The DogCast Radio blog

A headline caught my eye today, that a dog was adopted by a senior home after her owner passed away. Clicking on the link to find out more, it emerged that poor Izzy was left homeless when her elderly owner died after they both went to live in an assisted living facility in Tennessee, USA.

Her owner's family were unable to take Izzy in, and that's the point at which so many dogs find themselves entering the rescue system, facing an uncertain future. Incredibly luckily for Izzy, that's not what happened to her, because she has become so popular with seniors in the home, as well as with staff and visitors, she is now the home's official meeter and greeter.

What more could a dog want? Well obviously, I'm sure

If, like many dog lovers, you oppose breed specific legislation this campaign is one you’ll want to support.

Born Innocent, an organisation which lobbies against BSL legislation, is today asking the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) “Where is the Love?” for our dogs. The organisation is urging Defra to #Haveaheart and consider the plight of dogs who fall foul of the BSL laws.

Organisations and individuals from around the world have backed the charity in its aim to put an end to the controversial legislation which currently prohibits four types of dogs being kept in the UK. In the four months since the campaign was launched, people have flocked to support the petition. In fact more than 52,000 people have backed the RSPCAs opposition of BSL – and that’s just in the last four months.

Here’s a “pupdate” on the six tiny Lurcher puppies who were dumped in a bucket late in 2016. The tiny, five week old pups were dumped on a doorstep a few days before Christmas 2016. Due to the timing of their discovery, the youngsters were named after Santa’s reindeer, after being taken to the RSPCA.

The litter of puppies are recovering from their ordeal, although one puppy – Dasher - very sadly died of parvo within a few days of being rescued. The surviving puppies are doing very well, thankfully.

The RSPCA is reporting an upturn in the number of “designer breeds” such as French bulldogs and Pugs being abandoned. Becoming fashionable can have dire consequences for a breed, for as more people choose to buy a puppy of a specific breed, more people will sadly choose not to keep the dog long-term. Some of the unfortunate dogs who are cast aside by their owners end up being taken in by the RSPCA.

In 2016 the charity rescued several Pugs and French bulldogs who had been abandoned. Here are some of their stories:

Poor Petunia

Most dogs who are found as strays face a challenging future – but two Chihuahuas who were recently found abandoned at the side of a busy road faced extra challenges. The poor, tiny dogs were not only dumped by the roadside, but one was blind and one was missing a foot.

I receive press releases every day, and this morning when I went through my emails, I spotted two which highlight the plight of too many dogs at this time of year. We know that Christmas can be a difficult time for dogs, and there are various reasons for that, the saddest being abandonment by their owner. For Rottweiler, Roger, and Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Tugz, this nightmare became reality.

Roger and Tugz were fortunate in as much as they were found and taken to Batersea Dogs & Cats Home, making them the charity’s first arrivals of 2017.

Roger is a six year old Rottweiler who is partially sighted, and was found on New Year’s Day

I don’t really make New Year’s Resolutions anymore. Mainly because I know I’ll break them way before the year’s finished, and also because I’ll make changes when I need to, thank you, not in response to some arbitrarily agreed date.

However, this year, I’ll make an exception.

This year I’ll resolve to strive to keep Buddy as happy, healthy and active as he can be.

Animals may do the funniest things, but sometimes the consequences of their actions can be serious. But luckily for accident prone or over-adventurous animals, the RSPCA is always there to help. So here are the charity’s to 10 best, unusual, or just plain wacky rescues of 2016.

1. Bar-king mad!
An enthusiastic pooch got herself into a bar-king mad situation after getting her head wedged between two bars during an afternoon walk.

Five-month-old Schnauzer, Juno, was released following an operation involving the RSPCA and Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service on 23 March.