The DogCast Radio blog

I’m off to my local Dogs Trust shelter tomorrow to shadow a canine carer for the day. Tomorrow – for the first time in a long time! – I will clock on at 8.30a.m. and clock off at 5.30p.m., with just an hour’s lunch break. Even when I do put in that many hours, it’s sitting comfortably at my computer.

Anyway, I’m thinking about Dogs Trust a lot tonight, and received this information from them too:

GIRLS ALOUD LAUNCH DOGS TRUST EDUCATION INITIATIVE

It’s often questioned whether there is any point sending dogs away to be trained by an expert without the owner present. Many question whether the dog will associate his new found obedience with his owner at all, and whether once back at home he will revert to behaving as before.

Whatever the truth of it is, I heard a funny story about it the other day from a friend. Apparently an uncle of my friend had a dog years ago who was very naughty. The dog was duly bundled off to no less than legendary trainer Barbara Woodhouse to be sorted out.

This photograph always makes me smile. My husband was busy trying to carry out vital repairs to our boat’s engine, and he was ably assisted by Buddy. I just love the way Buddy has found a way in, and made the most of it. Maybe he has sensed Anthony’s mechanical frustration and is seeking to relax him, maybe he wanted to assess the damage himself, or more probably he just wanted some attention.

Lady Margaret Flack contacted me today to notify me of a petition she has started on the Downing Street website. You can find it at this link http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Puppy-Farming/

There is a lot of change going on in the British dog world at the moment, and for the most part people hold wildly differing and strongly voiced opinions. Surely the one thing that unites all dog lovers is wanting the best quality of life possible for dogs. One of the key things we need to do to achieve that goal is to stamp out puppy farming.

This weekend’s episode of DogCast Radio – episode 76 – is now available. It includes the interview with Lady Margaret Flack that I talked about in the post, “Puppy farming in the UK”. It also includes an interview with David Frei, (http://www.davidfrei.com/) co-host of the National Dog Show sponsored by Purina. (http://www.nationaldogshow.com/)

They say politics is a dog eat dog business, but for President Bush’s dog Barney, it became a dog eat reporter affair.

You can see what happened on You Tube (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=BQOG969hElQ&feature=related) when the Scottish Terrier decided he had had enough press attention. I don’t know about you, but when I watch that video what I see is a dog clearly giving off, “Don’t come near me signals.” The reporter ignored these at his peril.

I recently met my young niece’s boyfriend for the first time. I felt protective and wanted to establish that this young man was a suitable escort for my niece, but I didn’t want to come over as heavy handed and intrusive. What conversation could I have with him to set my mind at rest? What question should I ask to gain the measure of his character?
And then it came to me in a moment of inspiration.

“So,” I asked, “are you a dog person or a cat person?”

It may seem as familiar as the nativity at Christmas, but it’s time for a reminder about puppies and Christmas. Don’t buy a puppy as a Christmas present. Apart from anything else, Christmas is far too busy a time for most of us to devote the necessary attention to a new dog. The comings and goings will make it impossible for them to bond with their new pack and settle into a new home.

The American Veterinary Medical Association has produced its 2007 U.S. Pet Ownership and Demographic Sourcebook. The statistics included make fascinating reading. For example, while there are 43 million dog owning households in the USA, there are 37.5 million cat owning households. However, there are more cats – 81.7 million – than dogs – 72 million – in the country. So clearly there are a lot of multi-cat houses.

I’ve been very busy recently recording interviews for future shows, and one that sticks in my mind is one with Margaret Flack. Margaret, with the Kennel Club and the UK dog newspaper Our Dogs, is mounting a campaign to stamp out puppy farms, dog dealing and dog smuggling in the UK. I hope she is successful, and so should each and every dog lover in the UK - and beyond.