The Dogs Trust rehoming centre, at Bridgend, has an extra special canine guest at the moment.

Weasel, a ten week old puppy, is unusual in that he was born with no ears! He has undergone a series of veterinary checks since arriving at the Dogs Trust and vets believe that, despite having no outer ears, he is able to hear some muffled sounds.

Weasel will be sent to a specialist veterinary practice in Southampton, later in the month, to determine whether or not vets can create ears for him. Let’s hope they can and Weasel can enjoy the rest of his life barking at every noise in the neighbourhood.

Chalky, the feisty Jack Russell that accompanied chef Rick Stein throughout his various tv shows, has died.

On his website, Rick wrote:

“In truth, I’m very sad, he was loved by everyone. So many people, it’s a source of puzzlement to me that he never knew how famous he was.”

I sounds as though Chalky summed up what Jack Russells are all about:

“…he got up to some mighty capers, leaping to bite a microphone, snarling at our cameraman so fiercely that we thought twice about using the film, fearing his shocking fangs would frighten children. He dispatched rats and caused consternation by doing the same with a rabbit or two. He was loved by my children. He swam and jumped on boats, he attacked crabs, ran rings round Alsatians and Border Collies being much fiercer and never backing down, ever.”

Goodbye Chalky.

We’re all proud of our doggie family members. Showing off photos of our mutts is all part of the pleasure of having them in our lives.

DoggySnaps.com is a new website, from Dogs Trust, for uploading and sharing your dog pictures! There’s a forum to chat with other dog lovers and even charts, showing the oldest dog, most viewed pictures, most common names, and more.

Visit now, upload your photos and meet other dog fans at DoggySnaps.

Teddy the Alsatian has had an unusual, but lucky, escape after drinking a bottle of anti-freeze.

His owner, veterinary nurse Kate Sheppard from Birmingham, spotted him lapping the poisonous liquid in the back of her dad’s car. She told the Daily Record:

“There are specific antidotes for all sorts of household fluids cats and dogs might accidentally drink.

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“We were told to use ethanol but we couldn’t find it anywhere. It was a frantic race against time.”

A quick-thinking vet suggested vodka as an alternative. Mixed with saline solution and vitamins, the vodka was adminstered using a drip, with Kate by Teddy’s side over night.

“The morning after he was a little bit dopey the poor thing had quite a hangover. He was down in the dumps with big bags under his eyes for a few days,” Kate added.

Kate and Teddy then faced a tense wait to see exactly what damage the anti-freeze had done. If the vodka hadn’t neutralised the anti-freeze in time, it could have destroyed Teddy’s kidneys.

Thankfully, an x-ray showed that the vodka had worked and that there was no permanent damage.

Sadly, the Jack Russell actor that played Eddie in the TV series Fraser, has died.

Aged 16, Moose died at his trainer’s home last week. He appeared in 192 episodes of the hit show, from 1993 to 2003, with his son, Enzo, taking over when he retired.

John Mahoney, who played Eddie’s owner Marty Crane, explained that liver pate was often used to encourage Moose to lick his fellow actors’ faces.

RIP Moose.

Jack, a Jack Russell from Powick in Worcestershire, has been given a second chance thanks to a £400 walking system.

Similar to a human wheelchair, the system supports Jack’s body, allowing him to use what leg movement he has. Julie Spicer, Jack’s owner, imported the system from the USA, following an accident during a tug of war game.

Jack appears to be happy enough and, thanks to the walking system, is beginning to regain some movement in his legs.

Watch the BBC report on Jack.

Dogs Trust has placed a giant inflatable dog on top of one of west London’s landmark buildings.

The Vanguard Building, well known to commuters stuck in traffic jams on the A40, is now home to the enormous black and white mutt. The trust’s intention is to raise awareness of its new Harefield Rehoming Centre and is accompanied by television advertising.

This is National Pet Care Week, featuring events across the UK aimed at promoting responsible pet ownership.

Last year, more than 700 events were held, from Orkney to the Channel Islands. This year, the week has the theme of “Your pet - one of the family”. Focusing on introducing the responsibilities and rewards of pet ownership to children, the centrepiece of this year’s National Pet Care Week is the Teacher’s Pet competition, through which schools are encouraged to introduce the subject of pet ownership to the classroom.

The Teacher’s Pet section of the National Pet Care Week website has further details.

Dog walkers in the Lancashire town of Barnoldswick are causing concern for other users of a picnic area in the town.

Local resident, Pat Dickins, has complained to her local newspaper that dog walkers are placing dog waste in ordinary, open-topped litter bins:

“It is good that people are using the bins, but from a health point of view, I think it is awful that we have such waste just feet away from seats. People often sit on those benches to eat their fish and chips and we have children playing close by in the beck. Surely we should have a proper dog bin, with a closed lid”, she told her local newspaper.

The area’s local council replied that, because dog mess is classed as litter, the dog walkers were acting legally.

We’ve had a number of dog-mess related stories on Dogs Rule and it’s a problem that has great potential to cause rifts between dog lovers and the unenlightened. In the States they have professional pooper-scooper services, Horsham District Council has considered CCTV to monitor misuse of dog waste bins and San Francisco is generating electricity from dog poo.

How can we deal with the dog waste problem? The situation has improved massively over the years, but a small number of dog owners still cause problems for the responsible majority. Is it the local council’s responsibility to provide special dog bins, or even go as far as Coventry Council once did and provide free dog waste bags?

Winston, a Yorkshire Terrier from Leeds, has made a recovery from long-term chest problems, no he lives in a smoke-free home.
After forty years of smoking, his owner Dot, gave up last May. Since then, Winston has had a new lease of life! Dot told the PDSA - who had been treating Winston - about the improvements she’d seen:

“His appetite has really increased plus he has a lot more energy, and he doesn?€™t need an afternoon nap like he used too!”

PDSA Veterinary Surgeon Carolyn Oldridge, added:

“Pets can be affected by breathing in second-hand cigarette smoke. Although Winston’s cough hasn’t gone completely, it has improved significantly thanks to Dot giving up.”