The DogCast Radio blog

Record numbers of pet owners are giving up their dogs and cats and leaving Battersea Dogs & Cats Home to pick up the pieces. The world famous charity has received almost 5,000 enquiries this year from members of the public struggling to care for their dogs, a 50 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.

Battersea is releasing the shocking figures as a new series of Paul O Grady: For The Love Of Dogs airs on ITV. This eight-part series reveals the work that goes into caring for thousands of abandoned dogs every year.

If you fancy trying something new with your dog, the APDT - Association of Pet Dog Trainers - has an activity weekend in June that could be just what you're looking for. You can attend and participate with your dog, or you can just watch what's going on. So if you'd like to find out more about gundog training, search and rescue, treibball (a dog sport that's very new to the U.K.), working trials or rally, and even have a go at any of them with your dog, all the information you need is here:

World famous animal charity Battersea Dogs & Cats Home has already welcomed its 1000th dog of 2013 to its iconic London centre.

Seven week old Mongrel puppy Emerald arrived at the charity along with his mum and five littermates after his owner was no longer able to care for them and turned to Battersea to help find them a new home.

Battersea takes in an average of eight dogs every day, and precious little Emerald is just one of the thousands of dogs that Battersea will care for this year. Last year the charity cared for 5,880 dogs, nearly half of which

Star of Shrek the Musical Carley Stenson will be leading a new chorus line of loveable furry characters at this year’s Battersea Dogs & Cats Home Old Windsor Fun Day on Saturday 6 July.

TV and stage actress, Carley, who played Princess Fiona in the hit West End show, is inviting dog lovers and their canine companions to join her at the animal charity’s Berkshire centre for a day of fun-filled activities, dazzling dog displays and entertainment for all the family from 10.30am to 4.30pm.

DOGS TRUST RESPONSE TO THE DANGEROUS DOGS AMENDMENT BILL

Charity to give “wake up call” evidence at the EFRA enquiry into dog ownership tomorrow

Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity will tomorrow tell a Committee of MPs that the Government’s proposed Dangerous Dogs Amendment Bill has been hastily drafted, is extremely confusing and could end up criminalising responsible dog owners.

Pet lovers can win tickets to the London Pet Show (Earls Court Two, 11-12 May), thanks to a prize draw by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS). Two pairs of tickets are on offer in the free-entry draw, which will be made on 30 April. Each ticket is worth £14.

At the show, visitors can to pick up tips on how to work best with their veterinary practices by visiting the College’s stand (A366).

The RSPCA Block Fen Animal Centre in Cambridgeshire is holding a sponsored Pooch Mooch on Sunday 12 May.
All well-mannered, active dogs should get their families to register to take part and are encouraged to get sponsorship too.

You will receive a certificate and doggy bag filled with delicious treats for your efforts. And your humans won’t miss out either because there are home-made biscuits for them to try in the coffee shop at Block Fen afterwards!

There are sponsorship forms available from the centre

Seven year old Labrador Tyke, who was handed into Battersea Dogs & Cats Home when he was just one year old has become a canine hero, collecting an ITV Animal Honours Award in recognition of his new role, defending the country’s borders.

Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, is disappointed by the Government’s response to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) Committee Report on Dog Control and Welfare, published yesterday (17th April). The response to the Committee’s recommendations highlights the Government’s piecemeal approach to tackling the various issues surrounding dog control and welfare, particularly dangerous dogs.

Terrier will be awarded RSPCA plaque

The RSPCA is recognising the bravery and persistence of a terrier who saved the life of her elderly owner when she did not realise her bed was on fire.

Barbie is a seven-year-old Jack Russell Terrier who lives with her owner 72-year-old Rosemary Field in Bristol.

In the early hours of Friday 1 March, Mrs Field was asleep and unaware that a lit bedside lamp had fallen onto her bed. The hot bulb burned a hole through a quilt, two fleece blankets, a sheet, and another under-blanket before setting fire to her mattress.