The DogCast Radio blog

The moves to publicise the dangers of buying a puppy farmed dog are to be warmly welcomed. In the UK the Kennel Club has had a bashing - and I do think that unscrupulous breeding, whether of KC registered dogs or in the squalor of a puppy farm should be exposed. BUT if you discredit KC registered dogs, how are people to know who to trust and who not to? The only answer is to get as much information out there about how to spot a good breeder, and how to recognise a "baddun".

Marc Abraham is on television tonight talking about this issue, here's more detail:

Isn't technology wonderful? (when it's working anyway) Through Twitter I met Paul Keevil, who with Hilary Cheyne, has started the Heritage Dog Breeds website. There is concern at the Kennel Club amongst other places that certain breeds are dwindling numerically.Many of these breeds are long established British breeds, which people are forgetting about with the lure of newly imported foreign breeds. For example, here are some statistics Paul sent me regarding puppies registered with the Kennel Club in 2008:

Two very different press releases from Dogs Trust today - one concerning a dog looking for a new home:

LUCIAS - THE DOG FED UP WITH THE BRITISH WEATHER!

Former homeless dog despises the drizzle

Having spent his life on the streets with his homeless owner, you would think that 11 year old Lucias, would be used to the British weather. However, the friendly Staffordshire Bull Terrier has had enough and is now firmly refusing to step foot outside if it rains, even in the slightest drizzle.  

There's been a lot in the UK media about dog names and what they reflect about the owners. What's your dog called, and which category do you fit into?

We have some beautiful photos uploaded to the site, but this one stood out. I like the composition of it, and I think the dog is stunning. The comment is lovely too. The dog in question is a Siberian Husky called Misha, and I hope you enjoy the photo as much as I did.

If you have a dog, share his or her photo with us, and don't forget to check out our breed profile pages to see other listeners' dogs.

Bilbo is a gorgeous Newfoundland dog who is currently caught in the middle of a mess through no fault of his own. Bilbo’s story first hit the headlines in 2008 when he was banned from the beach on which he was performing life guard duties. Up until the ban, Bilbo had been assisting his owner and then head lifeguard, Steve Jamieson, helping keep bathers safe at Sennen Cove beach in Cornwall. However the beach is a no-go area for dogs in the daytime, and since Bilbo is not classed as a working dog, he found himself falling foul of the ban.

It’s been one of those dreadful drizzly days when the rain never really gets going, but having not really got going it keeps on all day long. It was the kind of day to spend inside reading a book or watching a DVD. I had work to do of course, but it would have been good to read a book or watch a DVD if you had the time.

Most days I receive a few dog-related press releases via email and they vary tremendously. Hearing about a rescue dog looking for a good home makes me sad, but I'm glad if I can be of assistance at all. The latest notification I've received is concerning Windsor:

WINDSOR LOOKS FOR HIS OWN CASTLE IN SHROPSHIRE
Local rescue dog searches for a new home

Windsor, a seven year old black Collie cross is on the look-out for a new abode after being handed into Dogs Trust Roden when his owners could no longer care for him.

I mentioned Jill Moss yesterday, and for those of you who don't know who this courageous woman is, you can hear her telling her story in Episode 58 of DogCast Radio. (http://www.DogCastRadio.com/node/158) Life was for Jill and her Samoyed dog Bella was going very well - until Bella was struck down with MRSA. It is incredibly moving to listen to Jill tell in her own words how she stayed by Bella's side, even catching MRSA herself, and how Bella lost her struggle against the infection.

Yesterday I had a very enjoyable, but at times quite surreal experience. I went on a wolf walk with the UK Wolf Conservation Trust. (http://www.ukwolf.org/) We had been invited to join Jill Moss of the Bella Moss Foundation (http://www.thebellamossfoundation.com/) on the walk, as she is a member of the trust. She had some great stories of her experiences with wolves, which will be coming up in an episode of DogCast Radio soon.