28-year-old, who is part of 29 Commando Royal Artillery and is (more…)

A grandmother was hauled before a magistrate and told to wear a tag – all because she couldn’t bear to put her dog down.

Pauline Spoor could not face having her 18-year-old labrador Dexter euthanised, even though he was struggling to walk and was suffering from a variety of ailments.

The RSPCA forced their way into the 71-year-old’s home and found the elderly Dexter to be suffering from a range of medical problems, including arthritis, loss of fur and conjunctivitis. After charging Mrs Spoor with animal cruelty, the poor pooch was taken away and put down by a veterinarian a day later.

On appearing before the beak at Tameside Magistrates, Mrs Spoor, who was (more…)

A Labrador that ate green slime while on a walk on a beach in the Wirral sadly died only hours after.

The dog ate the strange substance and within hours was suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting and was rushed to the vets. Unfortunately he died shortly afterwards from acute shock. Mr McNulty, who tried to treat the dog at Hoylake Vets, was quoted in the Wirral Globe just after the incident:

“The owner had taken his two dogs for a walk and both were seen sniffing around this green slime. He saw one of the dogs eat something and was later plagued with severe vomiting and diarrhoea. Unfortunately the Labrador (more…)

A Greater Manchester service dog has been nominated for a bravery award.

The Dogs Trust charity is considering 7 year old, golden Labrador, Echo for the award after he went to Haiti to help try and find victims of the Earthquake disaster that struck there in 2010.

The rescue dog had to cope with a range of difficult factors while he was out there. Temperatures were around 38C and, a week into the rescue efforts, Echo became ill with heat exhaustion and had to be placed on a drip. He also had to (more…)

Ben Fogle recently leapt to the rescue of his elderly pet dog when it was set upon by a fox.

The television presenter had seen the feral animal in his neighbourhood for several days in a row, but his close encounter with it came when he was walking his black Labrador Inca, along with his other pet Maggi and his mother-in-law’s dog Beca – both Labradors – in central London near where he lives.

He had let the dogs off their leads to run free on some private land when the fox decided to (more…)

Two superstar sniffer dogs working for the Indian Police are in the doghouse after having a litter of pups each.

Police chiefs in Chhattisgarh, central India, have taken action against the dogs’ handlers, and suspended them from duty for dereliction of their responsibilities.

In their defence, the handlers have cited poor quality kennels and rickety enclosures at their (more…)