Monday night’s episodes of the soap saw Chesney make the agonising decision to have his beloved Great Dane put down, something that is sure to hit the spot with the British dog loving public.
Chesney’s tough decision came after realising he didn’t have enough money to pay for Schmeichel’s life-saving operation and the intimidating bailiff after him as well. He put Katy, his pregnant girlfriend, first and opted to put “the greatest Dane ever” down.

After Schmeichel’s emotional exit after seven years as Chesney’s beloved pet on the show, he is sure to follow in the footsteps of other long since departed soap dogs. Emmerdale’s Batley and Eastenders’ Wellard were among the other actors nominated for Best Exit at past British Soap Awards, surely Schmeichel is to follow.

As Coronation Street showed; it can be an extremely difficult decision to make when you need to decide whether or not your dog needs to be put down and there are a lot of factors that need to be considered.

It’s crucial to figure out how your dog is feeling as this is the most important thing, and should be your main concern. If your dog is starting to lose interest in the world around him, is starting to lose his appetite, stops interacting with you or is in pain and it can’t be relieved then it may be time to say good-bye. A happy and active dog may be able to have a bit more of a life, but a sad and miserable dog may not have much life left in him.

It is usually possible to tell in your dog’s behaviour whether or not he’s well enough to go on for a bit longer but, if he starts sleeping as much as possible and losing all his energy, he’s trying to send you a message and it may be the kindest thing and in the best interests of the dog to put him down.
If you’re still unsure as to what’s best for your dog then the wisest thing to do is to speak to your vet and get a qualified opinion.

Like Chesney found last night in Coronation Street, sometimes the toughest decisions of all are the right ones.

Gomez is no stranger when it comes to adopting rescue dogs however, as she’s cared for five homeless dogs over the past few years.

This new dog was adopted by the pair from D’Arcy Animal Rescue Centre in Winnipeg. The couple were said to have viewed all the dogs at the shelter for about an hour before deciding on ‘Baylor’, a husky mix and just 10 weeks old.

D’Arcy Johnson, executive officer at the animal shelter in Canada, told ‘Hollywood Life’ that the two stars were very “down to earth” and that:

“They spent a lot of time with the puppies. I was told that she was missing the dogs that she has at home.”

Johnson was also aware that Gomez was currently in the middle of a tour and so would probably not rescue one of the dogs, he was, however, very happy when she did, adding:

“Baylor probably would have had a bad life, or a very short life, but he got rescued and brought to our shelter and is now going to live a very good life.”

Bieber had flown in from his South American leg of his ‘My World’ tour to be with Gomez and the two were set to take Baylor home to meet his new family straight after Gomez finished her tour in Canada.

Great Dane Schmeichal, who has a shiny wet nose pretty much like his Manchester United namesake, is set to bid farewell to the cobbles of ongoing pie-and-mushy-peas saga Coronation Street.

The character has been the best friend of Chesney, as played by Sam Aston, since 2003, and has actually been portrayed by four separate dogs, all kept by dog breeders Clive and Anne Lunt. With 40 years’ experience in stud dogs and show dogs, at one point they owned a dozen of the massive pets. Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, Mrs Lunt recounted how she became involved with the nation’s best loved show:

“We have always shown dogs. I got my first Great Dane about 43 years ago and I’ve probably had about 15 to 20 over the years.”

“The agent for Granada was a friend of mine and he asked me if he could use one of my dogs.”

“When we first went in they said it would only be for three weeks but then we had storyline after storyline, it just took off.”

“Because Chesney was a small child who had had no love in his life and he loved this animal, I think everybody took them to their hearts.”

When Schmeichel number one was forced to retire due to failing health, he was replaced by Magnam, who in turn was replaced by Spike. Although the three pooches have sadly passed on, Spike’s grandson, or grand-dog, who is also named Schmeichel, has portrayed the character from March 2011.

It is understood that his final heart wrenching scene has been filmed, where he passes away in the arms of Chesney. However, it’s onwards and upwards for Schmeichal mk II, as he already has his paws on a new role in a period drama.

Anne says:

“He is a natural. He is a lovely character and Sam (Aston) has built up quite a bond with him. He said it’s the finish of an era and I agree.”

In a break from making ads featuring a cherubic blonde kid, dressed as a cowboy and being free and easy with his Milky Bars, the advertisement looks to attract the attention of dogs with a mixture of sounds, some of which may already be familiar to your pet.

As is the way of advertising, the ad looks to attract the attention of humans as well. In a statement issued by Nestle Purina, it says:

“Nestle Purina has created the first-ever television commercial especially for dogs.”

“The TV commercial to be screened on Austrian television uses different sounds — including a high frequency tone — to capture the attention of four-legged friends and their owners.”

The ad will feature a ‘squeak’ designed to sound like many dogs toys that are on the market. A high pitched pinging sound will also be emitted, along with a high frequency note that is beyond the range of the human hearing threshold, but well within your pet’s.

It is not the first time that the food giant has tailored a product specifically for dogs. Two months ago, it unveiled an ice cream specifically for pooches that are lactose intolerant – in other words, whose digestive systems are unable to cope with the demands of dairy products.

The ad is due to air first in Austria, and as yet there is no word on whether it will debut on UK screens.

So far, there is no word on what imagery will be used in the ad. Here at Dream Dogs, we can only surmise that it will feature a postman’s ankle; a fat, lazy cat with no teeth or claws and a broken leg; and very possibly, another dog’s bum.

Berry, who is jet black and 10 years old, starred as animagus Sirius Black’s four legged, fanged alter ego Padfoot in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Given his celebrated acting career, Berry should be enjoying his retirement, but his owner has given him to the German Sherpherd Rescue. Paul Thompson gave up Berry and his pal Porridge, another German shepherd, as he could no longer afford to keep them.

The unwanted pooches were placed in a foster home, but now staff at the German Shepherd Rescue are seeking a permanent home for the pair. Berry’s biography has been published on the organisation’s website, and reads:

“My Dad contacted German Shepherd Dog Rescue because he realized he didn’t have the time to look after us properly anymore.”

“His work takes him away from home an awful lot and whilst his friends and family tried to help look after us, we weren’t getting the walks or brushes we were used to.”

Jane O’Brien, who is dealing with the flood of offers that have come in for the pair, describes them as “classy”, impeccably behaved and not noisy in the slightest.

So far, it is estimated that at least a hundred offers have been made, with many of them coming from the United States. However, given the ages of the dogs and the fact that they both suffer from a condition called chronic degenerative radiculomyelopathy, which restricts their mobility, it’s unlikely that they will find themselves re-housed across the pond.

Anyone wishing to make an offer of a new home needs to bear in mind that the pair aren’t allowed to live with kids under 7 years of age, live in a flat or apartment and can’t be left on their own for more than four hours at a time.

In early 2011, Louise Harris spent £20,000 on a wedding for Lola, one of her Yorkshire terriers, who got hitched to Chinese crested Mugly, the owner of the Britain’s Ugliest Dog crown since 2005.

After years of misplaced affection, she has now found a beau of her own – Dan Hill, presenter of TV show The New Reclaimers.

After meeting Dan at a fashion show, the two became smitten. In fact, Louise brought him to heel in record time. Although they have only been together for little over three months, she now dresses Dan in identical outfits to the ones she has for one of her beloved dogs, Larry. The two now have identical jackets, shirts and even tuxedos.

Rather than run like the wind as any sane man would do, 29-year-old Dan enjoys being part of the pack, and even expressed his anxiety at the possibility at not fitting in. He told the Daily Mail:

“I was concerned the dogs wouldn’t like me as that would be a major issue for Louise – it was like meeting the family for the first time!”

“But they’re great and I don’t mind at all that they’re very much a part of our life together.”

“At first I was a little daunted by it all – those dogs have a better wardrobe than I do! Louise is very image conscious, so if she wants me wearing an outfit that matches Larry’s I don’t mind.”

“He’s a good little dog. We’re mates already.”

Although it’s too soon to talk about marriage, Dan only has to look at Lola’s nuptials for an idea of what may be in store. The ceremony was held in the gardens of a luxury mansion in Bradwell-on-Sea, Essex. The venue swallowed up £2,500 of the budget alone. Louise, who owns the Doggy Diva salon for pampered pooches, fell for Dan straight away, but waited to see if her pets approved of him. She said:

“They all loved Dan straight away and jumped all over him.

“I think they could see how much I liked him, and decided, well, if mum is that happy, then we are too.”

However, after a period away from our screens, sheepdog trials are due for a return to our screens, albeit with a few new twists.

The World Sheepdog Trials, due to air on More 4 this Thursday 15th September, will feature heartrate monitors attached to the sheep to indicate how nervous they are, and therefore how likely they will be to make a run for it, accelerometers on the dogs’ collars to record how fast they are running, super slow motion replays, landmines, GPS tracking and high definition cameras.

OK, maybe the landmines are just me getting carried away. Either way, Neil Duncanson, of TV production company North One Television, says that many of the cutting edge techniques used in more glamorous sports will be brought to bear to bring the excitement to living rooms across the UK. He should know – his company covered the high-adrenaline Formula 1 racing for over a decade for ITV.

Representing England will be Carol Mellin with Maisie who, at 9 years of age, is considered to be near the end of her sheep herding days. Carol commented:

“I just love it, it’s my passion.”

“We go to trials on a Sunday and Saturday – sometimes, if they’re close enough, you can do two or three in a day.”

Here’s hoping that the competition proves to be one last hurrah for Maisie, before she retires to her dog basket to watch it on TV like the rest of us.

A new study has suggested that the average dog in the UK will spend 50 minutes a day staring at the chattering cyclops that dwells within our living rooms.

The Daily Mail reports that the study names Eastenders as the favourite show amongst dogs, with Philip Schofield coming up trumps as their favourite personality on screen. Poodle-haired motoring pundit Jeremy Clarkson came in a close second.

TV shows that were very noisy were the biggest turn off for dogs, and nearly a third of all pets became noticeably excited when their favourite programme came on.

The study, which was conducted in London ahead of the switchover from old fashioned analogue TV to spanky new digital signals, concludes that dogs may find watching digital TV easier on their eyes.

The veterinary director for canine charity The Dogs Trust was quoted as saying:

“The way digital is delivered seems to make it easier for dogs to watch. We’ve thought for some time that dogs love watching telly to relax, either with their owners or by themselves.”

However, we at Dream Dogs are of the opinion that it’s much better to stimulate your pet with some exercise – slip on his dog lead, take him for a walk and play a game of fetch with him. He’ll thank you for it.

However, sometimes it’s nice to pig out on the sofa while he’s curled up in his dog basket and watch some programmes you’ll both enjoy, such as:

1. Game for a Scratch
2. Gnawing Me, Gnawing You with Alan Partridge
3. The Mary Doghouse Experience
4. Dog’s Army
5. The Old Grey Dog Whistle Test
6. To the Manor Bone
7. What’s My Whine?

Kate and Gin, who were finalists in the 2008 series of the popular Saturday night television show, have teamed up with personal dog trainer Rachel Ward and are running a number of seminars in Warrington. The pair will work with Rachel, who runs dog training sessions, in a series of seminars for you and your dogs.

In the half day seminars, run by Kate and Gin, owners of dogs will be able to teach their dogs tricks and learn how to do some dancing – something which Kate and Gin displayed on Britain’s Got Talent in 2008. The sessions that are for both adults and children over the age of five will be held over weekends.

All dogs of any age and breed are welcome at the seminar sessions that will take place over the four weekends in June. The classes are also going to cover obedience, question and answer sessions about your dogs and there will be a range of other activities on for all the family.

If you would like any more information on Kate and Gin’s classes or any other classes that are taking place at the Help My Pup Centre, you can contact Rachel Ward on 07519 229 449 or email directly helpmypup@yahoo.co.uk .

Who knows, it could be your dog that is making an appearance on Britain’s Got Talent in the next series? Presumably, you’d also be better than Mexican Mayhem on this year’s series!

Your prayers could be answered as the BBC is working on a new series for BBC3 that looks at extreme dogs, and the struggles their owners have with trying to master them. So, if you struggle to find time to go on holiday because nobody will look after your dog, or if you even find it difficult to leave the house because of your dog’s demanding nature, you might be just what the BBC is looking for.

If you are, you could feature in the new BBC3 series where you (and your dog) could benefit from help from some of the best dog trainers in the world, and you could even go abroad as part of the series.

The BBC has asked us to post this appeal to dog owners, so do let them know if you are interested, and tell them that Dream Dogs sent you!

EXTREME DOGS WANTED FOR BBC3 SERIES!

Is your dog really hyper and hard to control?

Are you fed up of getting aggro from people because of your dog’s behaviour?

If you are between 18 and 30 and up for an adventure abroad, please get in touch!

If this is you or someone you know then please let us know.
Text 07514 291 478 or email jodie.wilcox@bbc.co.uk with your contact details