Deliberate poisoning is believed to be responsible for the deaths of two beloved family dogs near Ironbridge, Shropshire.

Clio, an eleven year old black Labrador, and Jessie, an eleven month old Springer Spaniel, began to fit on Friday evening. Within a few hours they were dead.

Their owners, Richard and Dawn Hodge, told the Shropshire Star newspaper that food mixed with a white powder had been left at the garden gate, a favourite spot for the dogs. Police have suggested the power could have been weed killer and are awaiting the results of forensic tests.
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Despite a protest, in which more than 100 dogs and their owners marched across Porthtowan beach near Truro, dogs are now banned from a number of Cornwall’s beaches.

Local dog owners formed the Porthtowan Dog Group to protest against the ban but were unsuccessful. Carrick District Council, the area’s local authority, cited risk of infection and the beach’s blue flag status, as reasons for the ban.
Thanks to a small number of irresponsible owners, who don’t clean up after their dogs, many local authorities ban dogs from beaches right across the UK. If you’re taking your dogs on holiday in the UK this summer, the local tourist board should be able to provide a list of dog-friendly beaches.

Update: Porthtowan Dog Group have started the Porthtowan Dog Blog, if you’d like to keep up to date with their campaign.

While you’re munching on chocolate this Easter, make sure your dogs stay well clear, the RSPCA warns.

Tim Miles, RSPCA chief veterinary adviser, said:

“If you give in and feed your dog chocolate which is meant for humans, you risk poisoning your dog and it could even die.

“If you want to give your dog the occasional chocolate treat this Easter, please stick to specially made canine chocolate drops.”

Pet supermarket, Pets at Home, has special chocolate eggs for your dogs.

According to the Association of Professional Animal Waste Specialists, America is getting close to National Pooper Scoopers week (starts April 24).

This story is surprising for two reasons:

1. there are people whose business is to look after your dog’s business
2. there is a trade body for professional dog poo cleaners.

Now, I hate cleaning up dog mess. With four mutts though, it’s pretty much a never-ending feature of my life. If I were feeling flush, and a professional pooper scooper service operated near Wolverhampton, then I’d consider using it. Unfortunately, the APAWS seems to be USA and Canada-only.

Duke, a twelve month old Jack Russell who went missing a week ago, has turned up under the bonnet of his owner’s car.

Tom and Doris Whitney, of Kidderminster, heard Duke’s barking after he’d disappeared but never managed to trace him to the garage. Doris told the Express and Star newspaper:

“We kept hearing him bark, and a neighbour said they heard barking, but whenever we got near the garage he must have stopped, and we just could not make out where he might be.”

Astonishingly, the little mutt was unharmed, although no doubt starving and dehydrated. In his battle to get out of the engine, he chewed through a clutch cable, which is the only reason he was eventually found:

“I went into the garage to start the car and put my foot on the clutch to reverse out but found something was wrong.

“I went back inside the bungalow to call my son Barry, who said he could not do anything until he finished work. So I went back to push the car back a bit so that I could open the bonnet, and as I did so I found Duke in this tiny space. It turns out that while Duke was inside the vehicle, he had chewed through the clutch cable, and this was the reason I could not move the car”, Tom told the newspaper.

How he got under the bonnet hasn’t been reported.

Max, a black Labrador from Bewdley in Worcestershire, has saved his owners from a fire in their flat.

His owners, Roberta Marshall and George Fowler, had removed the battery from their smoke alarm. Thankfully, Max’s barking woke them and they were able to get out in time.

Roberta told the Express and Star newspaper:

“We owe our lives to Max because if he had not woken us up we might not have made it out alive.

“We went to bed as normal about 10.30pm and the next thing we know Max was jumping up and down and barking like mad.”

Dogs Trust has opened its latest rehoming centre, in Harefield, London, with the help of What Not to Wear’s Trinny Woodall.

The centre has been designed to provide a far better experience for both dogs and visitors, than seen before. Set in 16 acres of farmland, seventy-five glass-fronted kennels, featuring underfloor heating, will be home to around 1,600 dogs each year. Specially positioned sniffer-holes enable the dogs to interact with potential owners, while the glass fronts help reduce noise and stress.

Facilities even include a real life behaviour suite, with one way glass viewing, helping with behavioural assessments and a grooming suite with tiered shower stations. A healthy lifestyle is assured, thanks to a dedicated vetinary facility and open exercise paddocks. One of the centre’s main innovations has to be its special puppy block, which allows mothers and pups to learn and exercise in safety.

Clarissa Baldwin, Dogs Trust Chief Executive, said:

“Such care and attention has been paid to every aspect of the centre, from the heated, glass fronted kennels, to fantastic visitor facilities, to the real life rooms and puppy play areas. By changing the way people view rescue centres and providing the best possible facilities for the dogs, visitors and staff alike, we can hopefully rehome more dogs.”

In keeping with its commitment to responsible dog ownership, Dogs Trust has worked to ensure that wildlife living in the area is protected. Special bat-friendly roof tiles accommodate the local pipistrelle bats and numerous owl and sparrow boxes make the new centre a great home for birds, as well as the resident dogs.

Although their path to Harefield may be filled with sad stories, the dogs that make it to the centre are the lucky ones. Last year, local authorities killed 8,000 stray dogs; equivalent to 150 dogs each week. Dogs Trust is working hard to ensure dogs are free of the threat of unnecessary destruction. Find out how you can support Dogs Trust on their How to Help page.

PS: We’re creating a “What to do when you find a stray dog” guide. If you’ve got any tips, advice or comments, let us know!

Photo: Gary Trotter.

Battersea Dogs Home desperately needs your blankets.

Blankets are an important commodity for any dog rehoming centre, as explained on the Battersea website:

“We use over 1,000 blankets a day, as they are changed twice a day, sometimes more if required, to keep the dogs warm and comfortable. Some of the dogs use their blankets as playtime toys so sadly we do have to dispose of the blankets once they become ripped.”

They’re looking for dense woven blankets, rather than knitted or duvets. If you’ve got any spare blankets, in good condition, send them to:

Battersea Dogs & Cats Home
E-xtra Blanket Appeal
Freepost SW5 153
4 Battersea Park Road
London
SW8 4YY

To save Battersea the postage costs, simply knock off the “Freepost” line and add your own stamps. Alternatively, the home will gladly accept donations in person, but ask that blankets are properly parcelled and labelled.

You can find out more in the Batersea E-Extra newsletter.

Jack, a ten week old Jack Russell puppy from Wolverhampton, has had a 23 cm stick removed from his throat.

Scampering around in the garden, the tiny pup fell on the stick, which thankfully missed his windpipe.

Kathryn Cave, the Tettenhall vet who treated Jack, told BBC News:

“I could feel it in his throat and I thought it was a fragment of a stick and it wasn’t until we anesthetised him that we realised it was a rather long stick.”

Jack – just 43 cm himself – is now recovering at home, with his owner in Fordhouses.

In other “puppy rescued from unfortunate swallowing incident” news, a three month old Staffordshire Bull Terrier from Rotherham has had a 27 cm tent peg removed from her stomach.

Disa was repeatedly sick, also after playing in the garden. A trip to the PDSA’s PetAid hospital, in Sheffield, revealed the enormous foreign body. Liz Airey, senior vetinary surgeon, told BBC News:

“When Disa was first admitted, we suspected a foreign body may be to blame but didn’t expect it to be so big. We operated immediately to remove it as it could have proved fatal.”

Disa’s owner, Peter Jones, said;

“The next day she was bouncing round like normal. We were worried that her stitches would come out. I’m really grateful to PDSA for all they have done. We certainly won’t be taking Disa camping though.”

Do you get tired of lugging around tins and sacks of heavy dog food? Or do you find the range at your local supermarket convenient but the range too limited?

We want to help make it easier to buy dog food. Fill out our short dog food survey and we’ll share the results with you on this blog in a few weeks.

http://www.dogsrule.co.uk/survey/