dog

Dogs Trust contact centre answers 100,000 calls in its first six months, including enquiries about parrots, donkeys, lizards and cats!

Dogs Trust’s national contact centre has taken 100,000 calls in its first six months with more than 20% of calls being from dog-lovers looking to give homeless hounds their ‘furry-tail’ ending.

The contact centre, based at Dogs Trust Manchester, opened on 29 September last year and now handles calls for the charity’s 20 UK-based rehoming centres.

I've just discovered a wonderful idea that artist Elizabeth Ellis has
come up with. She's called it The Year of 52 Rescues, and throughout
2015 she'll be painting a picture of one adoptable animal who is
currently in a shelter. The hope is that this will help the animal find
a home, and will also shine a light on the plight of animals waiting
for their forever home.

I've just got off the phone from Radio Scotland, discussing the latest research about dogs. This study, from the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna's Messerli Research Institute showed that dogs can read our facial expressions.

Charity brings roving rehoming unit to Shropshire

On Wednesday 14th and Thursday 15th January, Dogs Trust will be raising pounds for hounds at a doggie meet and greet at the Sainsburys Superstore at Telford Forge Retail Park.

The charity’s Dogmobile will be making an appearance at the venue from 9am to 4.30pm to give supporters and doting dog lovers a chance to find out more about the work of Dogs Trust and to meet some of the charity’s four legged friends.

I was a little worried to begin with that I'd been sent an April Fool's joke in July, but I'll be really fascinated to read the results of this research. I'm sure some trainers will argue that dogs can't make the necessary connections to know that if they paw a control, the temperature goes up or down.

Also, bark controlled privacy screens? - I'm pretty sure some dogs bark to get attention, not to hide themselves away from it, so I do wonder how that will work out. What do you make of the latest news from Dogs Trust?

TAKING PUPPY-STEPS TOWARDS THE SMART KENNEL OF THE FUTURE

This weekend was another three day bank holiday treat in the UK, which always allows us more time to get out and about. We went to a medieval re-enactment at Whittington Castle, and the best bit was that the dogs came along too. We met lots of other dogs too - as soon as we arrived, I spotted a Jack Russell Terrier who was sitting with his person on a high vantage point, keeping a wary eye on Rusty.