I'm amazed - and horrified - at the statistics below:

 
Are we really a nation of animal lovers?
A quarter give their pets away when they move home
 

While our beloved pets are always said to be an integral part of the family, almost a quarter of people (24%) admit to getting rid of their pet when they move home.

Unfortunately, the news about Star is not good. She has ruptured her cruciate ligament and will need surgery. After her x-ray we had a difficult conversation with a very nice surgeon who took us through all the options. The good news is that he can give her a functioning knee joint again. The bad news is that it will be a long, slow recovery, and she will have to take things extremely steady over the summer. There could be complications like post-op infections, or problems with the cartilage in the joint, plus the cruciate in the other leg may rupture at some point too.

A ‘PUPPY DOG TAIL’ OF WAGS TO RICHES
Puppy stolen from Dogs Trust Rehoming Centre now resides in grand castle

It’s a tale that should belong in a story book; a puppy that starts his life homeless is taken in by an animal charity only to be stolen in the dead of night by thieves. The puppy is then found on the other side of the country after mysteriously managing to escape from his captors and is then rehomed by a kind family who live in a fairy tale castle.

The puppy in question is Munchie, a lovely Lurcher who was stolen along with his sister from Dogs Trust Evesham Rehoming Centre back in October 2009. Five

When I uploaded this picture of Star it was just because I thought it would accompany a blog post about how she makes herself comfortable and hogs the best seats in the house. However, since I uploaded she has somehow injured herself, so the photo is accompanying a blog post about that instead.

We walked both dogs on some forestry land on Tuesday evening and they both got excited about some exceptionally muddy water they had found. Both dogs raced around, full of the sheer joy of being alive - and being up to the armpits in muddy water. Star

A few days after I saw the three dogs tethered outside a shop, I spotted these two. This looked a much happier situation. I love the silent companionableness between the child and the dog. I love the domestic detritus on the windowsill, and I just love the way they are not doing anything in particular, just watching the world go by.

I hope they are are great company for each other, and I know the child will learn so much growing up with a