They say that art is subjective, but one new artist is challenging the perceptions of art lovers everywhere with his abstract work. The reason this new artist is creating such a stir is simple; he’s a dog.

Ziggy is a three-year-old Pekingese and he’s been ‘painting’ for the last two years. Unlike many artists, including Picasso, Ziggy isn’t poor. Ziggy’s art is selling for up £171 per painting to art lovers and collectors.

Naturally Ziggy is from the USA, living in Falbrook with his owner, Elizabeth Monacelli. Ziggy paints his canvas paintings by biting into a paintbrush and (more…)

Yesterday’s article about the Kennel Club’s change in breeding standards has caused a backlash from the breeding societies.

The BBC broadcast a recent documentary about the side-effects of unhealthy breeding, caused primarily by over-keen breeders looking to breed their dogs to conform to the Kennel Club’s breeding standards and ultimately win a rosette at one of the pedigree dog club’s dog shows, such as their highly prestigious Crufts show.

One piece on the programme which caused much uproar was the revelation that a Pekinese, the Best in Show dog of 2003, had had surgery (soft palate resection) so that it could breathe.

Yesterday, new breeding standards (see bottom of this page) were put in place for the Pekinese breed saying that a flat face is no longer acceptable. Indeed, as we highlighted in yesterday’s article, thanks to breeding the muzzle out the skin that used to cover the muzzle is now in the poor dog’s (more…)