Dogs Today_363 : simplebooklet.com

2024-07-25_ADSPDCONPSuperDog takes our 50 years of award-winning nutritional expertise even further– all the innovation and careful, effective formulation you’d expect from Vitabiotics, now available for your special companion.From vitality to healthy joints and bones, SuperDog formulations provide optimum levels of micro-nutrientsto safeguard the diet of your furriest family member.Proud supporter of Battersea, caring fordogs and cats since 1860From , Amazon, Ocado, and Vitabiotics.com– all the innovation Joints & Bones60 Chewable TabletsHealth & Vitality60 Chewable Tablets*Nielsen GB ScanTrack Total Coverage Value & Unit Retail Sales 52 w/e 15/6/24. To verif y contact Vitabiotics Ltd, 1 Apsley Way, London, NW2 7HF. Vitabiotics Ltd will donate 35p + VAT from the sale of each SuperDog product to Battersea Dogs’ Home Limited which donates its profits to Battersea Dogs’ & Cats’ Home (registered charity number: 206394). Stockists may vary.Inside this month...News & features 6 Cleaning up puppy sales: the rise of Pets4Homes 14 Jet2: Cocker Spaniel Jet touches down in his new home with Niki Roe 16 Study buddies: the countdown to the UK School Dog of the Year Award30 The power of touch: the history of the Tellington TTouch method34 Time to say... hello: Andrea Bocelli, Chopin and Jack 44 Woofability: the new resource for those with senior and disabled dogs 50 Chow wow: how Wilson saved his owner’s life Training & behaviour26 A salutary tale: lessons can be learned from a doggie altercation in a pub garden 38 Taking the lead: how to make walkies enjoyable for you and your best friend Over to you!36 Great debate: should agility be an Olympic sport?48 Postbag: your letters and emails Opinion 66 Confessions of a dogaholic: bone burialInvestigation 20 Q&A: can my dog start a house fire?; what is cold-pressed dog food?; how can I include pets in my will?54 Dog crush: meet the Chow Chow Competitions & shopping 46 Subscribe and win!60 Pop the kettle on and tackle our puzzles and competitionsChow Chow. Photo by Tim Rose (www.timrosephotography.co.uk)DogsTodayEditorialEditor: Beverley CuddyArt Director: Rosie PeaceChief Sub Editor/Contributing Editor: Claire Horton-BusseyDeputy Editor: Alessandra PacelliIllustrator: Kevin BrockbankAdvertising & sponsorship Sales & Marketing Director: Mike McGlynn 01276 402591Office dogsBetty (Old English-Golden Retriever-ish); Honey (Cocker Spaniel); Lennie (Staffie cross); Loki (Border Collie-Kelpie cross); Sophie (Jack Russell); Triss (Jack Russell)Betty’s Personal Trainer: Kirsten Dillon IMDT A.Dip CBMPublishers Chief Operations Officer: Graham Smith01276 402598 (graham@wearebrandshare.com)Managing Director: Beverley Cuddy 01276 402597 (beverley@dogstodaymagazine.co.uk)Dogs Today is published by Brandshare Ltd, The Old Print House, 62 High Street, Chobham, Surrey GU24 8AA. 01276 402599enquiries@dogstodaymagazine.co.uk www.dogstodaymagazine.co.ukSubscriptionsFor subscription queries call Brandshare on 01276 402599 or email subs@dogstodaymagazine.co.uk. Initial subscription rates:UK & BFPO: 12 issues £46.99, 24 issues £85; Non UK: 12 issues £79.99, 24 issues £145.Direct Debit (UK only): £12.50 for 3 monthsThe editor is always pleased to consider articles and photos from freelancers. However, there is often a considerable delay before material can be assessed. Please include an SAE if you want your work returned. While every care will be taken, no responsibility for loss or damage can be accepted. Competition sponsors and their families are not eligible for any competition.Dogs Today incor porating Perfect Pup is published by Brandshare Ltd, The Old Print House, 62 High Street, Chobham, Surrey GU24 8AA. Tel 01276 402599. Brandshare Ltd reg. office: The Old Print House, 62 High Street, Chobham, Surrey GU24 8AA.Distributed by Marketforce (UK) Ltd, 2nd Floor, 5 Churchill Pl, Canary Wharf, London E14 5HU.Tel: 020 3148 3333. www.marketforce.co.ukPrinted by The Manson Group.© 2024 Dogs Today. The world copyright of the editorial matter, both illustrations and text, is strictly reserved. Registered as a newspaper for transmission in the UK.The ethical pet magazine for people who really care about dogsFacebook: Dogs Today@beverleycuddy@Dogs_TodayLIMITEDCover dog: Rose, a Jack Russell cross. Photo by Rachel Bean RVN Next issue on sale: 7 November 2024To download Dogs Today for iPad - go to the App store. Android and PC versions are available from Pocket Mags & the Kindle edition from www.amazon.co.uk© 2024 Dogs Today. The world copyright of the editorial Issue 363 Dogs Today3

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4 Dogs Today Issue 363 When terrier Rose fell through a narrow gap in rocks, she tumbled a shocking 40 feet. The ﬁre service, the RSPCA and even expert potholers all looked down that narrow hole near Dudley Crescent, Mixenden, and sucked the air through their teeth and shook their heads. No, no one could get her out, it was just too dangerous to even try. She was going to die.There followed an extraordinary event that was to captivate the world. Men started to dig at that craggy cliff. More came every day. Bigger and bigger tools were used to chip away at the rocks. Drills would shatter, people’s work tools were smashed. Nothing would stop them. Dusty men from as far away as Scotland, with no apparent interest in their personal safety or any respect for health and safety legislation, bravely attacked that cliff day and night, and they wore it down. Over the next eight days, those men literally moved a mountain.Ben’s wife was heavily pregnant, but she cheered him on to do this. He had a couple of hours off for the birth, but he was back at the cliff face straight after.They’d not wanted to be bothered with the media, but one of them started doing a Facebook live and GoFundMe to help replace the tools they were smashing. And, through the power of social media, people from all around the world started watching the guys work and cheered them on.The rescuers found a way to get Rose some food and water, and they could see she was still alive. The days and nights blurred together.I managed to miss the actual moment they got her out, but my phone lit up with messages. “She’s out!” It was as if the whole world had been holding its breath.I played back the live feed. Rose looked slightly surprised, but remarkably unscathed. She was whisked away to the vet’s for a check-up. The tired, dusty men were heroes, and a local pub gave them all free drinks.DREAMS COME TRUEThe photo of Rose asleep on her young owner’s bed warmed everyone’s hearts. Miracles can happen. They take an enormous amount of effort, but a bunch of strangers banded together to save the life of a dog they’d never met. Maybe it will be made into a movie one day?I reached out to Rose’s family. Could we put the most famous dog in the world on our front cover? I was amazed when they said yes; the whole world wanted this reuniﬁcation story.But how could we get a photo done in time? They were miles away. I asked on social media, and, in seconds, the amazing Rachel Bean volunteered. She was local, she could do it. Yes, ﬁrst-aid guru, owner of the famous Linda Biscuits – that Rachel!I was also researching a story for next month on raw food, so happened to have the ear of the owner of one of the best, Jonathan Self – creator of Honey’s. I told him about Rose, and he said he’d be honoured to feed her for the next year.And then, on Facebook, we asked what else might be a good gift. Colette Kase had been watching the reuniﬁcation live from Mexico and she said very wittily, “A lead!” so Rose doesn’t go anywhere near those rocks again.I didn’t know, but Steve Mann has written a dog training book specially aimed at young people; a signed copy was in the post that night.If you want to send Rose and her boy something, post it to Dogs Today and we’ll forward it on.What an actual miracle! PBeverley CuddyIllustration by Beverley CuddyDear readersBeverley Cuddy is Dogs Today’s Editor and publisher. She shares her life with Betty, an Old English-Golden Retriever-ish dog from Many Tears, and Honey, a Cocker Spaniel.Pet Protection Reimagined.IMPACT TESTED PET CAR SEATSExpertly EngineeredFROM THE MAKERS OF NUNA®We’ve combined decades of innovative product development, premium craftsmanship, and advanced impact testing to bring you industry-changing pet protection systems that are evaluated against United Nations ECE child restraint safety criteria.TAVOPETS.COM | Available Online And In Halfords Stores

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ﬁrst realised that the way people bought dogs had changed when Prince Andrew bought his mother a Corgi via the website Pets4Homes. Now, we all know Andrew has made several ‘unwise’ decisions, but buying the patron of the now Royal Kennel Club a pup from a site I’d previously dismissed as ‘puppy farm central’ was probably a deﬁning moment.The online marketplace for pets was here to stay.As quickly as Pets4Homes grew and grew, the Kennel Club’s inﬂuence appeared to fade. But was my prejudice justiﬁed? Could Pets4Homes ever become a force for good? Many of us have spent our lives campaigning against puppy farms – have we been missing a trick? Could the biggest shop window for the nation’s next pet be encouraged to help us clean up this mess?Ever the optimist, I asked Pets4Homes co-owner Axel Lagerkranz for an interview and sent him a link to the latest issue of Dogs Today, as I doubted he had a subscription. SWEDES IN THE LEADHis opening remark was, “I read your latest magazine; I thought it was great! I particularly enjoyed the article about the Kennel Club and all the troubles they are going through…”(Last month, you may remember, I wrote about the KC’s dwindling registration ﬁgures and ﬁnancial woes; this did seem in very stark contrast to Axel and his company’s fortunes.)And how ironic is it that Axel and his co-founder, Eyass Shakrah, are Swedes. I have often looked enviously at the Swedish model and how dogs are so much better off in their country – there are no puppy farmers and no rescues bursting at the seams. But why is that, I wonder? Is it their superior consumer laws? In Sweden, every 6 Dogs Today Issue 363ICleaning up puppy salesWords BEVERLEY CUDDYAxel Lagerkrantz (left) and Eyass Shakrah (right)Love it or, more probably, loathe it, there’s no denying that Pets4Homes is a force to be reckoned with. But with the Kennel Club in decline, can the tech giant ﬁll the void and be a force for good in the dog world? Issue 363 Dogs Today75,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00010,00020,00030,00040,00050,00060,00038k27k 27k14k10k4k6k6k7k7k64k52k48k44k40k22k22k24k24k24kLabrador RetrieverFrench BulldogBorder TerrierGerman Shepherd DogStaffordshire Bull TerrierBulldogEnglish Springer SpanielGolden RetrieverMiniature Short-haired DachshundCocker SpanielTOP 10 KENNEL CLUB REGISTRATIONS 2023French BulldogCocker SpanielCockapooLabrador RetrieverAmerican BulldogStaffordshire Bull TerrierGerman Shepherd DogDachshundChihuahuaPotential buyers per pup UP 37% compared to 2023Prices starting to RISEafter two years of declineNumber of pups for sale DOWN 15% Prices starting to RISEafter two years of declinePETS4HOMESLATEST TRENDSType of puppy most searched for?GOLDENDOODLE928 potential buyers per pup advertisedTOP 10 PETS4HOMES BREEDS 2023Type of kitten most searched for?SAVANNAH581 potential buyers per kitten advertisedMiniature Short-haired Dachshund

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8Dogs Today Issue 363dog sold has a three-year warranty, so breeders must be very careful and well insured. I explained to Axel that after looking at the KC’s troubles, I had been keen to look at what the future might hold for the UK’s next generation of dogs. RKC ﬁ gures for registered dogs appear to be on the slide post pandemic. The year 2001 is often referred to as the lowest point, but some are now predicting 2024 puppy registrations might be the lowest for 35 years!Let’s compare the 2023 ﬁ gures for the KC’s number one breed, the Labrador. There were over 38,000 pups registered – more than ﬁ ve times as many as 10 years previously. But Pets4Homes probably had 44,000 Lab pups for sale in the same time period – so about 10% more.TOP DOGSLabradors have been the KC’s top dog for decades. But over on Pets4Homes, they’re only the fourth most popular – and if you look at the ﬁ gures for other breeds, the margin between the two entities is very different. Pets4Homes had about 52k Cockers while the KC had only 26k – less than half. German Shepherds 24k, compared to less than 6k registered at the KC.And these are not just the numbers of dogs listed for sale – these are the statistics for pups sold. It’s obvious that there must be very many more dogs born outside the inﬂ uence of the Royal Kennel Club. Pets4Homes say 35% of all dogs bought in the UK are acquired via their site.Pets4Homes also have crossbreeds on their site. And that proportion of the business is still rapidly increasing. According to the latest Pets4Homes report, crossbreeds were only 7% cent of all the pups they sold in 2014, compared to 24% today! So almost a quarter of all dogs bought on the UK’s biggest marketplace for pets are now non-pedigree. Let that sink in. I confessed to Axel that when I mentioned on Facebook that I would be talking to him, very many people asked me to beg him to close Pets4Homes. He would appear to have a PR problem! But could Pets4Homes become a force for good? Could they become something that the KC can’t? Could they help chart the lineage and the health tests of the growing numbers of non-pedigree dogs? “It’s a good question – a big question.”He started to tell me the site’s history. There were just two people in the business for a long time before Pet Media Group bought it. Pets4Homes was originally started by a couple called Mark and Stacey from Blackburn. This was 2008 – very early when you consider the domain Facebook.com wasn’t registered until 2005. WILD WESTI remember trying to engage with Mark in those early years – without success! Pets4Homes had message boards that were unmoderated and it was consequently like the wild west. I have to admit, I’d not seen their potential or any zest for improving the dog world. I couldn’t even encourage them to delete libellous content!The year 2008 might ring a bell. It was also the year when Jemima Harrison’s TV documentary Pedigree Dogs Exposed shook the world. Before then, the public’s opinion of the Kennel Club and dog breeders generally was vague, but largely positive. I can remember so many TV consumer programmes running pieces that had tried to educate the public that Kennel Club registration 400600800202320222021202020192018700500TOTAL NUMBERS OF PUPS ADVERTISED ON PETS4HOMES BY YEAR:508k476k546k867k643k451kAlmost a quarter of all dogs bought on the UK’s biggest marketplace for pets are now non-pedigree. Let that sink in...Insurance for your dogs, cats, wedding and more with our wide range of policies.YOUR EXTENDED FAMILY. INSURED.PROTECT THE SPECIAL THINGSVISIT THEINSURANCEEMPORIUM.CO.UK/DT99call 03300 243 980 today!Lifestyle Policy Limited is an appointed representative of The Equine and Livestock Insurance Company Limited. The Insurance Emporium ® is a trading name of The Equine and Livestock Insurance Company Limited (registered in England and Wales no: 294940) which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority no: 202748.PROMO CODE: WOOF99Offer ends 31/12/2024 and is not available in conjunction with any other promo code.SPECIAL 5% OFF PET INSURANCEHANDMADE DOG TREATS - MADE WITH THE FINEST INGREDIENTSSince its establishment in 2009, Poochʼs Treats has been a labour of love driven by our unwavering commitment to excellence. We take immense pride in handcrafting each treat using locally sourced, premium ingredients to ensure the highest quality.

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www.PawPal.ukStruggling to ﬁ nd an easy booking platform for your pet service business?Feeling bogged down by outdated systems that hold back your growth?Tired of drowning in admin tasks and watching sales slip away?For e ortless pet care bookings and seamless management, say hello to PawPal!Uniquely tailored and branded for your dog care business, PawPal is an AI-powered assistant designed to streamline operations and make bookings a breeze. With PawPal, handling payments and customising services is e ortlessly e cient.Are you managing a busy pet care business and drowning in admin tasks? Our app seamlessly integrates with Stripe, Xero, QuickBooks & Sage for e cient ﬁ nancial managementCall Peter on 020 4525 0010 to find out more! 10 Dogs Today Issue 363wasn’t the mark of quality they imagined, but the illusion remained – until 2008. Ignorant and lazy people who didn’t know better were drawn to the small ads for pups in the likes of Exchange and Mart and Loot. These adverts were mostly terrifying and, back in the 1990s, Dogs Today used to run a box at the top of the Dogs for Sale column to hopefully scoop some people up and give them free advice and help.The even more unregulated internet would gradually replace people’s apparent love affair with these squalid unregulated printed pages. eBay came to Britain in 1999 and Gumtree in 2000. One of the earliest Facebook groups I subscribed to monitored online dog ads referred to as simply ‘Scumtree’. In post-Pedigree Dogs Exposed Blackburn, Pets4Homes was gaining traction while the KC was still licking its wounds and founding the variously named Assured or Accredited Breeder Scheme. The public meanwhile were falling in love with Poodle crosses and if you typed ‘Cockapoo’ into your search engine, you’d deﬁnitely not be pointed at the Kennel Club for help.GLOBAL GROWTHBy 2015, Pets4Homes had become the UK’s biggest listing site for dogs and it was snapped up in 2019 by two young Swedish entrepreneurs, Eyass Shakrah and Axel Lagercrantz. Their website says, “Pet Media Group is an investor and operator of some of the world’s largest online marketplaces for pets”. They now own websites in Holland, Italy, Spain, Czechia and Scandinavia, and they are obviously hungry to acquire more. Axel hinted at even greater world expansion when we spoke. (I remember thinking that Axel probably shared more than a ﬁrst name with the lead character in the TV show Billions.)Their website says they have 7.5 million customers a month across all their sites. And unusually for a pet tech start-up, they claim to have been proﬁtable from year one. Pets are obviously good for their business, but could they be persuaded to be good for pets too, I wondered? I am relentlessly optimistic, as you know!Axel confessed that the Covid puppy surge brought huge opportunities, but also challenges with bad people trying to fraudulently sell pups that didn’t exist.STEPS FORWARD“We had to accelerate, bring in ID veriﬁcation, and we grew a team of 20 people looking at the adverts. We also brought in tech, assisting us to, for example, automatically check that photos submitted are real. “We’ve recently brought in a payment option on the site where, if used, we will guarantee the health of the puppy for the ﬁrst six months. And that puts us in the same shoes as the buyer – as we’d not want to approve an advert if we’re going to have to be liable to refund the purchase price.“So we have taken a number of steps forward, but we’re not yet at the ﬁnal destination – there’s more to be done.”No one likes to hear that people hate their business, do they? But I told him that even with these improvements, many of my breeder and rescue friends wanted Pets4Homes to close.Axel pointed out that the term ‘breeder’ is a vague term.“There are so many different types of breeders with so many motivations. We try to cater for anyone who is responsible who raises healthy puppies. Be that pedigree breeders who take their dogs to dog shows or those breeders who have only ever had one litter.“There’s also the licensed and unlicensed breeder divide – and the heated debate that one group is better than the other.“Breeders have to upload their licence if they should be licensed – but the challenge for us is really all these different groups of breeders don’t want to mix. So we try to make it clear who is licensed or KC Assured – so if you’re interested in getting a puppy from that type of breeder, you can search for them.”I made the point that our breeding legislation is badly broken, with local authorities choosing different licence interpretations and that regardless of what they decide, the private prosecutions of unlicensed breeders have started up again. They take the broadest possible interpretation of the £1,000 trading allowance, arguing that anyone selling a pup online for £1,000 should be licensed. That leaves all unlicensed advertisers on Pets4Home’s website at risk from prosecution. I looked at a snapshot of the pups for sale on Pets4Homes; of 16,202 litters advertised, only 2,070 were from licensed breeders!It did make me wonder if the platform would need to be ﬁned, as PRICE WATCHTop 5 types dropping in price most steeplyAmerican Bulldog -30%Chow Chow -19%Cane Corso -16%French Bulldog -15%Siberian Husky -12%31 2 54Top 5 types increasing in price1 Toy Poodle +3% 2 Cavalier King Charles +3% 3 Maltipoo +2%4 Goldendoodle +1%5 Whippet +1% Most expensive? BULLDOG On average £1,622

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12Dogs Today Issue 363well as the breeders, if there were a level playing ﬁ eld. But we also know that licensing doesn’t stop puppy farming; it often just legitimises it.I told Axel about the people on Facebook who spend hours and hours on his site, ﬁ nding those with multiple accounts. Would a better tip-off line help dissuade the bad characters from trying to bend the rules?“We do get a bunch of those reports every single day; anyone can report any advert. ID veriﬁ cation has helped, because that stops people doing multiple accounts. It’s not yet mandatory – but it’s being rolled out.“It’s a very frustrating topic for us. We try to get clariﬁ cation from Defra on licensing, but it’s unclear still who needs to be licensed. Some councils don’t reach out to us – others want lots of information on everyone in their area, even those who have only bred one litter. There was meant to be a Defra update – but there’s still no clarity.”Now that the KC is abandoning the Assured Breeders – could Pets4Homes do their own improved version? Allow the good people to stand apart and show off their accolades? Maybe their six-month guarantee could be longer for those breeders – as there would be less risk of claims? Maybe a year warranty or even three? GOOD INTENTIONS“It’s something we have contemplated – how to put a good breeder scheme in place. But how do you make it veriﬁ able? We’ve done work on checklists and education on what you need to do as a buyer, but people will still mess up and buy the wrong dog.“We are planning to put more focus on health testing – Champ Dogs does this very well in the UK. It’s checkable – something we want to put more focus on going forwards.”Our consumer law is weaker than in Sweden, but the Sale of Goods Act is stronger than the public realise, and the small claims court can act against dogs sold that are not of merchantable quality. Could Pets4Homes help the public realise this and help dissuade bad breeders? “We want to do better; the whole premise we exist is to make it better. It’s hard to commit to anything now, but it sounds reasonable. We inform the breeder what we expect from them when they sign up, but we haven’t tied it to a consequence – like we’d take them to court if they broke a promise.”I explained I didn’t expect Pets4Homes to take breeders to court, that they’d just help the buyer to do it. You’d only need a few high-proﬁ le cases against puppy farmers that might be using the website as a cloak. Pets4Homes would be heroes if they helped the puppy buyers get justice.“Things can go wrong, but very often it will be when it goes off platform and they talk on WhatsApp, and then we can’t compensate if they’ve not bought through our payment scheme. We will still give advice about Trading Standards etc; I hear your point.”I went on, saying they could create hero breeders and show the public what a modern, progressive breeder looks like. They could tell other breeders how to do it better... a Pets4Homes academy to change the future of breeding. I could see I was losing him!“You could make even more money by making things better.”Axel warmed, “You’re not really paying for a puppy – it’s a service. You’re buying the expertise that the breeder is putting into rearing your pup. How do we distinguish great breeders from normal ones and make it veriﬁ able and scalable?”Maybe make it a club, I suggested. This is a vulnerable group – breeders are probably even more hated than MPs and journalists. Could Pets4Homes perhaps form a more modern Kennel Club? Make people proud of what they do? Pets4Homes is already talking to everyone; they just need to start raising the bar. I told Axel that giving whole-of-life advice should be the minimum requirement of their club and being veriﬁ ed as a real person. The ladder of excellence can be logical and veriﬁ able, and the reward of being good would be very potent and would encourage others to do better for dogs.Doing dog breeding better should be better for everyone – including Pets4Homes.“A top breeder programme is in our mind and it is something we will get around to, but a dog is roughly priced the same whether or not it’s bred well or not. That needs to change.CHIP CHAOS“And the microchip database mess – we can collect information, but we can’t do anything with it! There are so many databases, and we can’t look anything up even when we do know which one a dog is with.“In the Netherlands, there’s just one database and things work much better there.”So, what does the immediate future look like for dogs and breeders?“After two and a half years of declining sales, things are looking better for breeders with more likelihood of them quite quickly ﬁ nding buyers. Prices are coming back to pre-pandemic levels, too.”I’m going to keep talking to Axel. I’m optimistic that they’ll try to make Pets4Homes good for dogs as well as business. Because the two are very closely related, aren’t they? P1,500 ads ﬂ agged for welfare concerns (24% down on year before)14,800 ads blocked or reviewed for breaching terms and conditionsPercentage of ID veriﬁ ed breeders2024 = 48%2022 = 10%PETS4HOMESANNUALSTATS✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✔✔✔✔✔✔✔ be logical and veriﬁ be logical and veriﬁ be logical and veriﬁ❢ be logical and veriﬁ be logical and veriﬁ❢❢❢❢❢❢❢ be logical and veriﬁ be logical and veriﬁ❢❢Our Calm Seed Oil is a 100% natural supplement designed to reduce anxiety and stress and promote relaxation in stressful situations like ﬁ reworks or travel. Our Enhanced Calm Support tablets offer chewable calming relief through ashwagandha, lemon balm, taurine and green tea extract helping to help ease general anxiety, separation stress, and sensitivity to loud noises. Even more reason to help keep your dog calm & happy this Nov 5th – get a 10% discount on Canine Life Co.’s calming products! 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y phone had been pinging all morning, as usual! I was bathing dogs and had wet hands, so I just let it ping away. When I got to it, there were several messages from different friends, asking if I’d seen Beverley‘s post. And then the phone rang. It was Tess, another friend in the dog world. “Beverley is looking for help,” she said. “It’s a spaniel needing rehabilitation. I think this one’s right up your street.” I take a quick look at Facebook. Karen Harding of DogLost has tagged me on the post. Everyone was telling me, “This dog is meant to come to you.” I messaged Beverley to see if we could help. She tells me that Jet’s spinal surgery has already been done and he’s now in recovery. Do we have room for a rehab? My heart is saying yes; my sensible head has a quick ﬂick to our bank account. Do we have enough money to take him on? No, we don’t! But I say yes and arrange to collect him at the weekend. Jet is the most handsome black spaniel, and, as the pictures arrived, I started falling in love with him before I’d even met him. I’m particularly partial to a spaniel. He has beautiful, soulful eyes that really tell his story! Jet has no use of his back legs. He is incontinent, and initially needed help expressing his urine. He can’t wear a nappy, as he has a case of paraphimosis – his penis is stuck out, it’s very sore and he needs help with it often. And bless this poor little boy, to top it all off he has a severe case of separation anxiety. The pack welcomed him in and being around other dogs deﬁnitely started to help him. His crate rest was over and he was allowed to be a little more mobile. We tried to get a recovery bag for him, to avoid friction burns on his back legs, but because he can’t wear a nappy, this was not a good idea. So we found a little bodysuit that just covers his legs, to give them a little more protection. He is a perfect candidate for wheels! Charlotte, our physio, came over to see Jet and he is now on a programme of heat treatment, photizo red-light therapy, along with some different exercises. His left leg has a tiny bit of sensation, but nothing in the right, sadly. Hannah, one of our fosters, is a groom, and she gave him a pamper, which he loved. He wagged his tail so much, it made us all so happy and gave us some real hope. Hannah took his tail short, which is far more practical for him, as we are continuously washing him and drying him. Jet’s recovery is very uncertain and will be a long journey. But he really wants this, and we will do all that we can for this cheeky little boy. Will he walk again? We will try our very hardest for him. Before the week was up, Scarlett, our head vet, told us of another Words NIKI ROEJet 2Last month, we told you the heartbreaking story of Cocker Spaniel Jet. He has now landed with the miracle workers at Jack’s Giant Journey, who are in it for the long haul...M14 Dogs Today Issue 363Charlotte, our physio, came over to see Jet and he is now on a programme of heat treatment, photizo red-light therapy, along with some different exercisesdog needing rehab after having his leg removed. So you guessed it... Beetle, a six-month-old Bull Terrier cross, arrived not long after Jet. His recovery won’t take as long. He has turned out to be a pro on three legs and will be running marathons in no time! Some rescues stay for a short time, some rescues for a long time. Whilst Beetle will be ﬁnding his new forever home very soon, we hope, Jet is with us for the long haul! PIssue 363 Dogs Today 15 Charlotte Barton BSc(hons) Physiotherapy, MSc Vet Physio (RVC) HCPC MCSP ACPAT RAMP www.thelionclinic.comJet’s condition is described as non-ambulatory paraparesis, which means he is unable to walk but does have some feeling in his back legs and some voluntary movement. He can feel deep pain and sensation in his back legs. He no longer requires help with passing urine now, but is unable to control when he does urinate. Jet is happily able to move himself around by shufﬂing on his bottom. Whilst this doesn’t appear to bother him, as an active spaniel we are still very hopeful of achieving spinal walking. In Jet’s case, we are using a number of different physiotherapy methods to improve his muscle strength and regain his balance and coordination. His physiotherapy sessions involve using manual therapy, massage, laser therapy, muscle stimulation, balancing blocks/balls and a home exercise programme to aid in his recovery. The current goal is to maintain a standing position and achieve assisted walking using a harness and support, which will hopefully develop to spinal walking. Jet is soon to receive a set of wheels that will enable him to run around on his own. This will hugely beneﬁt his well-being and quality of life by enabling him to move around freely even going on walks and help keep him happy and stimulated whilst continuing to rehabilitate.Jet’s physioCAN YOU HELP? One of the biggest bills in rescue at Jack’s Giant Journey is food. If you would like to contribute, they would be very grateful. There are local donation points for any unwanted dog food or items such as beds, leads, toys etc. Unwanted towels and duvets are very much appreciated too.Jack’s Giant Journey Sort code: 309950 Account: 29292460www.jacksgiantjourney.com/home

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n schools across the UK, an exciting new trend is emerging: dogs are being introduced to improve attendance, engagement and provide emotional support. Whether it’s a registered assistance dog helping a student with disabilities, therapy dogs providing well-being visits, or a teacher bringing their own pet to create a more calming and positive environment, dogs are becoming an important part of the school ecosystem. Their presence has been shown to beneﬁt not only students but also staff, enhancing well-being, reducing stress and fostering a sense of community.ASSISTANCE DOGSRegistered assistance dogs are perhaps the most traditional reason for a dog to be in a school. These dogs are specially trained to assist individuals with a range of disabilities, providing them with 16 Dogs Today Issue 363Dogs are becoming more common in the classroom, but not all school dogs are the same – there are various canine roles to support learning and improve well-being, and differing access rights IStudy buddiesindependence and conﬁdence. For students with visual difﬁculties, physical disabilities, hearing impairments, or medical conditions such as epilepsy, assistance dogs can make a world of difference.These highly trained dogs perform a range of tasks tailored to the individual’s needs. For a student in a wheelchair, an assistance dog might help by retrieving dropped items, opening doors, or pressing elevator buttons. For students with epilepsy, these dogs can be trained to alert others if a seizure occurs, providing potentially life-saving intervention. These dogs have legal rights under the Equality Act 2000 and should be permitted access to all areas of the school that the pupil has access, including on school transport. One of the key beneﬁts of having a registered assistance dog in school is the increased sense of independence for the student. Rather than relying on a teacher or aide for assistance, the student can manage daily tasks with the help of their dog. This not only boosts conﬁdence but also allows the student to focus more on learning and participating in school life. Students often report increased interactions with peers when a dog is introduced with other learners keen to ﬁnd out more about the dog.For other students and staff, the presence of an assistance dog can foster a deeper understanding of disabilities and inclusion. Many schools use the opportunity to educate students about the role of assistance dogs and the importance of respecting their space while they are working, teaching valuable lessons in empathy and respect.CANINE-ASSISTED EDUCATIONWhile assistance dogs primarily serve the needs of an individual student, the use of dogs in education programmes can beneﬁt larger groups of learners. In the UK, canine-assisted education is growing in popularity as more schools recognise the profound emotional and social impact that dogs can have.These programmes typically involve a trained therapy dog or educational support dog who is Issue 363 Dogs Today 17 brought into the classroom by a handler or specialist. The dog’s presence helps create a calming and supportive environment that fosters learning, especially for students who may struggle with anxiety, behavioural challenges, or emotional difﬁculties. Unlike the assistance dogs, these dogs do not have access rights and it will be up to the individual schools to agree policies and procedures around the use of the dog and where it can access. THERAPY DOGSAnother way dogs are helping in schools is through therapy dog programmes, often facilitated by charities like Pets As Therapy. These dogs, often family pets that have undergone temperament testing and certiﬁcation, visit schools with their volunteer handlers to provide comfort and companionship to students and staff alike.Therapy dogs can have a profound effect on the emotional well-being of the school community. In many cases, therapy dogs visit students who may be dealing with emotional or mental health challenges, such as anxiety, depression, or the aftermath of trauma. The simple act of petting a dog can trigger the release of oxytocin, a hormone associated with bonding and reducing stress. Research has shown that interacting with a dog can lower stress levels and improve mood, making it easier for students to concentrate and engage in their work. For children who may ﬁnd it difﬁcult to connect with their peers or teachers, a dog can act as a neutral, non-judgmental presence, providing comfort and reassurance.Schools that regularly host therapy dogs have reported signiﬁcant improvements in student well-being, and can often be the hook to get a child into school or engage in an activity. Children who struggle with social interaction often ﬁnd it easier to open up when a therapy dog is present. The dog’s calming inﬂuence helps reduce stress and anxiety, allowing students to relax and feel more secure in their surroundings.A common use of therapy dogs is in literacy programmes, where children read aloud to the dog. The Kennel Club ‘Bark and Read’ scheme SCHOOL RULES Bringing a dog into a school setting does come with challenges. Schools must consider the comfort and safety of all students, particularly those who may have allergies or fears of dogs. Teachers who want to bring a dog into the classroom must ensure the arrangement is suitable for everyone. This involves developing risk assessments and codes of conduct as well as setting speciﬁc times for the dog to be in the classroom. It is also vital that the dog’s welfare is considered in all interactions and staff should be aware of canine behaviours that indicate that the dog is becoming stressed or requires a break.When done thoughtfully, teachers bringing their dogs to school can create a unique and enriching experience. Many teachers report that their dog helps improve classroom dynamics, encouraging better behaviour, increased participation and a stronger sense of community.For schools interested in incorporating dogs into their programmes, it’s important to carefully consider the needs of the students, staff and the dogs themselves. With proper planning, training and support, dogs can become an invaluable part of the school environment, promoting emotional well-being, academic success and a sense of community.Words VICKY SKINNERVICKY SKINNER Vicky Skinner is the director of Animal Focused, an educational consultancy specialising in course development and quality assurance within the animal-care sector. Vicky is a qualiﬁed teacher and has developed course content and assessments for City and Guilds, Pearson and the International School of Canine Psychology. Their most recent course offering is the online course, Preparing for Dogs in Schools. ■www.animalfocused.co.uk■Instagram: @AnimalFocused Education■LinkedIn: vicky-skinner-animalfocused

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18Dogs Today Issue 363is an example of this. Reading to dogs (and other animals) has been shown to improve reading skills by reducing the pressure some students feel when reading in front of their peers. The dog listens attentively, providing a supportive audience that helps build conﬁ dence in reading ability.Therapy dogs don’t just beneﬁ t the students, though. Teachers and school staff also experience high levels of stress due to the pressures of managing classrooms, meeting performance targets, and supporting students with a variety of needs. The presence of a therapy dog provides a welcome break for staff, offering a moment of calm and connection during a busy school day.EDUCATION SUPPORT DOGSThese trained support dogs are provided by trained education professionals, who work with individuals or small groups to deliver academic lessons through interactions with the dogs. These sessions have clear targets and aim to encourage learners to engage in learning activities, supported and encouraged by the dog. The presence and involvement of the dog helps break down barriers to learning and ensures a lighthearted approach to formal learning. VALUABLE LESSONSBeyond academic support, dogs can also promote social-emotional learning. Dogs help students develop empathy, responsibility and communication skills by encouraging them to care for and interact with the dog in a respectful manner. A well-planned session can incorporate a range of activities to build turn-taking, self-awareness and an understanding that the animal’s needs must also be considered. Many schools have reported that students who participate in these programmes show improvements in behaviour, co-operation, and emotional regulation. PThe ‘Dogs in Schools’ course is now available on the Animal Focused website. For more information, visit www.animalfocused.co.uk/dogsinschools or join the Facebook group - Animal Focused Dogs in Schools.UK SCHOOL DOG OF THE YEAR AWARDThe National School Dog Alliance (NSDA) is on the hunt for the UK’s School Dog of the Year 2025, and they want to hear about your amazing four-legged friends and how they are helping make school days the best days of children’s lives.How has your school dog become a cherished part of your community? Do they provide comfort, boost morale, or help with learning? NSDA will also be looking closely at how your school ensures the well-being of your canine companions.Entries will open on November 4th. More details in our next issue.Photo by Tim Rose (www.timrosephotography.co.uk)BonzaIs your dog struggling with digestive issues, allergies or joint discomfort? Bonza’s Superfoods and Ancient Grains plant-based formula includes a unique combination of nutrients, delivering far-reaching, lifelong health beneﬁ ts for dogs. Rich in omega-3, prebiotics, probiotics, powerful anti-inﬂ ammatories and antioxidants, Bonza’s recipes support healthy digestion, strengthen the immune system, reduce joint pain, and protect against cellular damage. Free from common allergens, Bonza provides a holistic solution for your dog’s sensitivities. Visit www.bonza.dog today to discover how Bonza can naturally transform your dog’s health.www.bonza.dog Goodchap’sGoodchap’s is an eco-friendly brand based in Bristol, committed to providing natural and sustainable products for dogs. Our treats are sourced from trusted British ﬁ sh merchants, using offcuts like ﬁ sh skin, which produce fewer carbon emissions compared to meat. All our treats are packaged in plastic-free, plant-based, home-compostable materials. Our handmade toys are crafted from unbleached, dye-free cotton, ensuring they are safe for both pets and the environment. At Goodchap’s, we promote a healthy, natural lifestyle for dogs while safeguarding the planet.info@goodchaps.co.uk www.goodchaps.co.ukSix of the bestEco-friendlyBe:LovedBe:Loved is a cult range of natural lifestyle, grooming and wellness products that make excellent gifts for pets and their people, all hand poured in the UK. Try our award-winning fur oils, paw and nose balms, shampoo bars, kennel and home sprays, and odour-eliminating candles for proper pampering from palm to paw. All our products are inspired and powered by nature; we are trusted experts in natural pet care. Less packaging = less plastics. We’re giving readers 15% off orders over £25 using code ‘DT15’. We hope you enjoy using them as much as we love making them.www.belovedpetz.com/discount/DT15 Sparkly TailsWe are a family business dedicated to helping pet owners who care about the environment and want to make a positive impact. We know how difﬁ cult it is to ﬁ nd suitable products for your pets and the planet. That’s why we provide high-quality, sustainable and beautiful products that you and your pets will love, including walking accessories, unique dog toys, natural treats, special bundles and subscription boxes. We are committed to doing even more and donating 3% of our sales to dogs in need.Start improving your dog’s well-being and enjoy 10% off with code ‘DOGSTODAY10’.www.sparklytails.com Instagram @sparkly_tailsDog Welcome PacksAt Walter Geering, we specialise in creating high-quality welcome packs that enhance the guest experience for holiday accommodation providers. We believe that every guest, including four-legged family members, deserves a warm welcome. Our Dog Welcome Packs are designed speciﬁ cally for pet-friendly accommodations, featuring thoughtfully curated items to ensure dogs feel just as pampered as their owners. From tasty treats to essential accessories, our packs provide a memorable touch that will leave a lasting impression on guests and their furry companions. With Walter Geering, you can make every stay feel special — for all the family!01233 658085 sales@waltergeering.co.ukTug and RollTug and Roll was born from a passion to create high-quality dog gear that not only stands up to rugged adventures but also reduces environmental impact. We saw a need for durable, customisable products that reﬂ ect the active lifestyles of dog owners while prioritising sustainability. Our mission is simple: to provide eco-friendly, 3D-printed gear made from bioplastics that deliver both functionality and longevity. From our Flexmount Dispenser to our Hex Vault, each product is thoughtfully designed to enhance your dog’s adventures while minimising waste. Tug and Roll is where innovation meets dog gear. info@tugandroll.com www.tugandroll.comInstagram & Facebook @tugandroll Issue 363 Dogs Today19

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20 Dogs Today Issue 363 EXPERT ADVICEAfter a video of a dog starting a house ﬁre by chewing a power bank went viral, experts at Electrical Safety First urged pet owners to protect their furry friends from ﬁre hazards in the home when left alone… Giuseppe Capanna, product safety engineer at Electrical Safety First, says, “We often think about keeping things out of reach of young children, but the same should apply to our curious cats and dogs, whose inquisitive nature can spark an unintentional blaze. Our pets need us to make the right decisions for them, so before you leave the house, consider some simple steps, such as securing cables and turning off appliances by the mains (eg electric hobs, which pets have previously accidentally turned on). “Pets might even replace their bone with a battery and so it’s especially important to keep lithium-ion batteries, like those found in vapes and power banks, out of their reach. Don’t leave them on the sofa or on a table in easy reach where they might get hold of it. If these batteries become punctured, they can lead to intense ﬁres that could put them at serious risk.” Within the viral video, smoke is initially seen being released from the battery before a process called thermal runaway occurs, where the cells in the battery overheat and collapse into one another like dominoes, creating an explosion similar to that of a ﬁrework. Once the process starts, it is impossible to stop. “We have seen pets sadly lose their lives to ﬁres in the home when they have been unable to escape,” Capanna adds. “Puppies may be especially vulnerable due Quick questionDo you have a problem you’d like answered by an expert? Or do you Email your question to enquiries@dogstodaymagazine.co.ukCan my dog start a house ﬁre?Issue 363 Dogs Today 21 to how they often explore the world with their mouth in their early years, meaning they may be even more prone to chewing cables, batteries and other electrical items they can ﬁnd in the home. It’s every pet owner’s worst nightmare to hear their furry friend has been involved in a house ﬁre, but we all have the ability to make the home safer for them. Your actions today could just save their life.”The viral footage came from the USA, but the UK is not unfamiliar with ﬁres caused by prying pets. Just this summer, a dog received CPR after a ﬁre started when the family pet managed to turn on the electric hob at home. It is believed a chip pan was on top of the stove at the time. In Jersey last year, a pet was thought to have accidentally turned on a hob that subsequently caught ﬁre to items on top of the device. Two people were taken to hospital with burns.WHAT HAPPENS IF A LITHIUM-ION BATTERY GETS PUNCTURED?Lithium-ion batteries power many things, from large-scale batteries in e-bikes and e-scooters to much smaller versions found in vapes, power banks and mobile phones.However, if these batteries become punctured or severely damaged, they can go into a process called thermal runaway, as seen in the recent viral video. Initially, a cloud of toxic gas is emitted, which can cause serious health problems if inhaled.Shortly after this gas is emitted, a catherine-wheel ﬁrework effect can take hold as the individual cells in the battery overheat and collapse into one another, spitting ﬁre and, on occasion, projecting ﬂames and individual cells around the room, causing a rapidly growing ﬁre.ou want advice from someone with personal experience of the issue? Photos posed by modelsHOW TO PET-PROOF AGAINST ACCIDENTAL FIRES ■Put batteries away Lithium-ion batteries found in power banks and vapes make for dangerous chew toys and so should always be kept out of reach of pets. Don’t leave them on table tops they might reach or on your sofa. If they are punctured, they can cause devastating ﬁres. ■Secure those cables Ensure cables are not left trailing where pets might chew on them. Exposed wires can be both a ﬁre hazard and a danger to pets.■Unplug heatersAvoid leaving portable heaters unattended, especially in areas where pets are active. Always turn off and unplug these devices when not in use. ■Laptops awayPets often curl up on warm devices like computers and laptops, blocking ventilation and causing overheating. Provide them with their own cosy spots away from these appliances. ■Unplug when fully charged Unplug mobile phones and laptops once they are fully charged to avoid overcharging risks. Ensure you regularly check plugs, sockets, lights and cables for any signs of damage or wear.■ Avoid overloading socketsDo not overload plug sockets, as this can cause overheating. Ensure outlets are not used for too many high-power appliances at once. ■Keep electrical devices away from waterFor homes with aquariums, keep electrical devices and cables well away from water sources to prevent dangerous short circuits. ■Don’t leave appliances running unattendedNever leave washing machines or dishwashers running while you are out of the house or asleep. ■Keep ﬂammable items away from heat sourcesEnsure that items that could easily catch ﬁre are kept away from heat sources, like microwaves and fuse boxes.■Turn your hob off at the mainsThere have been incidents of dogs starting ﬁres by turning the hob on. Switch your hob off at the mains to prevent any prying paws from accidentally activating it. It’s also important to make sure nothing is left on top of your hob that might attract your pet.

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22 Dogs Today Issue 363 As you might guess, it’s food that is pressed at a low temperature to help retain all the essential nutrients from the ingredients, often making it easier for your dog to digest.How is it different to kibble? Traditional dog food is usually cooked at high temperatures. Cold-pressed food is made by compressing ingredients at low temperatures, typically below 50°C. You may be aware of human fresh fruit juices or oils being described as cold pressed. For these products, fruits or seeds are placed in large hydraulic presses. The ingredients are pressed quickly to extract as much of the liquid as possible. Cold pressing dog food uses a similar method, except in dog food the liquid is discarded and it is the pressed food that is kept. However, not all cold-pressed foods are equal. If the protein is described as a ‘meat meal’, this ingredient may have been previously exposed to high temperatures and in those foods ‘cold-pressed’ would only refer to the later ‘pressing into shape’ of the pellets. Traditional kibble is made by mixing dry and wet ingredients together. In the extrusion process, the mixture is heated under pressure, then pushed through a die machine that cuts the kibbles while they are expanded due to the pressure change. The kibbles are dried, cooled and usually spray coated. Some dry foods may also be produced by means other than extrusion, such as baking.Traditional extruded kibble will expand in the stomach, absorbing any available moisture. Cold-pressed food can be a good option for dogs prone to bloating or who have digestive problems. Cold-pressed dog food usually has a longer shelf life compared to raw or fresh food. The food is minimally processed but still retains its nutritional values without the need for added artiﬁcial preservatives. PQuick questionWhat is cold-pressed dog food? Photo posed by a modelcold pressed dog foodA complete dog food that is naturally as close toraw feeding as possible. Suitable for all breeds andlife stages and can be fed alongside raw.Gluten, artificial flavouringsand colouring, preservatives,animal experimentation andGM productsFREE FROM:

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24Dogs Today Issue 363 EXPERT ADVICEFiona Mainwaring, head of wills and probate at law ﬁ rm ORJ, explains how people can provide for their pets in their will…Many people want to ensure their pets are well cared for after their death and it is a good idea to leave provision in a will.Pets are classed as personal chattels. This means they are viewed as possessions similar to furniture, cars or antiques and can be left to a trusted friend or family member upon death. Of course, it is advisable to speak to the person involved and to think about what would happen to the pet if that person themselves is no longer around.It might seem obvious, but money to care for the pet cannot be given directly to the animal, as they are unable to have a bank account. Instead, a lump sum can be left to the person who will care for the pet moving forward.When writing a will, try also to think about any pets you might have in the future, to save you having to rewrite the will. Statements such as ‘all of my surviving pets’ can be used instead of naming speciﬁ c animals.It is a good idea to work out how much is likely to be required based on the type of animal and its age. It is also possible to state in the will what happens to any remaining money once the pet dies. For example, it could remain with the person who has been caring for the animal or go to charity.A safer way to ringfence money to ensure it is only spent on the pet is to appoint a trustee. That is someone who has responsibility for the money but not for caring for the animal. The person looking after the pet would then approach the trustee for funds as and when required. This is a good idea if a large sum of money is involved – for example, to care for several horses – but it could potentially upset family members, as it could be seen as a lack of trust in them.I advised a couple who appointed a trustee, as they wanted to leave a signiﬁ cant amount of money for their parrots, which can live for a very long time. Some animal charities will accept money in a will for the pet to be rehomed but, understandably, many people want to ensure their pet is being looked after by someone they know. PHow can I include my pets in my will?Photo posed by modelsQuick questionHow can I include my DRESS TO IMPRESSDRESS TO IMPRESSExplore high-quality and eco-friendly dog gear from cool brands like Buckle-Down, Cycle Dog, Angel, Molly Mutt, Tall Tails, and more at Style Up Your Pet!15% off your order with code SSUUYYPP--HHEELLLLOO--1155StyleUpYourPet.comHalloween SpooktacularJoin us at Rose Cottage, Crow Lane, Chesterﬁ eld, S41 7UEon Friday 25th October from 6pm till late for a night of unforgettable terror where spine-chilling scares and heart-pounding thrills await! Adults £12.50, children £10, family of four £40 (to include food, refreshments & games). Visit www.doglanddeals.com to purchaseNo dogs at this event

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26 Dogs Today Issue 363s a veterinary behaviourist, as well as giving canine behaviour counselling, my experience has also been acting for the defence in cases that ﬁnd their way into court as prosecutions under current legislation, primarily the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. On reading this Facebook post, I was immediately struck by how alike the various components of the incident were to the common contributory factors that lead to dog-bite incidents.Hardly anyone deliberately allows their dog to bite, or otherwise cause injury, and in the vast majority of my cases, the culprit is a ﬁrst-time biter. The incident can be explained as the result of an unfortunate combination of unforeseen circumstances, the exact nature of which has not been encountered before. Such an event might largely be described as an accident. BLAME GAMEWhere the blame lies, although considered obvious by the authorities (generally ‘the big dog’s owner did it’), becomes less clear if the entirety of the incident, rather than simply who suffered an injury, is analysed. Although victim blaming does not go down well in court, it is impossible to gloss over the contribution a little dog’s provocative nature may have made at the beginning of an incident, in which either they or their owner has ended up being bitten.A salutary taleWords DR KENDAL SHEPHERD BVSC, MRCVS What can be learned from a canine ‘near miss’ in a pub garden? Dr Kendal Shepherd, a leading veterinary and behavioural consultant in dog behaviour and bite prevention, casts her expert eye over the details AStill slightly traumatised. Yesterday, we took Honey (our tiny Cocker) to the pub. We were sitting outside in the shade on the tiered riverside and having a quiet, peaceful time.I clock an elderly man with a young German Shepherd on a Halti as he emerges from the dark pub interior into the sun and he starts coming down the steep brick steps from the pub. I can see that his dog only has eyes for Honey, his ears alert.The man either doesn’t notice, or does but is trying not to fall on the steps, or doesn’t have the strength to hold on to his dog. The dog’s lead is out of his hands and the dog effortlessly jumps the small wall in front of him and pushes past all the chairs and tables and is on Honey, who was under Graham’s metal chair.To me, it is slow motion; I am too far away to get between them.Astonishingly, Honey makes a very impressive pissed-off noise and stands her ground, swearing FROM FACEBOOK...It is more by luck, rather than good judgement, that the same didn’t happen here. Over the course of my many court experiences as an expert witness, I’ve come to realise how often, as a college lecturer of mine once memorably remarked, “Common things occur commonly.” Although, at the time, he was referring to bovine complaints, this truism is equally applicable to dog-bite incidents, but may be less obvious. If current statistics are anything to go by, the number of hospital presentations and admissions as a result of dog-related injury is increasing. So why do we seem so bad at taking on board all those contributory factors, which may, with the wisdom of hindsight, become blindingly obvious, and why are we not using them as a signiﬁcant means of preventing these bites? Could it be that by dismissing this upsetting incident and many other similar ‘near misses’ as just accidents that didn’t happen, we risk ignoring the very common and avoidable mistakes that, if understood and heeded to, would help keep people and their dogs safe?LACK OF FORESIGHTIt is certainly not advisable to imagine the worst every time you take a dog for a walk. Not only could you be at risk of damaging your own mental equilibrium, but any anxiety or excessively restrictive precautions may indeed alert a dog to the potential need for proactive or reactive defence. Picking little yappy dogs up out of the way of big ones may reinforce yapping and the reasons for it, whereas yanking a big dog away from every smaller dog it meets may equally convince a dog that small dogs make their owner very worried and that they ought to be too.However, it is essential to be aware enough of one’s own dogs’ behavioural proclivities to avoid situations of such social stress that their dog cannot cope with them. Not all dogs enjoy allegedly ‘dog-friendly’ places, and one has to ask, who are these places friendly towards? People certainly enjoy being able to take their dogs with them into more and more areas, but what might a dog’s own preference be?Anywhere being promoted as ‘dog-friendly’ unfortunately does not mean ‘friendly from a dog’s perspective’ and that only well-socialised, well-behaved, under-control dogs and their families are allowed in. I have seen ‘accidents’ waiting to happen many times, often when excited children run screaming towards a dog crouched warily under a garden table, to which they themselves, the child’s parents and the dog’s owners are oblivious. Should a dog react as nature dictates when under perceived threat and the worst happens, who should be blamed – the owners for not recognising their dog’s emotional needs, or the parents for not educating their child as to how to behave safely around dogs?HEADCOLLAR OVERDEPENDENCE The fact that the dog was wearing a headcollar might imply that the owner had already experienced some difﬁculty in controlling his large dog in public places and one has to question the wisdom of bringing such a dog to the pub in the ﬁrst place. Although undoubtedly invaluable devices if used properly, such products may be bought off the shelf with little guidance as to how they should be used. The original device, the Halti, was often demonstrated being used with a double-ended lead, one end attached to a body harness and the other to the headcollar itself, thus giving two points of control of a dog and avoiding the potential damage that pressure on the head and neck only may cause.Without experienced instruction, there may be a lack of awareness of how there must be a combination of mental and physical control of a dog, rather than relying on the physical control provided only. A dog must be shown clearly that loose-lead walking reaps abundant Issue 363 Dogs Today 27 www.kendalshepherd.comat this enormous dog, and it just gives enough time for the old man to catch up and grab the lead and Graham to pick her up.Lucky, I think. Maybe it was just curiosity or even love. But in a second, the peace was shattered. I think if she had tried to run, he would have chased her like she was a cat.Had it been Betty, she would 100% have bitten the other dog and there’d have been a scrap, not just swearing. The GSD was very rude, invading Honey’s space.Honey, who looks like butter wouldn’t melt, spoke ﬂuent German Shepherd and it certainly did the trick.Illustration by Kevin Brockbank

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28 Dogs Today Issue 363rewards and that they therefore can choose not to pull, while the owner should be instructed in how to alter their dog’s choice. The headcollar should be viewed and used only as a backstop if and when such mental control fails. This cannot happen if one doesn’t have the foresight to predict the kind of contexts in which mental control might fail. The fact the German Shepherd owner held on to his pint in preference to the dog’s lead might suggest where his priorities lay!‘IT’LL NEVER HAPPEN TO ME’It has been shown in a small study of people who’d been bitten by dogs, carried out at Liverpool University Epidemiology Department, that the respondents never imagined that such an event would ever happen to them. If such a ﬁnding is extrapolated to the owners of dogs who have bitten for the ﬁrst time, to which my own court experience would testify, the assumption that ‘It’ll never happen to me’ may well contribute to the current vogue for dogs being allowed into more and more spaces with impunity.FUELLED BY FRUSTRATIONMany dog-bite incidents are fuelled by frustration, which is increased by restraint on a tight lead. In dogs who habitually pull on the lead (and may therefore be seen as requiring head control), frustration is automatically created by the sensation of the tight lead and its restraint. In effect, such dogs may feel they’ve been unable to reach their preferred destination or target for much of the time. If, on the other hand, off-lead play is achieved by pulling their owners to the park, then pulling is reinforced as a necessary evil.Lifting a small dog up ‘out of harm’s way’ not only increases the social frustration of both dogs, but also increases the risk of an inadvertent bite to a human by either dog – so-called ‘redirected aggression’. Although instinctive and understandable, such intervention is ill-advised, as body parts, particularly hands and feet, simply get in the way of a dog’s true target.MISUNDERSTOODIt is possible that there was no aggressive intent in the German Shepherd’s approach to the little Cocker in any event, rather a young dog’s clumsy and inept attempt at social investigation of her. If his previous social encounters had always been met with forceful restraint, then he would have had little chance to improve his social skills. As it was, the Cocker dealt with his overly enthusiastic approach admirably. In canine terms, this was a successful rebuke of an ‘out of order’ younger dog.Human reaction time is rarely quick enough to prevent a bite, if that was what either dog had intended to do in the ﬁrst place. People may be misled into thinking that it was their actions that had prevented injury, hence the not uncommon comments found in witness statements, such as, Many dog-bite incidents are fuelled by frustration, which is increased by restraint on a tight lead. In dogs who habitually pull on the lead (and may therefore be seen as requiring head control), frustration is automatically created by the sensation of the tight lead and its restraintIllustration by Kevin BrockbankIssue 363 Dogs Today 29 “I dread to think what would have happened if I hadn’t picked my dog up” or alternatively, with reference to a potential offender, “I grabbed his lead just in time.” NO APOLOGY The fact that no apology was forthcoming from the offending dog’s owner was without doubt owing to social embarassment at his dog’s behaviour and that he simply felt very silly. I must also point out that, should this episode have resulted in injury and a prosecution resulted from it, any apology may be interpreted as an admission of guilt. To use a motoring analogy, when exchanging details after a collision, the advice of insurance companies is never to admit guilt, as it may adversely affect liability and the size of their payout.Embarrassment at their own dog’s behaviour frequently results in an owner immediately chastising the dog as if to acknowledge their fault, even if they do not apologise directly. The fact this ‘apology by proxy’ did not occur however, fortuitously avoided any further negative associations being made with pub gardens and Cocker Spaniels.WHAT IS AN ‘ACCIDENT’?To further the analogy between motoring and dog-bite incidents, there is now pressure from Road Peace, the national charity for road crash victims, to use the term ‘road trafﬁc crash’ (RTC) rather than the hitherto universal ‘road trafﬁc accident’ (RTA). As they point out in their publicity, a ‘crash’ is unbiased and does not presume innocence or guilt, whereas the word ‘accident’ implies ‘it wasn’t my fault’, which can be insulting to crash victims and their families. It suggests that actions were unintentional and beyond anyone’s control. Crucially, it being considered an accident implies that nothing could have been done to prevent it.But ‘accidents’, whether car- or dog-related, always have a cause if all the contributory factors on the part of all involved are thoroughly investigated. Such investigation may reveal fault on both sides, so that blame cannot be strictly apportioned. But if overt fault is found sufﬁcient to result in a DDA prosecution, all the commonly found failings and misunderstandings of dogs can be used in mitigation.The fundamental ﬂaw in our current legislation is that ﬁnding someone to blame following a dog-bite incident is its sole aim, rather than identifying all its causes. Of course, this approach hits a major stumbling block if the perpetrator of the crime (that of allowing a dog to be dangerously out of control) and its victim are one and the same person, particularly if a fatality results. This should not excuse any lack of investigation, simply because there is no one alive to prosecute.POST-INCIDENT FALLOUTFinally, even though no physical injury occurred to anyone, dog or human, it is clear from the Facebook description that signiﬁcant distress was caused to the Cocker’s owner and they were left feeling as they describe ‘vulnerable, weak and scared’. It may be inevitable that worst-case scenarios repeatedly present themselves as ‘what if’s’. What if Beverley’s partner had not lifted up their dog? What if the German Shepherd owner had fallen or not reached his dog in time to grab the lead? What if Honey had ﬂed to be chased ‘like prey’ instead of standing her ground? But such ‘gloom and doom’ imaginings are at risk of creating future anxiety about taking dogs out and about and affecting the way their own dog is treated in the future. Precautionary efforts to keep them safe may have the inadvertent result of making a dog more wary of social interaction, owing to a dog’s awareness of human emotions, particularly negative ones. Equally, the increased restraint the German Shepherd may be subjected to after such an incident may worsen rather than improve his behaviour.THE SOLUTION?It is certainly not easy to reconcile the expectations of society that they should be kept safe from all harm with those of a creature capable of inﬂicting great harm should they perceive the need. The very freedom dogs require to develop necessary social skills is at odds with lead restrictions and conﬁnement to often overcrowded dog parks to ensure the safety of others. It has to be accepted that luck rather than good judgement does play its part in the results of much human activity, as it has from time immemorial Recognising, but not overreacting to, these lucky ‘near misses’ and using the preventative messages they carry to inform future dog-bite prevention would be, in my opinion, a very good idea. PIt is worth considering the reinforcing effect a tight lead can have upon any behaviour (dog or human) that creates it and the associated contexts in which the lead may become tight. Although depicted here as an amusing joke, the truth of the matter is expressed more accurately visually than with words, such is the skill of the able cartoonist.Could this have had a bearing on the incident described? The German Shepherd was suddenly left without his accustomed restraint, as the inadequately held lead was dropped from his owner’s hand. In turn, this may have instantly defused the situation.“THE LEAD EFFECT’

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30Dogs Today Issue 363Ref: Lindy Dekker/TTouch South AfricaWords ALEX WILSONOver 15 years ago, I ﬁ rst came across the Tellington TTouch method (TTouch). At the time, I was working for a company selling herbs for dogs and horses, and we were exhibiting at a holistic event. The stand next to us was TTouch. I had been working in the Thoroughbred horse world, and the idea of touching horses and dogs seemed a bit alien to me, but after four days, I began to understand how this amazing method could beneﬁ t my two puppies. I invited one of their practitioners to come for a home visit, which opened up an amazing new world: the world of Tellington TTouch.For many people, the ﬁ rst question they ask is: what is TTouch? Is it a training method or a therapy? The diagram below, developed by Lindy Dekker, a TTouch instructor in South Africa, explains the work. Firstly, our ethos is based on the philosophy of respect. TTouch is a permission-based training, and if the dog is not comfortable with what we are doing, we listen to them. We always say we do TTouch for our animals, not to our animals. That brings me to the components of the work. First, we have observations – looking at the dog’s body language, how they interact with the environment, the people they are with, what is being asked of them, and so on. We then think about what we can change to make things easier for the dog, using the tools in our TTouch toolbox. We call this ‘observations and possible solutions’.The next part is the bodywork. This involves light-pressure touch, not massage. We have circular touches (moving the skin in a circle and a quarter), slides, lifts and extremity touches. There are over 30 touches, all named after animals. Then we have the leading exercises, using two-point harnesses, double-ended leads and connectors etc, to help dogs walk in their natural balance, which in turn inﬂ uences their mental and emotional balance. TTouch recognised the link between posture and behaviour. Finally, there is the equipment we use and different groundwork exercises, plus textured surfaces (which help give dogs sensory experiences through their paws).Bodywork is one of the key elements of TTouch. Many people immediately think of bodywork when they hear the term TTouch. It started in 1960. At the time, Linda Tellington-Jones, the founder of TTouch, owned a Thoroughbred stud with 90 broodmares. That year, her 80-year-old grandfather, The power of touch In the ﬁ rst of a new series about Tellington TTouch, a practitioner explains the history of this fascinating therapy COMPONENTS OF TTOUCHPHILOSOPHY OF RESPECTOBSERVATIONS AND FEEDBACKApproach & handlingEquipmentBodywork Groundworks elementsLinda Tellington-Jones with a dog at a clinic (above).Will Caywood, visited Linda from Moscow. He had been a successful jockey and, afterwards, a leading trainer. Caywood attributed much of his success to two things. Every horse in his stable was rubbed with short strokes all over their body, developed from the Roma grooms in the Russian racing stables, who had great empathy with the horses. Caywood also developed an extraordinary relationship with the horses in his care. He explained to Linda that he never entered a horse in a race unless it told him it was feeling ﬁ t enough to win.Linda started using this form of massage and wrote Physical Therapy for the Athletic Horse, in 1965. She found it very helpful for her horses to recover after 100-mile endurance rides and horse shows. It never crossed Linda’s mind at that time that it was possible to change an animal’s behaviour by working on the body.SAN FRAN MANIn 1975, Linda enrolled at the Humanistic Psychology Institute in San Francisco, taught by the renowned Israeli physicist Dr Moshe Feldenkrais. The Feldenkrais Method is a form of bodywork for humans using gentle, non-habitual movements with the intent of activating unused neural pathways to the brain. It is highly successful in helping people recover function after injury, improving athletic ability, increasing physical and mental function, and expanding one’s capacity and potential for learning.At the time, Linda ran a residential riding school, which is featured in her book Strike Along Trot. She enrolled with Feldenkrais to help her students. On the second day of the training, Feldenkrais made a statement that changed her life. He said that it was possible for a human to learn in one experience by using non-habitual, gentle movements that activate new neural pathways in the brain, which in turn activate new brain cells. These new brain cells then support enhanced learning.Linda wondered, if this were true for humans, could it work for animals? What could she do with a horse that involved movements they couldn’t make themselves, but which would enhance their ability to learn? Linda wanted to understand whether they could learn something in one experience rather than through the multi-repetition method traditionally used in the horse and dog worlds.After the class, Linda approached a friend who had lots of horses to see if he had a horse with issues she could work with. He had a 16-year-old mare who had never been ridden and was almost impossible to catch in her ﬁ eld.Linda started moving the mare’s body in different ways and directions. She took the ear and moved it differently, took the leg, and so on. She was just exploring. When she ﬁ nished, after about 30 minutes, the owner thought she had hypnotised the horse because she was so calm. She never did anything difﬁ cult, just explored the mare’s movement. The next morning, Linda received a call from her friend explaining that, when he went to catch the mare, she came to the gate for the ﬁ rst time. When he put her in the stable, instead of diving for the hay in the corner, she stood there, wanting attention.CELL FUNCTIONIn 1976, there was another milestone in the development of TTouch. Linda read a book called Man on his Nature by Nobel Prize winner Sir Charles Sherrington, who developed the study of protons and lights in the cell. In this book, he wrote about how every cell in the body knows its function. This Issue 363 Dogs Today31Photo © Archiv BoiselleLinda Tellington-Jones in the 1970s: with Moshe-Feldenkrais (top), working with a cockatoo (inset), and receiving an appreciative lick (above).

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32 Dogs Today Issue 363became the basis for the one-and-a-quarter basic circle that we still use in TTouch today. Sherrington gave wonderful examples, such as how, when we receive a cut, the cells know how to heal. Linda started to see the human body as a collection of cells.In 1983, TTouch began with the circle. Linda was working on a difﬁcult horse in a veterinary clinic. The mare belonged to one of the vets, and they couldn’t determine what was wrong with her. In those days, they didn’t have chiropractic, osteopathy, cranial sacral work, homoeopathy, or even acupuncture. The mare appeared to be in pain everywhere she was touched. Linda put her hands on her very gently just to give her a sense of herself, and she became calm. The owner couldn’t understand why the horse wasn’t trying to bite or kick. Linda invited the owner to move the skin in a circle (the circle and a quarter came later). It is important to remember in TTouch that we move the skin; we don’t stroke over it. When she did this, the horse became as calm for the owner as she had for Linda. That was the moment when Linda left the Feldenkrais work behind and started following the track of the circle.CLOCKWORKAnother important book Linda read was The Biology of Belief by Dr Bruce Lipton (the father of stem-cell treatments). He wrote about the hundred billion cells in the body, how they communicate with each other, and how they know their function - just as Sir Charles Sherrington had written. Lipton explained that DNA does not control us, but we can shift the DNA in our bodies. This was when Linda realised the importance of the circular touches, which had evolved into a circle and a quarter.When Linda teaches the touches on a dog, a horse or a person, she tells you to imagine a traditional clock face (with numbers, not digital). On that clock, you put imaginary numbers with six o’clock towards the ground as if you are looking at it from the outside, then add six, nine, etc. Adding the numbers activates the logical part of our brain (the right side). One of the reasons this work is so easy to learn is that we use these logical ways of learning. This also applies to learning the pressure and tempo of the touches. This is the core of the Tellington TTouch method.Creativity also comes from the right side of the brain, along with intuition, having a sense, learning to listen and feel, and compassion. We wouldn’t be reading this magazine if we didn’t love dogs.The one thing that has kept Linda’s passion alive all these years happened in 1983. She was asked to be in a study by Anna Wise from the Boulder Institute of Biofeedback because Wise had observed Linda working with a horse. She believed Linda was in what is called the awakened mind state, which was ﬁrst identiﬁed by Maxwell Cade in measuring states of consciousness. She watched Linda work and measured her brainwaves, discovering that Linda was in this awakened mind state when moving the circular touches. This meant she had activation in both hemispheres of her brain, including beta brainwaves, which are usually associated with left-brain activity.CREATIVE CIRCLESIt’s really fascinating to understand what happens to us when we start doing the one-and-a-quarter circle on the body. It generates more creativity and a deeper understanding of the world around us.Over the years, this work has developed. With the help of Linda’s sister, Robyn Hood, anyone can learn to use TTouch with their own dogs. You can take online or livestream courses, attend in-person workshops, or arrange one-to-one sessions with practitioners. In the UK, there are practitioners, including myself, teaching this work, and there is a practitioner training programme. In future issues of Dogs Today, I will be discussing more speciﬁcs about this work. PFurther leads■To start your journey, I teach an online course that can be found at https://www.xtradog.training and I offer in-person help in the Midlands, and worldwide on Zoom■Tellington TTouch Canada offers a range of online courses that can be found at https://learn.ttouch.ca■The British Isles Guild of TTouch Practitioners’ website is www.ttouchtraining.co.ukAlex Wilson receiving his P3 (senior practitioner status) certiﬁcate from Linda Tellington-Jones.Fed up with your dog pulling?K9 BridleThe World’s First DogBridleFind out more at www.k9bridle.com or call us on 08005 053093The comfortable dog headcollar that stops dogs pulling on the lead - guaranteed!● Total effortless control● Does not ride over eyes or mouth● Can help check aggression● Does not twist neck● No strength required by the handler making it ideal for people with disabilitiesThe K9 Bridle works in a similar way to a bit-less bridle for a horseWorks from the back of the neck, exactly where you need to have controlUsed by trainers and rehoming centres throughout the UK, USA & Australia

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34 Dogs Today Issue 363 hen I lost my very great canine friend, Chopin, I was losing a very dear companion,” said Andrea. “He passed away just a few months after my mother also died, so it was not a happy time. I missed my mother, of course, and Chopin was there for me. My family were there for me and for each other as well, but somehow when a little dog looks into your eyes and tells you that everything is OK, you cannot help but feel a bit better.“When Chopin died, I was devastated because he had been my four-legged friend for 11 years and he could never be replaced. Of course, you do not replace them, but another dog comes along and not only needs love but is prepared to give it to you without limit. Chopin was like that. “A lot of people have asked about his name. One of my favourite composers is Chopin and it seemed a good name for my dog because he also looked like he could be a very good composer!”Talk of love highlights Andrea’s whole singing career and, indeed, life itself. He was born in Tuscany and still lives there.“I love Tuscany,” he said. “I love to travel the world, but Tuscany is home. I was brought up on a farm. The family still has it and when I was a little boy, I really liked the freedom that the farm allowed, although I had what is called impaired vision, which became worse when I was 12 and had an injury playing football. I became blind and never recovered since then. It is something you learn to live with and I think I love life all the more because of it.MASTER MUSICIAN“We had dogs when I was a boy, so I have always been used to having dogs in my home. I played with them and we were always good friends.”Andrea also played musical instruments and started to learn the piano when he was six. His love of music was encouraged by his parents and especially his nanny Time to say......hello to Andrea Bocelli, one of the ﬁnest tenors of his generation. And it isn’t just humans who appreciate his golden voice – his dogs also love him and the feeling is entirely mutualWords BERNARD BALEPhoto © Instagram @andreabocelliofﬁcial“WIssue 363 Dogs Today 35 Oriana, who bought his ﬁrst record and used to help him recognise the voices of famous tenors of the day. Meanwhile, he also proved his amazing musical talent by mastering the guitar, ﬂute, trumpet, saxophone, trombone and also drums. Even before his teens, he liked to sing and it was clear to experts that he had all the makings of a really good tenor.UKRAINIAN RESCUE“Music, romance and family have been my life,” he said, adding, “And animals, of course. I am an animal lover and that especially means dogs. They are very special, perhaps because they have lived with humans for generation after generation, but they just seem to know us so well.“Having lost Chopin, I was contacted by a friend who knew someone who was trying to help rescue dogs in Ukraine. Of course, I wanted to help – it is a dreadful situation for humans and animals there – and so I now have Jack, who has known what it is like to have a war going on around him without understanding why.“Jack is recovering well, but he had some injuries from shrapnel and he suffered hearing loss, which must have been because of the explosions. He has settled in with us and loves going for walks in the garden or around the streets. He seems to have got his courage back and is starting to enjoy life again.“Of course, he is not named after a composer, he was already Jack and he looks as if he should be called Jack, so Jack he is and always will be. He loves nothing better than sitting around with the family. We play a lot of music for fun when we are together and he has reacted to that, so he does have some hearing and perhaps that will come back properly in due time. He doesn’t speak much, but perhaps he has a good singing voice too.”There is no doubt that Andrea Bocelli has a good singing voice, a fantastic singing voice in fact, and he was helped up the ladder to fame by none other than Luciano Pavarotti!“He was very good to me when I was a young man,” Andrea recalled. “Someone sent him a tape of me singing. He was so busy that nobody really expected that he would have time to actually listen to it – but he did and he immediately got in touch with a friend of his and told him to give me an engagement. That was a very great help to me and my career, and along the way in those early years he was always very encouraging.“Luciano Pavarotti was and still is a legend who did so much to bring people and music together. He was a very nice man, always ready to smile and have some fun. But then what else would you expect? Luciano was also an animal lover and especially dogs and horses. He liked to play with his dogs and share fun with them and so do I.”Andrea never seems to stop touring the world to ﬁll those major concert halls, so what about Jack?HOME TIME“Jack is ﬁne. He doesn’t travel with me, because it would be unfair, but he stays home with my family, except for my son Matteo and my daughter Virginia, who often appear on stage with me these days. We are not constantly travelling, though; we go home for a rest between countries quite often and that is always a time for family meals and fun, which does, of course, include Jack, who loves every minute of it.“That is one of the things that makes dogs very special: they quickly ﬁnd their place in the family and enjoy it as well as giving all of us so much fun, laughter and, most of all, love.” P“Music, romance and family have been my life...and animals, of course. I am an animal lover and that especially means dogs. They are very special, perhaps because they have lived with humans for generation after generation, but they just seem to know us so well”Photos © Instagram @andreabocelliofﬁcial & UAnimals

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36 Dogs Today Issue 363 Chris Garrett ✗KC agility made an application for sport status a few years ago (to perhaps beneﬁt from funding), but it failed, as it’s the dog that is recognised, not the handler. I think they were attempting another application, but it didn’t happen. I seem to remember agility having sport status in some European countries, due to the recognised beneﬁts to people of exercise.Tracie Jones-Davies ✓It can replace dressage with all the inﬁghting going on about that right now!Marianne Brett ✓If anything horses take part in is a sport, then what dogs can compete in is also a sport. If horses take part, then why not dogs?Penny Spencer ✗No, no, no, no! That would be disastrous for dogs! There would be too many people chasing medals, and many a dog would be thrown away if it didn’t make the grade. Please never stop the fun element of dog agility! It started as a game; let’s keep it like that and keep the prizes low-key! It’s more fun to actually win than to get a prize!Illustration by Kevin BrockbankGreat DebateIf you have an opinion on this subject that is not already covered here, putting ‘Great Debate’ in the subject line. Please limit your response to Manda Scott ✗I’ve long thought that canine agility has as much place in the Olympics as show jumping or dressage. The problem is the potential for abuse is already high and will only be ampliﬁed in dogs if it is brought into the Olympic arena. For the dogs’ sake, I wouldn’t do it.Martina Miradoli ✓Agility, obedience, herding, IPO, etc, are very technical sports, at the same level as show jumping and dressage. It’s a professional sport already. Many competitors do this for a living; they don’t earn money from competing, though, like athletes — they have to teach, train dogs to sell (for herding), travel the world to hold seminars... On top of that, they train their own dogs and pay themselves for every bit of money they put into the sport. Making dog sports Olympic sports might give these trainers and their dogs the chance to actually concentrate on their performance more and on having to “make a living” less — living off the sport they practise. Why not?Julia Carr ✗No. I love agility; it’s the pulse of my life, and I think it deﬁnitely is a sport, but it should never be an Olympic sport. We have our international competitions, which are extremely prestigious, but making agility into an Olympic sport would take it to a level that would destroy everything that makes it special. I’m proud to say that from the lowliest G1 beginner to the world champion, our dogs are our companions ﬁrst and canine athletes second. Olympic-level stakes might change this. Agility is also fairly unique in that someone on the national team can compete at the same event and be beaten by someone just starting out!Clare Balding has suggested that agility should be included in the Olympics. What do you think?Issue 363 Dogs Today37Jo Knowsley ✓Well, if they can have ‘breaking’, why not?Sharon Hough ✗Until we can regulate the dog industry to prevent abuse and harm, it is the wrong time. Only last year, a professional competitor was shown to be puppy farming and engaging in questionable business practices. What with the ‘Dog Daddy’ now looking to come over to the UK again... nope, just nope.Julie Russell ✓If equine sports are included, dog sports should be! Better than skateboarding, rock climbing or sailing!NataliaMaria Dipietro ✗No... dogs would then have to make unnecessary, very stressful long journeys by car, boat and plane cargo for dog shows. This would cause unnecessary stress to most dogs.Kerena Marchant ✓It deﬁ nitely should be. It’s a sport, and the handler is key to the dog’s performance. Having done show jumping and dog agility, agility is more challenging.Jacqui Ballantyne ✗No, it would make it too professional. I love agility, but it would ruin the fun of it.Rebecca Homer ✗Sounds great in theory, but look at what’s happening with horses at the moment. I can see ‘animal’ Olympic sports dying a death soon.Karen Herriott ✗No! The involvement of any animals should not be allowed in any ‘sport’. They are used for human entertainment, greed and egos — it’s called exploitation.Emma Judson ✗No, and I can’t imagine she seriously thinks that... it’s a silly ﬂ uff comment, isn’t it? The implications of transporting dogs to different countries are just too tricky, particularly when so many dogs would have to ﬂ y in holds. No thanks.Jane Taggart ✓Yes, it would be a good example of training and ﬁ tness. It is much harder than it looks, as you have to indicate at the right point where the dog should go.Alison Fitzherbert-Stewart ✗No, the Olympics is for humans to show their skill, not dogs.Christine Mary ✗No, too many implications for welfare.Jane Somerville ?If horses are in it, why not dogs? Just saying! No horses, then I’d say no dogs!Anne Greensmith ✗No. Dog agility is for dog shows; human agility is for the Olympics. (And no, I don’t think equestrian sport belongs there either.)Penel Malby ✗No. Horses are bad enough.Linda Ward ✗I think it should be humans only.Kirsty Taylor ✓Great idea. I might watch if there was something dog-related!Valerie Carr ✗I love agility, but it might take the fun out of it and put too much pressure on the dog.Sheila Trapnell ✗The Olympics are for human athletes. Leave animals out of it entirely.Angela Sian Baker ✓Why not?Pennie Clayton ✗No more animals in the Olympics! It’s about time the equestrian disciplines were no longer involved. Pe, email enquiries@dogstodaymagazine.co.uk o 100 words.Next month’s topic: People who have bred even a single litter have been receiving letters from HMRC and we are also hearing that private prosecutions have begun again with unlicensed breeders ﬁ nding themselves in court after advertising their pups online. Do you think it’s right that war appears to have been declared on the small breeder?Email editorial@dogstodaymagazine.co.uk with your thoughts, putting ‘Great Debate’ in the subject line or write to ‘Great Debate’, Dogs Today, The Old Print House, 62 High Street, Chobham, Surrey, GU24 8AANo Yes MaybeThis month’s result32%64%4%

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When a young, excited dog pulls their owner on the lead, the owner has to ﬁnd a way of preventing this, either by reading books on training, going to classes, ﬁnding dog trainers or restraining them via the use of tools. Other people will watch television programmes – sometimes with dated, unethical techniques or advice – which can have detrimental effects on the dog’s welfare and emotional well-being. Using methods that cause a pet emotional or physical distress can cause a myriad of problems. It can cause a dog to go from being excited, pulling to meet others, to being reactive and aggressive on the lead. Some people believe when the dog is pulling, they are 38 Dogs Today Issue 363Taking the leadWalking a dog on the lead should be a lovely experience for both dog and owner, but this is not always the caseWords ANGEL MORGAN“just being dominant”, so they use punishing techniques (such as shouting, pulling sharply on the leash, or even resorting to shock collars or choke chains) to try to stop this behaviour. The reality is that all of these types of collars ‘work’ because they inﬂict pain – and often physical damage to the dog’s throat or neck. Let’s take a closer look at prong collars – a chain-link collar with spikes on the inside, which is placed around the dog’s neck. As the dog pulls, the collar will pinch the skin like a bite, causing pain. This happens every time the dog steps out of place, so soon, the dog starts to lose trust in the owner and fears the next time they get hurt. The pain is associated with the owner’s presence, because it only happens in that context. If the dog pulls towards oncoming people or dogs and the owner shouts at the dog and jerks him back, the dog will associate people or dogs as a punishment on approach. This can cause the dog to fear approaching people and dogs, which can exacerbate the dog’s emotional response to what he now perceives as danger. When dogs feel threatened, they use what is called ‘a 5F behaviour’ to get out of trouble (ﬁght, ﬂight, faint, freeze or ﬁdget). If the dog chooses ﬂight, he may cower down with his tail between his legs or pull in an attempt to get away. If he tries to move, the prong collar pinches his neck, causing pain and severe emotional distress. How would you feel if this happened to you? Where you are facing something that you know causes you pain, but you can’t escape? In some cases, when the dog is highly aroused, he can become numb to the pain, because of adrenaline and noradrenaline release, which means he won’t feel the physical pain inﬂicted by the prong collar, which often leads to the spikes penetrating the skin. I knew a man who adopted a Basset Hound who hated having new collars put on. It turns out that his past owners used an electric collar on him. The dog has not forgotten his past punishments. FIRST STEPSNow let’s talk about the end of the lead for a dog, using positive reinforcement.First, get a collar that is thick with soft padding, because thin collars can cut into the dog’s neck. Next, check that you can ﬁt two ﬁngers between the dog and the collar. A bungee lead has elastic inside to stop the dog from jolting on the lead, making it more comfortable for the owner and dog. On these leads, there is a handle near the front of the lead. It is useful for walking next to roads or passing people; it prevents the dog from jumping out into trafﬁc or on people or other dogs. Get your dog in a sit position before crossing the road, to prevent them from jumping out into trafﬁc. Also get them to sit before approaching people passing by to stop them from jumping on unfamiliar people. If you have a dog who is pulling on the lead, stop, take a couple of steps back so the dog is by your side, reward the dog, then walk forward. When you stop, the dog will see that pulling will get them nowhere, but, by not pulling, they get to move forward. Also make a point of dropping treats on the ground next to you while the dog is walking nicely, so he learns that Issue 363 Dogs Today 39 If the dog pulls towards oncoming people or dogs and the owner shouts at the dog and jerks him back, the dog will associate people or dogs as a punishment on approach. This can cause the dog to fear approaching people and dogs, which can exacerbate the dog’s emotional response to what he now perceives as dangerPhoto posed by models

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40 Dogs Today Issue 363next to you is a great place to be. This will encourage them to be at the right place when walking. By repeating this every time, you will see gradual progress. Always remember to praise your dog every time they are correct, because when the dog is learning where to walk, this gives them a ton of feedback about what you want. It won’t always be necessary to use treats; soon your dog will walk next to you out of habit. Doing it properly and teaching your dog instead of punishing him will deﬁnitely yield results. Dogs always respond better to positive reinforcement, because it strengthens your bond instead of damaging it. LOOK AHEADStart practising loose-leash walking at home or in the garden, as well as going to different places. If you have adopted a dog who is reactive on the lead, take your time and rather provide mental enrichment at home while avoiding walks for a while, until you can address the problem with the help of a Coape-qualiﬁed behaviourist. When you’re out and about walking with your dog, always be vigilant about your surroundings. If you’re caught in a small space with another dog coming head on, see if you are able to walk the dog away from the oncoming dog if your dog shows signs of being worried. This will help them to feel comfortable. You can cross the road or use a parked car to block the dog’s vision from the other dog to help them calm down. Have patience while doing this and allow extra time for the training when out on walks; it will beneﬁt the dog’s well-being. TIMELY REWARDSIf you are doing remedial lead training with your dog, remember that behaviour will not improve overnight; it takes time to learn new behaviour. Some dogs may improve quicker than others; each individual dog’s experience might be different, and some may need extra time. But you will eventually see improvements if you keep doing the training right, but do persevere. Get a trainer to guide you using positive reinforcement if you’re struggling. (If you’re unsure, have a look at the Find a Behaviourist tab at www.coape.org) When using positive reinforcement, ﬁnd what your dog loves as a reward. This could be food or to be petted. Some sporty dogs love a ball play session where the chase is the reward. You can even use a tug toy or squeaker; have it in your pocket and get it out to reward the dog. Once your dog has learnt what ANGEL MORGANAngel Morgan is a cat and dog behaviourist. Her business is called Good Pets & Happy Owners. Angel specialises in helping owners understand their pets’ behaviour and ﬁnding a better alternative behaviour or a solution. Angel loves her job; she always wanted to work with animals since she was young and grew up with family pets in Portishead, near Bristol. When she got a dog called Rex, she really enjoyed training him, and realised that it came naturally to her. Angel started a pet care business involving walking dogs and cat sitting. She was keen to learn more, and, inspired by Rex, enrolled at Coape International for a behaviour course for cats and dogs. She said, “The course was brilliant and I learned so much. It allowed me to now work in my dream profession!” goodpetsandhappyowners .weebly.comMEET THE PRACTITIONERS...Photo posed by modelsIf you are doing remedial lead training with your dog, remember that behaviour will not improve overnight; it takes time to learn new behaviour. Some dogs may improve quicker than others; each individual dog’s experience might be different, and some may need extra time. But you will eventually see improvements if you keep doing the training right, but do perseverePetAlCleanse® Dog: Our easy-to-use lotion removes allergens from your dog's coat. Simply wipe it on, wipe it oﬀ once a week, and watch as it minimises sneezing, wheezing, and skin irritation.AirCleanse®: Breathe easier with our powerful spray that tackles airborne allergens like pet, pollen, dust mites, and mould spores, reducing allergy triggers.FabriCleanse®: Keep your bedding, clothes and your dog's blankets free from allergens with this laundry additive. It ensures allergens aren't reintroduced into your home through the wash.HomeCleanse®: Perfect for those hard-to-clean areas like dog beds, soft furnishings, mattresses and upholstery. This spray targets dust mites and pet allergens.Join the thousands who trust Bio-life International and enjoy a happier, more harmonious life with your furry friend!Struggling with Dog Allergies? Discover Your Solution with Bio-life International! UK’s leading Indoor Allergy Specialists with 25 years expertise!Say Hello to Allergy Relief with Our Homecare Range:01608 686626sales@biolife-international.co.ukTRUSTED BYPROFESSIONALSDon't let rainy weather keep you indoors! The Fjord raincoat ensures your dog stays clean and dry, even in the heaviest downpour. With a durable polyester shell that boasts a 15,000 mm water column, this raincoat provides unbeatable protection against wind and rain. Plus, its breathable membrane offers ventilation, keeping your dog comfortable by reducing condensation.Smart features like drainage holes on the chest prevent water from collecting, ensuring your dog stays warm and dry, no matter the weather. The Fjord raincoat is designed to fit dogs of all shapes and sizes with adjustable cinch points and a large collar for extra neck protection.Unrestricted movement is key. Whether your dog is walking or running full speed, the Fjord raincoat allows complete freedom of motion. Leg straps keep the coat securely in place, even in high winds, and a dedicated leash opening means a harness can be worn underneath. Reflective details add an extra layer of safety in low-light conditions.And when the adventure is over, the lightweight Fjord raincoat packs away easily into its compression bag, ready for your next outing. Rain or shine, you and your dog are always ready for the great outdoors with the Fjord raincoat.nonstopdogwear.com

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42 Dogs Today Issue 363you’re teaching, you can start fading out food rewards by using an alternative reward, such as a rub under the chin or offering a toy. Then the second time, you can use a treat. Always praise them every time when they are showing the correct behaviour. This will keep reinforcing the correct behaviour each time they get the cue. The fading of treats will help the dog become less dependent on treats. If you don’t fade this out, the dog may only perform the behaviour when he sees the food treat, which is not what you want in the long term. If the dog is given a treat randomly, they will be more likely to perform for a longer time. It is good to use small food rewards – ideally, treats that you can break into little pieces – so the dog won’t get full too quickly. CLICKER TRAININGOf course, this article would be incomplete if it doesn’t mention the clicker. Clicker training is a wonderful training method you can use for lead training your dog. There are many educational videos on the internet, demonstrating the correct use of the clicker, and it’s worthwhile investigating these. This training method can be used to encourage a dog step-by-step to walk nicely next to you. You can clicker train your dog to sit before crossing the road, or even to sit before oncoming people reach you with dogs. The main thing to remember about walking your dog is that it is supposed to be fun. It shouldn’t cause stress to you or the dog, and if it does, there is loads of help out there to put the fun back in to walking with your best friend! PPhoto posed by modelsLocated in the heart of the picturesque Blackwater River Valley known as the Irish Rhine, this fabulous family home oers well apportioned accommodation and 14 kennels in addition to a feed store and grooming studio. This property is conveniently located only an hour’s drive from Cork International Airport and 10 minutes drive from the heritage town of Lismore, home of the historic Lismore Castle and Gardens.For further details, please contact REA Spratt in Dungarvan. Tel 00353-58-42211 or info@spratt.ieLISMORE, CO. WATERFORD, IRELAND. GUIDE PRICE €395,000Detached home with commercial kennelling facilities standing on 2.1 acres of mature grounds.

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44 Dogs Today Issue 363ue and I have always had dogs in our lives. We’ve adopted dogs from a variety of rescues and, not surprisingly, in the last 15 years the majority of them have been ex-puppy farm breeding dogs. It became the norm for us to spend vast amounts of our time helping these dogs overcome various health and behavioural issues. Sadly, because so many of these dogs weren’t surrendered from puppy farms until they were older, our time together has always been devastatingly brief. In their later years, however, we found ways to make their lives as happy and comfortable as possible, and, thanks to the use of doggie pushchairs, for example, they always come with us wherever we go.After 11 hard years spent campaigning as Cariad (Care and Respect Includes All Dogs) in Wales, with long hours every day of the week, Sue and I were left physically and emotionally spent. We were burnt out and had what I can only describe as compassion fatigue. Like most people during Covid, everyday life ground to a halt and Sue also had the upset of having her beloved Jack Russell, Tinker, put to sleep, which had to be done in the carpark of the vet’s due to Covid restrictions. Unfortunately, during Covid, I was also struck down with a mystery neurological illness that saw me rushed to hospital, unable to use my arms and legs and in absolute agony. Sue was my lifeline and my sanity during those dark times. She came over every day, fed me, walked my dogs and sat by my bed, being hugely encouraging and positive. It has been a long, slow process to get some of my mobility back. I still have no feeling in my feet and hands, and I tire very easily, but after our enforced rest period, Sue and I still wanted to do something to help dogs.A LIGHTBULB MOMENTWith an estimated 13.5 million dogs in the UK, we realised that there must be a lot of other dog lovers out there in similar situations to ours. And, after all, every dog eventually becomes a senior dog. We thought about how much time we were spending online, navigating countless websites to ﬁnd products, supplements and services to help our dogs. And then we had a lightbulb moment, which led us to create a resource-driven site where people with senior dogs, dogs with disabilities, health issues, or were post-surgery could ﬁnd just about everything they might need to help their best friends. We called it Woofability because there was something about the name that made us smile. Instead of thinking about dogs with special needs or being disabled, we wanted to focus on giving these dogs the ‘ability’ to live their best lives, whatever their circumstances. I can remember a time when having a dog in a pushchair was seen as rather eccentric. But now, so often when we’re out with our dogs in pushchairs, people stop us and say, “What a great idea; my old boy really needs one of those.” Of course, there’s more to Woofability than just pushchairs and wheelchairs. We’ve tried to cover every aspect of dog health, from blindness and incontinence to teeth and mobility issues. We also show people how they can save money on their vet prescriptions, and we’ve WoofabilityWords LINDA GOODMANThe people behind the campaign group Cariad have a new venture – a fabulous resource for people with senior dogs and those with special needs, to ensure they live their happiest, fullest lives as part of the family Sincluded informative links to PDSA articles and also some from Dogs Today! There are also guest blogs coming soon.HELPING DOG LOVERS OVERCOME THEIR ANXIETY Having a dog in your life brings so much joy, but it can also bring anxiety if your dog is unwell. We’ve been there more times than we can remember. It’s easy to get into a panic if the vet tells you that your dog has a certain disease, needs surgery, or if they develop a neurological condition, for example. But here’s the thing: as long as your dog isn’t in pain and isn’t suffering, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t still be able to enjoy life together with a little help.KEEPING PEOPLE WITH THEIR BEST FRIENDS FOR LONGERThere are far too many dogs surrendered to rescues these days. While the cost-of-living crisis is one contributing factor, and, of course, there was the pandemic puppy explosion, it’s hard not to think that some people have abandoned their dogs because they simply don’t know how to help them. Having lots of choice is one thing, but being inundated with options can be extremely overwhelming. We’ve tried to simplify things with an easy-to-navigate website that provides visitors with a selection of products, supplements and services, as well as information that can really help. While we don’t sell any of the products on our website, some of the companies pay us a modest commission for any sales that come via links on our site. And some companies are so excited about Woofability, they’ve asked us to include more of their products, and we’ve already had new companies come to us to be included. We also have a page dedicated to promoting specialist rescues, which we hope people will support.A MOVEMENT FOR CHANGE There’s nothing more heartbreaking than seeing an older, frosty-faced dog surrendered to a rescue. For us, older dogs are an absolute joy. They have so much experience of life and are so much easier to care for than puppies. Imagine having lived in a home and given so much love and loyalty to your human all your life, only to ﬁnd yourself ripped away from everything and everyone you know. We know that dogs grieve when their owners pass away and it’s so sad when there isn’t another family member willing to give that dog a home for the rest of their days. Dogs can also grieve when they are surrendered to rescues. If we can provide some information and education on how to care for an older dog, which means that they stay with their beloved human for life, we’ll feel that we’ve achieved something important.LOOKING TO THE FUTURE We have plans for the future, which will hopefully see a page listing dog hydrotherapy and rehabilitation centres around the UK. We’re coming up with new ideas all the time, so it’s worth checking back to our website regularly. And it would be great if people follow us on X, Instagram and Facebook where we will regularly post special offers to save them money from some fantastic companies. Some are household names and others are small British companies that people may not be aware of. Woofability is a venture born of our passion and dedication to helping dogs. And now we’re helping dog lovers too. We hope that people will come to Woofability and use us as a valuable resource that helps them and their dogs to live their best lives for many years to come. Phttps://woofability.co.ukIssue 363 Dogs Today 45

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46Dogs Today Issue 363 Dogs Today is only £12.50 quarterly if you pay by Direct Debit* ■Save more than £20 over the year■Delivered free to your door Plus you also get:■A £15 voucher for PurrfectlyYappy.com(minimum spend £75). Call us for the special code!■The chance to win one of 50 Nerf dog toysJoin our exclusive Sub Club! Call 01276 402599 (lines open weekdays 9am-5pm) or subscribe online www.dogstodaymagazine.co.uk/product/dogs-today-uk-subscriptionsAll new subscriptions will commence with the current issueOverseas prices: £79.99 for 12 issues or £145 for 24 issuesWith newsagents and supermarkets reducing their shelf space for magazines, it’s getting harder to ﬁ nd us. Help us by subscribing – and reap the rewards:The ﬁ rst 50 new or renewing subscribers this month will receive a fabulous Nerf dog toy – so even your dog can beneﬁ t. It’s a win-win-win situation!Please remember to include your dog’s breed/size and age in ‘Dog breed and size’ during checkout. Subscription gifts are only available to the ﬁ rst 50 subscribers each month (sorry, UK subscribers only).Help us by subscribing – and reap the rewards:Buy direct and save more than £20 a year!*UK only. By entering, you conﬁ rm that your details will be passed on to the company providing prizes for distribution & marketing purposes.SUBSCRIBE NOW& start saving today!DOG TRAINER OF THE MONTHThe outer fabric is waterproof and comes in many coloursThe middle fabric is the soft armour used to protect your dog.The inner fabric is breathable and acts as a cooling coat during the warmer months (simply wet before wearing).Pay in instalments withBite resistant protection for your dog Buy today at www.doggyarmour.co.ukDoggy Armour are lightweight, waterproof and breathable coats with soft armour inside to protect dogs against bite wounds, lacerations and heatstroke. Doggy Armour has done its best to ensure you get the toughest jacket available for your dog. It is, to our knowledge, one of the most eﬀ ective domestic dog jackets available on the market.We oﬀ er in-person tailoring services at our Brentwood, Essex workshop, where we measure and ﬁ t the template on your dog. Here you can see all of our materials and any add-on's you may want to include on your coat.Email molly@doggyarmour.co.ukBESPOKE CRATES, TAILGATE GUARDS & DOG GUARDSBarjo Dog Crates and Vehicle guards are hand-made here in the UK by our team of highly skilled engineers from the point of order to dispatch. All of the materials we use are the very best available on the market which helps make us stand out from the rest. We take the  me to ensure that every item we produce has the quality and ﬁ nish that makes our customers come back to us  me and  me again. With over 50 years experience we are rated excellent on Trustpilot.www.barjo.co.ukemail: info@barjo.co.uk phone: 01189 890240

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48Dogs Today Issue 363 Your news & viewsSEAL OF APPROVALWhat a magical issue 362 of Dogs Today is. Thank you so much! Fleur and Jet’s stories are unbelievably moving and it was so touching to be quoted over “No mascara required”. And all the features – ‘Teacher’s Pet’ and the horrifying ‘Fight Figures’ – are so brilliantly presented. And the tragic dogs in Turkey! Dogs Today should be read universe wide. The puppy Riley on this card wants to meet Betty and Honey.Tons of love and gratitude.Jilly CooperPostbagFIGHTING TRAGEDIESIt was gutting to read the statistics on dog ﬁ ghting in your latest issue. Those poor dogs! And to think so many of them are rescued only to be killed anyway because they are classed as a banned type. It doesn’t bear thinking about. It’s an all-around tragedy and those responsible should go to jail for a much longer time than they usually do.Luise ShortIN THE BAGI thought your readers might enjoy this colourful photo of a little terrier sitting inside her owner’s shopper. I took the photo this summer whilst in Carentan in Normandy for the D-Day celebrations – the shopper and the little dog looked like they were getting into the party mood!Tracey Le FeuvreBARRY THE BRAVEBarry the Brave is no ordinary dog. This spirited Cairn Terrier is a true adventurer, taking on the world one paw at a time. Whether he’s patrolling his garden like a furry little sheriff or charming his way through the neighbourhood, Barry’s bravery and bold personality always shine through.Born with a heart full of courage, Barry’s life is ﬁ lled with adventure. Every morning, he takes his patrol duty seriously—surveying his backyard for intruders, squirrels, or the occasional delivery person (who gets a good barking at). But don’t let his brave bark fool you! After a long day of protecting his domain, he loves nothing more than curling up on the sofa, dreaming of new escapades.From scenic walks through the countryside to splashing in muddy puddles, Barry approaches every challenge with boundless energy. His fearless attitude earned him the nickname ‘Barry the Brave’ from his loyal Instagram followers, where he shares daily stories of his daring adventures with a growing audience of fans.Beyond his courageous exterior, Barry also has a soft side. He loves spending time with his family, showing affection, and, of course, snuggling after a long day of exploring. Barry’s a Cairn Terrier through and through — tenacious, playful and always ready for action.Follow Barry’s adventures as he takes on the world one wag at a time. From chasing birds to tackling new trails, Barry proves that no task is too big (or too small) for a brave little terrier like him!Julia UdovaIssue 363 Dogs Today 49 Get in touchWe love to hear your news and views, and see photos of your dogs! Email editorial@dogstodaymagazine.co.uk Write to us at Dogs Today, The Old Print House, 62 High Street, Chobham, Surrey, GU24 8AA Join the debateVoice your opinions on news stories and other topics on our Dogs Today Magazine Facebook page or through our website www.dogstodaymagazine .co.ukJust last week, I found Daisy chewing on something behind the sofa. Turned out to be a battery from the TV remote! I dived in and caught it before she swallowed it, but it gave me a right scare. That’s a trip to the emergency vet averted.Emma PhillipsNearly let my Lab off the lead at the park a few years ago, but decided against it for no reason in particular– just a gut feeling, I suppose. Found out a few days later that someone had been scattering poisoned bait around and several dogs were very sick. I’m so glad I kept him close; it could have ended so badly, because as your typical Lab, he’d have probably inhaled all the bait. Hannah MorrisTilly almost dashed into the road, chasing a squirrel, but I managed to grab her collar just in time. My heart nearly stopped!Sarah DaviesWe were walking along the canal on a rainy day, and my Jack Russell tried to jump in after seeing a ﬂoating stick. He’s quite old, so I wasn’t expecting it and my grip on the lead was really slack. I usually have slow reﬂexes, so I don’t know how I was able to grab the lead in mid-air while he was already off the ground! The current was strong, and I dread to think what could have happened.Lucy ClarkI almost left my Yorkie home alone with a bag of grapes on the table. She can climb up the chairs and reach the table if she wants to. I realised just as I was heading to the car – and she was already on the chair when I ran back in!Sophia CollinsLoki loves chasing birds, and last week he nearly ran straight into the path of a cyclist. We were lucky that the cyclist had great reﬂexes, so no one was hurt. I got told off and, to be fair, it wasn’t undeserved.Claire MitchellFrom FacebookSOMETIMES YOU ONLY HAVE A HANDFUL OF SECONDS TO AVERT DISASTER. SOME OF OUR FOLLOWERS ON FACEBOOK SHARED A FEW OF THEIR CANINE NEAR MISSES...Photo posed by models

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50 Dogs Today Issue 363hen I was little, I wanted to be a dog. I’d put a pair of oven gloves and a tea cosy over my head and hey presto! I was a dog with ﬂoppy ears. By the age of four, I realised I was never going to actually be a dog, so I decided just to have a lifelong love of them instead.From the day I was born, growing up in a farming community, we always had at least one dog. Then, after I left home and settled down, I gained quite the collection over time.I love all dogs. There is something so pure about the love that dogs have for human beings that sucker me in every damn time. But if you’d ever told me that a dog would not only save my life but bring me the most peace I’d ever had, I’d probably have wrinkled up my face in disbelief. But the truth is, he did.I’ve been through my fair share of adversity in life. I think all humans, regardless of adversity, have times where we struggle to love ourselves. And I’m sure a lot of people who know me would tell you about my resilience – how I would always pick myself up and crack on with getting through the challenges thrown at me. In fact, I remember when I was going through the health challenges that saw me in a wheelchair for some time and the diagnosis was unclear. The consultant was trying to get to the bottom of what was wrong and asked my ex-husband, “Has she always been this happy, even when things are tough?” To which he got the answer, “Always.”It’s not a skill I developed as a result of adversity. Trauma didn’t make me stronger. It did make me funny, though. It’s always been my nature to ﬁnd joy in amongst darkness.LOW POINTWhen life threw an extra bout of adversity at me in 2022/23, in the form of domestic abuse, I found that for the ﬁrst time since my late teens, when I had struggled to come to terms with my childhood, I couldn’t ﬁnd the joy. In fact, I struggled so much that I started to worry about whether I could deal with the situation, and if I couldn’t and I needed more help from professionals, what would happen to my only solace at that point – my Chow Chow, Wilson.Chows are often overlooked as a breed because they are Chow wowWords BON ALLENWilson taught me so much – about dogs, about Chow Chows, about people, but more importantly, about myselfWindependent, strongwilled stubborn creatures of habit. They don’t warm to new people easily, have strong personal boundaries, are intelligent and incredibly loyal to one person. About a year into being owned by Wilson back in 2021, I realised that description was also me. I was fulﬁlling the cliche that dogs are just like their owners. Although I’d say I am deﬁnitely less hairy! Anyway, back to 2022/23. I was terriﬁed that in getting myself the appropriate help, I would lose my one constant in a time of great unrest: Wilson. Scared to seek out more support in case I lost him, I turned to a friend who is a GP and asked for some advice. I said, “I’m scared because I am emotionally exhausted and I don’t have anyone to stay for and I think I might lose the ﬁght.”His response was short and to the point. “You have Wilson.”I’d been so consumed with making sure Wilson would be cared for, should I need more help, that I hadn’t stopped to realise he was my help. He was a reason to keep ﬁghting even though I felt tired. He gave me reasons to get up each day. To leave the house. To get exercise. He never judged me for crying on the tough days or eating a whole pack of biscuits; I mean, he openly advocated for excessive cheese consumption. He even gave me a way to connect with other people when the idea of peer support in mental health terriﬁed me – Chow clubs are far more fun!MIRROR IMAGEAs I recovered from domestic abuse and started to move forward with my life, I learned more about how my early experiences had impacted how I built relationships with others and how some of my resilience wasn’t actually a good thing for me - I’d more often than not been resilient so as not to upset or burden others. I made myself small and normalised my trauma to make myself easy to handle.I started to reassess how I operated and it made me so grateful for this furry, unassuming creature that remained by my side. I realised the bond I had with him was probably the healthiest bond I had in my life. He was my one love. And despite the fact I could so easily feel silly about that, I was about to learn that I was not alone.Late in 2023, my health took a turn. Within the course of six weeks, I had a mild heart attack and pulmonary embolism and faced a diagnosis of a rare blood-clotting disorder that is life-threatening. I know they say God only sends you what you can handle, but I do wish that guy would stop overestimating me. Although terriﬁed at ﬁrst by what this would mean, again I was able to focus on being present for Wilson (who by now had been joined by a second rescue Chow by the name of Noa).We settled into a routine of walks and slowing life down to recover, and, for the ﬁrst time in my life, I started to feel a shift out of ﬁght or ﬂight mode, something I had never experienced before. Could it be that when I couldn’t work out how to love myself quite enough, loving him was bringing me peace?At the time, I didn’t know that a piece of research submitted to the Journal of Research in Personality in 2019 by William J Chopik and Jonathan R Weaver had proven that dogs do take on personality traits of their owners. They reﬂected: “We believe there are at least three reasons why owners and dogs might be related. First, owners and dogs might have similar personalities based on a selection effect. For example, owners might select dogs that match their personalities Issue 363 Dogs Today 51 “I started to reassess how I operated and it made me so grateful for this furry, unassuming creature that remained by my side. I realised the bond I had with him was probably the healthiest bond I had in my life. He was my one love. And despite the fact I could so easily feel silly about that, I was about to learn that I was not alone”First Chow meet, Regent’s Park, July 2023Wilson meets Noa

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52 Dogs Today Issue 363and lifestyles in a similar way that humans purportedly choose friends and partners (Luo and Klohnen, 2005, Tidwell et al, 2013). TWO IN ONE“Second, owners and dogs might have similar personalities based on a socialisation effect. For example, the shared activities and environments of humans and dogs might jointly inﬂuence their personalities as in relationships between humans (Chopik et al, 2018, Jackson et al, 2015, Mejía and Gonzalez, 2017). Extroverted owners might bring their dogs to social events, which may in turn socialise them to humans (and make them less aggressive). Likewise, there is a degree of emotional and personality contagion among humans who share similar social environments, further suggesting that shared environments might contribute to a correlation between owners and their dogs (Anderson et al, 2003, Hoppmann and Gerstorf, 2009, Neal et al, 2017). “Finally, owners and dogs might have similar personalities because owners have idiosyncratic ways of evaluating things in their lives or even project their personality on things that they evaluate, including their dogs (Kwan et al, 2008, Richters and Pellegrini, 1989, Schul and Vinokur, 2000, Turcsán et al, 2012). Likewise, people tend to perceive similarity with things that they like (Collisson and Howell, 2014, Tidwell et al, 2013), and people generally like their dogs, which might be producing some correlation between humans and their dogs (see Gosling and John, 1999, for an expanded discussion on assessing personality in non-human species).”Wilson was about to teach me even bigger lessons. Ones I never saw coming.In late February 2024, he woke me at 4am. Completely not his style at all. I responded to his shout and went downstairs to ﬁnd a distressed dog, blood seeping from his back end. By the time we arrived at the emergency vet, he was so dehydrated and sick, it was difﬁcult to get a needle in to administer ﬂuids and medication.Over the next two weeks, my veterinary practice ran a battery of tests to try to understand what was wrong. I was about to ﬁnd out that Wilson was taking the ‘dogs take after their owners’ statement to the absolute extreme. He had stage two kidney disease. As do I. For me, it is manageable. For him, fatal. WILSON FIRSTDogs very much respond to the energy and emotions that their owners (or, in the case of Chow Chows, the humans they own) put out. I needed to put aside how I felt and focus on what he needed to get through this.My ﬁrst shift was to be more intentional about how we were living. Initially, we were told we had two more years together, and to repay him for the gift he gave me of still being here, I wanted those two years to be everything he needed them to be. I consciously chose to be present for him. And for the ﬁrst time in my life, I didn’t care what anyone else thought about that.Within a couple of weeks, it was clear that things weren’t improving and his prognosis shifted to just one year. I made him a bucket list of his favourite things. It was short, but it was what made him happy. I also moved my bed downstairs into my ofﬁce. He would look for me at night and this way I could be right there for him. He never had to worry where I was.I knew I didn’t get to call the shots. I knew Wilson was in charge. I had to focus on what I could control and understand that I couldn’t control everything. I had to make peace with that.In the past, when I faced adversity, I struggled. Because I was often on my own. Or there would be people I would think should be there for me and they weren’t, or they would say they were and when it came down to it, not show up. This time, I didn’t have that need to have anyone there. I wanted to focus on Wilson. I wanted him to know nothing but unconditional love.On my work social media, I had more requests for that ruddy dog’s content than my own! So I knew that I needed to say that he wasn’t OK. I thought I was biased; I thought I was the only one who loved that furry turd. I was wrong.As I dealt with the long hours Noa, Wilson & WinnieFirst Essex meet, August 2023Issue 363 Dogs Today 53 of travel for his treatment, the relentless tube feeds as he stopped eating, the lack of sleep from reassuring his furry head that he was OK and I was right there, I got messages. Not just from other Chow owners, not even just from dog owners, but from people. From all over the world. They had witnessed the joy of Wilson, the dog unafraid to just be himself, and they had fallen in love too.NEVER ALONEAlthough I didn’t have that old need for people to show up, they did. Day in, day out. Messages of support, fundraising for treatment, videocalls with Chow Chows in America. We were never alone.When I said to a close friend, “I can’t believe people love him as much as I do,” they said, “I think maybe you need to realise they love you too.”We arranged a Chow Chow meet – one of his favourite activities. Thirty-ﬁve Chows attended from all over the UK and he loved every minute. Then we convinced an indoor snow centre to let us in after hours, so he could roll around in the thing he loved most – snow. Just one last time. And he did. And the joy and tears together were a beautiful thing.On the Monday morning, he woke up confused and needing much reassurance. A visit to our incredible veterinary practice showed that his levels had almost doubled. It appeared he was losing sight and the toxins were starting to impact his brain.I knew it was time.Just two days later, I held him in my arms as he left us, tired and so ready. Just three years old. And then I laid with him for many hours. The dog who saved me, but I couldn’t save him.Our story doesn’t end there. He brought me peace after so many years of ﬁghting to survive. But he did more than that. He gave me another gift – the gift of understanding that although he was stubborn and let very few people pet him, he was so loved just for being himself. For his love of muddy puddles in winter, other Chow Chows, snow and his stuffed pigeon.And that is the greatest gift. Because I realised I don’t need to be small; I don’t need to ﬁt a mould. It doesn’t matter that I am on my own as a human being or that I am an introvert who gets way too excited over rainbows, birds and dogs. I am loved for being me. And if I could love him as much as I did, then I should certainly love me too.EVER PRESENTIn the weeks following Wilson’s death, he has continued to impact my life. I get to grieve his loss in the way that is right for me. The love that was shown to him was extended to me. People reached out and shared how his story had impacted them. From those who had lost beloved Chows, to parents of children with life-threatening conditions, or who had been through adversity and found the love of a Chow. He continues to be present even though he is gone. Slowing down and not acting from ﬁght or ﬂight has given me so much more clear perspective on what a happy life looks like. It’s so much easier to ﬁnd joy and to own who you are. I’d spent all those years trying to catch up and rush ﬁnding that magic space.I am proud to say that the one love of my life has been a Chow Chow. I am happy to still be here. All because a stubborn, furry creature saved me. And that is the unspoken power of a dog. When you cannot ﬁnd the strength to love yourself, they somehow teach you how. PTHe hardest goodbye

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54 Dogs Today Issue 363 My Dog CrushMany of us have ‘dog crushes’ – soft spots for breeds or types that we love but know we’ll probably never own for lots of terribly sensible reasons. Maybe you don’t have enough hours in the day for the dog you dream of. Perhaps you have a wandering eye and there are just too many dogs to ﬁt into a lifetime. Or you already have a house squashed full of adored allsorts that chose you.In this feature we go through popular dog crushes and take a fresh look at what it would be like to actually live with them.Chow ChowIssue 363 Dogs Today55CharacterThe Chow Chow is a huge character – very independent and strong-willed. “You feel special when they decide to give you a kiss or cuddle, which isn’t often!” said one owner from our survey. Another told us, “Chows are the most loyal dog I’ve owned. And also the most stubborn, royal like, lazy, loving dogs.”When they bestow their love and attention on you, you are honoured indeed! There can be protective streak, possibly from their past guarding duties, so early and thorough socialisation is especially important. ExerciseMost from our survey gave their adult Chows 30-60 minutes of daily exercise, some more and some less. Many stressed that it depends on the individual. One owner said, “It’s hard to quantify the time, as Chows don’t walk the entire time. It could be an hour walk, but only 30 minutes of that is actual walking.”Training & behaviourStanley Coren, a psychologist at the University of British Columbia and author of The Intelligence of Dogs, famously said that “there is probably furniture out there that is more trainable than Chows”. When he ranked different breeds on intelligence, the Chow came 76th out of 79. Chow fans don’t dispute that the breed can be a challenge to train sometimes, but they would disagree that it’s from lack of intelligence – far from it! One said, “I know people think because their recall is a bit meh, that they’re not smart; quite the opposite! They think for themselves and are just considering what to do.” 72% of our survey said their Chows have poor recall – to such an extent that some owners always keep their dogs on a lead. 84% agreed that their dog “chooses what commands to obey, depending on whether it is worth it.”More than three-quarters chase small furries, and half are scared of ﬁ reworks and thunder. HealthThe Chow is category 2 on the Kennel Club Breed Watch scheme, to guard against exaggerated features: respiratory problems, excessively profuse coat, deep-set eyes and eyelids turned inwards or outwards. The breed should be scored for hip and elbow dysplasia, eye screened and undergo the Chow Chow Breed Council Health Assessment. 44% of our survey had experienced cruciate ligament issues in the breed, 39% entropion and 28% sensitive stomachs. Skin issues – particularly hotspots – were mentioned often too. Photos by Tim Rose (www.timrosephotography.co.uk)Our survey of Chow Chow owners revealed:NO MORE PULLING • NO MORE RIDING UP • NO MORE RUBBING • NO MORE COMING OFF • NO MORE DISCOMFORTREVOLUTIONARY HEADCOLLARCall to join the ever growing number of people changing to Dogmatic 01952 245330 or visit us at www.dogmatic.org.uk Awarded ‘Best Dog Collar Manufacturer 2020 - 2021, UK’11 TIMES WINNER OF ‘Product I can’t live without’For Dog People by Dog People Because your dog deserves the BEST Winners 2013-2024WINNER2020Global100Best Dog Collar Manufacturer 2020 – UKEndorsed by Dr David Sands BSc PhD CFBA Fellow of the Canine & Feline Behaviour AssociationSay ciao (twice!) to this unique lion-bear of a dog, with a bluish-black tongue and a character like no other. Photos by Tim Rose (www.timrosephotography.co.uk)

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My Dog CrushOriginsThe Chow Chow is an ancient breed, dating back at least 2,000 years – some say longer. The Chow’s ancestors guarded temples, and they were also used for herding, hunting and even for pulling sledges. They were also used as a food source. Fed grain, the young dogs were killed for their tender meat and their fur was used for clothing trim. Black Chows were thought to be more nutritious. However, that’s not necessarily why they are named as they are. According to psychologist and dog author Stanley Coren, when the breed was ﬁ rst shipped to England, they arrived in boxes marked ‘chow chow’, pidgin English for ‘miscellaneous merchandise’, and the name stuck.Traders from the East India Company ﬁ rst brought two Chows to the UK in 1780, and London Zoo imported more in 1828, which they called ‘the Black Mouthed Chinese’. Queen Victoria added one to her diverse collection of breeds in 1865, which sparked interest in the wider public. 56Dogs Today Issue 363 ●Aloof ●Independent ●Fluffy●Strong-willed ●Loyal ●Stubborn ●Loving ●Regal ●Beautiful ●ComicalTraitsIssue 363 Dogs Today 57 by Bon Allen I’ve had various breeds of dog all of my life and never fell into the trap of being “one breed is the only breed for me” until I had my ﬁrst Chow Chow.There are some traits that Chows have in common, like their stubbornness, lying in the most inconvenient places and looking disappointed in you, but one of the things I love most is that I have never met two who are the same. They really do have very distinct personalities and quirks, which set them apart from each other. Their style of play is one of the most entertaining I’ve seen in dogs. Whether it’s going to car shows and rolling over in front of their favourite vehicles, playing hide and seek under curtains whilst their paws are giving away their location, stealing packets of treats and running off to the garden, or deciding there is time for just one more toy before bed, their quirkiness just brings such joy and delight. CHOW CONTRADICTIONSWilson, my ﬁrst Chow Chow, was a comedian. He hated a bath, but loved to lie in puddles, but only when it was most inconvenient for me. Noa, my girl, is a rescue and she is incredibly active for the breed and loves to be near you, which I put down to her partial sightedness. My youngest boy, Bob, who is 22 weeks, is active and he adores water – not just sitting in it, but swimming!No two Chow Chows have the same exercise needs. They can vary from those that love to be active to those that prefer a gentle stroll.Chows are clean, quiet dogs that rarely bark, only warning of strangers. They’re housetrained early and keep themselves tidy. Despite their thick coats, they have no odour and are easy to maintain with daily brushing and occasional longer sessions. Baths are needed just two to three times a year. Taking care of their coat isn’t as daunting as you think. I take care of mine at home. They only really need their paws trimmed and sometimes a hygiene trim, but otherwise the coat doesn’t need to be cut. If you’re considering being owned by a Chow Chow, it’s crucial to understand their temperament. Chows are naturally shy and dislike being approached from above, so it’s important to support their comfort. The Chow community is incredibly welcoming and supportive, with breed clubs and meet-ups offering advice. Prospective ‘pawrents’ will quickly learn about the joys and quirks of owning a Chow, like refusing to move on walks, paying the ‘cheese tax’, and their dislike for dog beds. You’ll be supported every step of the way by this friendly community, ensuring your Chow feels safe and understood.When it comes to ﬁnding your Chow Chow, you want to know you are getting a healthy dog and so the best place to go is the Chinese Chow Club, which has a list of reputable breeders and a puppy coordinator, who helps match prospective owners with the right dogs for them. The Chinese Chow Club is great at bringing the community together and supporting each other. There are also Chow Chows needing rescue homes. SPELL-BINDINGBeing owned by a Chow Chow isn’t for everyone. The reality is that although they look like teddy bears, they’re not really cuddly. However, if you put the work in from a young age, the reward of the bond you can build with a Chow Chow and their incredible personalities are quite something. In fact, if you asked me if I could wave a magic wand and change anything about them, it would be to make them live even longer. POwner’s viewNoa (left) and WilsonNO MORE PULLING • NO MORE RIDING UP • NO MORE RUBBING • NO MORE COMING OFF • NO MORE DISCOMFORTREVOLUTIONARY HEADCOLLARCall to join the ever growing number of people changing to Dogmatic 01952 245330 or visit us at www.dogmatic.org.uk Awarded ‘Best Dog Collar Manufacturer 2020 - 2021, UK’11 TIMES WINNER OF ‘Product I can’t live without’For Dog People by Dog People Because your dog deserves the BEST Winners 2013-2024WINNER2020Global100Best Dog Collar Manufacturer 2020 – UKEndorsed by Dr David Sands BSc PhD CFBA Fellow of the Canine & Feline Behaviour Association

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My Dog Crush58Dogs Today Issue 363 Coat care●“I brush every day, as they collect seeds and debris in their coats and paws. They go to a groomer ever 10-12 weeks for a bath and groom.”●“Use a comb, don’t just brush the top coat.”●“Don’t cut the hair; Chow fur is not designed to be cut.”●“Brush every other day at least to get the dead undercoat out. Chows shed twice a year and then the hair around the house is horrendous!”●“Use a licky mat to keep them still!”Brakes on!Many in the survey reported a strange phenomenon where their Chow drops to the ﬂ oor when it doesn’t want to do something. 56% said their dogs did it “all the time” and 31% said their dogs did it “rarely, but especially if I’m in a hurry”. 13% didn’t do it at all. To non-Chow folk, alarm bells would ring that a medical collapse of some kind is responsible, but it seems a pretty common experience in the breed and our survey owners didn’t seem perturbed. From reading the stories, it does seem that it’s another feature of the breed’s strong-willed independence. Many do it in the vet’s or on their way back from a walk when they don’t want to go home. One said, “She has somehow discovered it’s great to throw herself to the ground head ﬁ rst and feet in the air every time we are out – middle of the road, path, you name it. She then rolls on her back and refuses to get up until she’s had a chest and back rub. It’s a play characteristic!” Another said, their dog did it in the driving rain because he decided he didn’t want to walk through the muddy path shortcut home. “I had to carry his majesty through the mud.” ●Winston Chowchill●Bella ●Mufasa ●Nala ●Mr Bungle ●Parsley ●Dahlia ●Bear ●Leo ●WinnieBest namesNO MORE PULLING • NO MORE RIDING UP • NO MORE RUBBING • NO MORE COMING OFF • NO MORE DISCOMFORTREVOLUTIONARY HEADCOLLARCall to join the ever growing number of people changing to Dogmatic 01952 245330 or visit us at www.dogmatic.org.uk Awarded ‘Best Dog Collar Manufacturer 2020 - 2021, UK’11 TIMES WINNER OF ‘Product I can’t live without’For Dog People by Dog People Because your dog deserves the BEST Winners 2013-2024WINNER2020Global100Best Dog Collar Manufacturer 2020 – UKEndorsed by Dr David Sands BSc PhD CFBA Fellow of the Canine & Feline Behaviour AssociationBest Facebook groups●The Ultimate Chow Chow GroupIssue 363 Dogs Today59Love the breed? Shop the breed^ Chow cookie cutters – perfect for making dog treats for your best furry friend, or for making human biscuits for a fellow ﬂ uff fan. Head and body designs available. From £9.09 from Bakerlogy on etsy.com NO MORE PULLING • NO MORE RIDING UP • NO MORE RUBBING • NO MORE COMING OFF • NO MORE DISCOMFORTREVOLUTIONARY HEADCOLLARCall to join the ever growing number of people changing to Dogmatic 01952 245330 or visit us at www.dogmatic.org.uk Awarded ‘Best Dog Collar Manufacturer 2020 - 2021, UK’11 TIMES WINNER OF ‘Product I can’t live without’For Dog People by Dog People Because your dog deserves the BEST Winners 2013-2024WINNER2020Global100Best Dog Collar Manufacturer 2020 – UKEndorsed by Dr David Sands BSc PhD CFBA Fellow of the Canine & Feline Behaviour Association^ Clockwise from top left: Chow birthday card, blank inside, and a sympathy card to send condolences after a loss. £3.35 from DoggiesnMoggiesUK on etsy.com; amusing thank you card, showcasing the Chow’s marvellous ﬂ uffy butt. £2.49 from ArtsbyLizUK on etsy.com; greeting card printed on Nepali handmade lokta paper, £3.99 from EverestPetsSupply on etsy.comLinen-look Chow >cushion/cover, available with or without the inner cushioned pad. From £12 from BellaGoesWalkies on etsy.com ^ Ladies oversized sweatshirt, designed by Chow owner Bon Allen, featured in this issue! It comes in ﬁ ve colours and sizes 8-18. T-shirts, babygrows, coasters, cards and many other products also available. £42 from IGrewUpWithoutaTV on etsy.com ^ Eco-friendly tote bag, available in three sizes. Crafted from robust canvas, its spacious interior and sturdy handles make it perfect for day-to-day errands or a leisurely day at the beach. From £49.85 from PuddlewickRoad on etsy.com < Chow feeding mat. £15 from IGrewUpWithoutaTV on etsy.com

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60Dogs Today Issue 363 Tea breakName: _________________________________________________________Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Postcode: __________________Telephone: _____________________________________________________Email address: ___________________________________________________Breed/type of dog: _______________________________________________ISSUE 362 SOLUTION: Across: 1 Deputy; 4 Strays; 8 Chimp; 9 Russell; 10 Exterior; 11 Walk; 13 Ridgeback; 17 Tidy; 19 Disaster; 21 Belgian; 22 Ideal; 23 Eskimo; 24 Frisky. Down: 1 Ducked; 2 Pointer; 3 Top grade; 5 Tosa; 6 Arena; 7 Saluki; 9 Rhodesian; 12 Cavalier; 14 Kittens; 15 Stable; 16 Brolly; 18 Dalek; 20 Film591210201481715321131618122274196231 124Gyles Brandreth’s Prize Crossword!Complete the crossword grid, then post your entry to arrive by 7 November 2024 to: Crossword 363, Dogs Today, The Old Print House, 62 High Street, Chobham, Surrey GU24 8AA. The ﬁ rst correct entry drawn after the closing date will win a Kong Shakers Honkers Flamingo dog toy worth £8.99. Available from PurrfectlyYappy.com The judge’s decision is ﬁ nal in all competitions. How to enterPut the kettle on and have a go at our competitions!Quick Clues Across3 Animal handled by law enforcers (6,3)8 Give birth to young cows (5)9 Torment (5)10 Shellfish, perhaps (3,4)11 Title of a 60s musical (4)12 Came to pass, happened (8)15 Herbivorous marsupial (8)17 Move forward bit by bit (4)20 US coins (7)22 (Filthy) money (5)23 Peyton…, long-running US soap (5)24 See 7 DownCryptic Clues Across3 Cop this for a canine! (6,3)8 Thus cows produce 50 in a cave (5)9 It’s unkind to do this to Rover, when meals are announced (5)10 Oaf does spoil fish, etc (3-4)11 Moulting canine may deposit this in chairs (4)12 Happened to put British Expeditionary Forces in touch with comedian Dave (8)15 Aussie jumper found in court? (8)17 Small amount pinched? Not entirely (4)20 Young Nicholas is grabbing the Spanish coins (7)22 Riches, some say, enough to solve problem of ulcer (5)23 Position some 10 Across, do you say? (5)24 See 7 DownDown 1 Put an end to one sort of terrier (6)2 European dog, a Lurcher, initially sat on a Scottish lad (8)3 More than one small dog takes a sly look, we hear (5)4 Girl taking part of canine in movies? (6)5 Foreign sheepdog and feline landing on 2 Down heartlessly (7)6 Stone Age pet making loud noise, nothing more (4)7 (And 24 Across) These non-existent dogs retrieve treasure from the end of a rainbow13 Maxi-length protective clothing for this type of Chihuahua (4,4)14 Breed turning up in slammer (American) (7)15 (And 21 Down) Society dogged by its members? (6,4)16 Shakespearean character irons out love (6)18 Lancashire dog, one supplying a cure, you might say (6)19 Gives a pooch a cut from the movie (5)21 See 15 DownCrossword 363, Print House, 62 High Street, Chobham, Print House, 62 High Street, Chobham, Surrey GU24 8AA. The ﬁ rst correct entry drawn after the closing date will win a Kong Shakers Honkers Flamingo dog toy worth £8.99. Available from PurrfectlyYappy.com The judge’s decision is ﬁ nal in all competitions. Crossword 363, Print House, 62 High Street, Chobham, Surrey GU24 8AA. The ﬁ rst correct entry drawn after the closing date will win a Kong Shakers Honkers Flamingo dog toy worth £8.99. Available from PurrfectlyYappy.com The judge’s decision is ﬁ nal in all competitions. Down 1 Whisky, egg or mist (6)2 German 3 Across (8)3 Dwarf toy dogs from China (5)4 Film dog (6)5 Type of sheepdog from Spanish region (7)6 Flinstones pet (4)7 And 24 Across This yellow gundog is often called this in error! (6,9)13 Type of Chihuahua (4,4)14 Sheepdog breed of Italian origin (7)15 And 21 Down Crufts is this organisation’s annual show (6,4)16 Twelfth Night duke (6)18 Dog that moves livestock (6)19 Cuts dog’s hair (5)21 See 15 DownIssue 363 Dogs Today61Technically, the cheese Technically, the cheese is still in the fridge...is still in the fridge...Winning captionPhoto submitted by Shelina Carpenter www.withtheﬂ o.co.ukRottweiler & German Shepherd by Tim Rose (www.timrosephotography.co.uk)Geraldine Cove Print361 Caption Runners-upCross QuestionCan you guess which breeds Spud’s parents are? Just here to put the Chi in your en-chi-ladasJulia O’ConnorOne chilli dog coming right upHayley DouglasDieting assistance dogs are all the rage; they eat everything before you do!Stacey BryantThe winning caption will win a K9 Immortals Octopus dog toy worth £12.99 and the person who sends the ﬁ rst correct answer to the Cross Question will win a Kong Shakers Honkers Duck worth £10.99, both available from www. purrfectlyyappy.comEmail your Caption Competition & Cross Question entries together with your contact details to comps@dogstodaymagazine.co.uk or post to: Competitions 362, Dogs Today, The Old Print House, 62 High Street, Chobham, Surrey, GU24 8AA, to arrive by 7 November 2024Caption this!361 Cross Question SolutionAtlas’s parents are a Rottweiler and a German ShepherdThe ﬁ rst correct answers came from Gill May and Hayley Douglas +This is why I hate home-delivery substitutes. I ordered a Chinese; they sent me a Mexican Gerri HickmanCan you come up with a witty and amusing caption for this photo? How to enterMitzi and Sasha, Poochons. Photo submitted by Karen GloverWinners of the Cross Question and Caption Competition will win a prize from Purrfectly YappyDo you have a funny pic you’d like us to feature? Please email it to us at comps@dogstodaymagazine.co.uk

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62Dogs Today Issue 363 www.foreverhoundstrust.orgPRIORY ROAD ASCOT BERKSHIRE SL5 8RJ01344 882689We are a non-destruction sanctuary for abandoned & unwanted dogsRegistered Charity No. 256728established 1958Charity SpotlightWelcome to Charity Spotlight - a handy reference point for good folk doing great work. We’re helping to raise the proﬁ le of this diverse group and we encourage you to get involved with them, by offering a forever home, fundraising or volunteeringIf you’d like to see your organisation featured in these pages, please call us on 01276 402591 for more detailsNEUTER AND SPAY,NO MORE STRAYSWe neuter and spay thousands of dogs and cats in Romania every yearCharity No: 1172316www.animalsni.ukPayPal email: donations@animalsni.ukwww.animalsni.ukEden Animal Rescue is a registered charity which has been caring for animals since 1995. We started with a small number of people who fostered animals in their own homes. We help and care for neglected or unwanted animals and arrange for the provision of good homes for them. The scale of our work is huge; in an average year we home 400+ cats and kittens and 120 dogs – not to mention rabbits, ferrets and guinea pigs.Eden Animal Rescue is proud of the fact that we have a non-destruct policy and believe that NO healthy animal should ever be put to sleep. We always seek the opinion of our vets and behaviourist and it would be only on their advice that an animal would be euthanised.For many years our busy rescue centre was located near Shap, Cumbria, but in 2016 we moved to a purpose-built centre at Moorlands Head Farm, Newbiggin, Temple Sowerby, Penrith. Our new home has proved to be a wonderful place for our animals – the space, atmosphere and surroundings contribute massively to their wellbeing. As well as welfare needs and behavioural work, we also pay veterinary bills for vaccinations, neutering, any treatment required and microchipping. While an animal is with us, we provide care, companionship and understanding and do all we can to match them to a great new home and owner.Having only a small team of dedicated staff, we rely heavily on the work of our fantastic volunteers. To be able to do the valuable work we do at EAR, we are continuously fundraising and we rely on your support and donations. We really could not do it without your generosity.If you would like to donate to Eden Animal Rescue so we can continue our work, please contribute via BACS transfer using the reference ‘Donation’: Bank Barclays Bank plc Sort Code 20-66-97 Account Name Eden Animal Rescue Account Number 40558877 Follow us on our website & social media: www.edenanimalrescue.org.ukFacebook: Eden.Animal.Rescue Instagram: edenanimalrescueFor adoption enquiries: Email admin@edenanimalrescue.org.uk Phone 01931 716114THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.Registered Charity Number 1117113Charity of the monthEden Animal Rescue Issue 363 Dogs Today63As a rescue charity, Rushton helps abandoned, abused and unwanted dogs on a international scale. Rescuing dogs from all over the world. especially the meat trade in Asia and China.Registered Charity in England and Wales No. 1139999Call Now:+44 (0) 1823 49 10 52To rescue, rehabilitate and rehome vulnerable and at risk dogs from YorkshireSaving Yorkshire’s DogsRegistered Charity No 1167291Tel: 07562 986101Email: savingyorkshiresdogs@gmail.comWeb: www.sydrescue.org.ukFind us onWE RESCUE KILL SHELTER AND ABANDONED DOGS FROM ROMANIA AND REHOME THEM IN THE UK AND GERMANYwww.barkingmaddogrescue.co.uk@barkingmaddogrescue @bmdrdogs www.petsavers.org.ukFinding the cures for serious pet illnesses, helping them live longer, healthier liveswww.leicesteranimalaid.org.ukTel 01455 888257Registered Charity No. 242560Rescue and rehoming centre for dogs and catsRegistered Charity No. 1077588Help us to help moreWe rescue and rehome 100s of dogs and cats in London every year themayhew.org020 8962 8000We are a small dog and cat rescue that specialises in the rehabilitation of pets who need their second chance at happiness. No matter your age, location or family status PAWS gives everyone a chance to be a part of the rescue story. www.pennineanimalwelfaresociety.orgGreyhounds make great pets★ Lincolnshire Greyhound Trust has been rehoming Greyhounds since 1988★ We have rehomed over 2,300 retired Greyhounds★ Kennels in Lincolnshire, Oxfordshire & Epping Greyhounds since 1988 We have rehomed over 2,300 retired Greyhounds Kennels in Lincolnshire, Oxfordshire & Eppingwww.lincolnshiregreyhoundtrust.co.uk07941 313025kev@lincolnshiregreyhoundtrust.comRAYSTEDERegistered charity no 237696www.raystede.org01825 840252Rescuing and rehoming animals in Sussex

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64Dogs Today Issue 363 Style Up Your Pet Style Up Your Pet is proud to showcase a curated collection of eco-friendly premium pet brands, featuring the ﬁ nest collars, toys and accessories which have been carefully selected to meet the highest standards of quality, comfort, and style.We are a UK-based family-owned business which sources and supplies products that are a little different from those found in the pet stores on the high street. Started by an experienced veterinarian, we aim to provide pet products that are much better quality, long lasting and most of all attractive for the modern homes we live in. We love our pets, and a lot of these products have been tested with loved best buddies new and old. Our user-friendly website provides easy and secure shopping offering a totally hassle-free shopping experience and as your online security is our priority, we use the latest encryption technologies to protect your personal information.See us at www.styleupyourpet.comDog Gear Supplier of the MonthAdvertising featureWant to advertise your business in our classiﬁ ed adverts section?Call Mike McGlynn now on 01276 402591 or send an email to mike@dogstoday magazine.co.ukClassiﬁ ed advertsHolidays, Charities, Services & Productswww.dogs-holiday.co.ukDogs stay free!Boturnell Farm CottagesHome from home for you and your dogs. If they are relaxed, then you can relax. Every cottage has an enclosed garden for those late night & early morning comfort breaks. PLUS: 8 acres of woods ● Throws for the furniture ● Animal ﬁ rst aid kit EXMOOR COAST & COUNTRYWoodcombe Lodges & CottagesSet in 3 acre gardens on a quiet country lane on the edge of the Exmoor National Park yet within 1 mile of shops, pubs, beach & seafront.South West Coastal Path, Coleridge Way, Two Moors Way.Prepared walks from our door. Dogs welcome, Free Wiﬁ.www.woodcombelodges.co.ukwoodcombelodges@outlook.com | Telephone: 01643 7027896622JulyWestie ReHoming @westierehoming4www.westierehoming.org information@westierehoming.net 0844 879 4260 PO Box 4204, Swindon SN2 9LA UK Westie ReHomingRegistered Charity England & Wales 1108659 Scotland SC045329Westie ReHoming is a charity dedicated to the welfare and rehoming of the West Highland White Terrier. We take in westies needing a new start in life and place them into a suitable home where they will be loved and have their needs met. DedicDedicatDedicatDediced to the ed to the ated to the atWeWest Higst HigWest HigWeWest Highlhlst Highlst Higst Highland and hland hlhland WWhihiWhiWWhithihie te tTTiTiTiidvertsTIME FOR A NEW BED?FIND A WARM & COSY BED TODAY AT PURRFECTLYYAPPY.COMIssue 363 Dogs Today65Canine Products Supplier of the MonthNon-stop dogwear was founded in Norway, 2009. Today Non-stop dogwear develops, designs, and sells dog equipment worldwide. You can currently ﬁ nd our range of products in over 1,300 stores in 27 countries. Our young team continually reﬁ nes existing products whilst continuing to develop new solutions to problems faced by pet owners worldwide and importantly from a dog’s perspective.Non-stop dogwear caters for all breeds across all activities and settings and produce products of the highest quality.Our purpose is summed up in one sentence: “Release your dog’s potential”. Check out our website and allow us to help you do exactly that!www.nonstopdogwear.com | 0047 62341000Advertising featureNon-stop dogwearEvery product is handcrafted by our very own skilled artisans who draw on years of specialist experience, a love of creativity, a passion for quality and a huge appreciation for functionality ... but with flair.07774 626677 | sales@annrees.co.ukwww.annrees.co.ukHandmade Dog Collars & Coats6622July

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Telling a Fleet Street reporter that he must forget what you told him when his editor has just fallen madly in love with the story wasn’t ever going to end well. Professor Heinz Wolff was instructed to go into hiding. Purina had banned him from talking to the press. But this reporter was resourceful; he was desperate to get someone to reveal all about the Wagometer that his editor was now obsessed with – this amazing machine that could scientiﬁ cally measure a dog’s happiness.What happened next was a plot twist not even Wagatha Christie could have penned.Never underestimate a very desperate journalist on a deadline. He phoned everyone to try to put some meat on the bare bones of this epic non-story. Dr Roger Mugford was in every journalist’s little black book back then. He was famously the Queen’s dog psychologist – but, most of all, he loved self-publicity!OPPORTUNITY KNOCKSQuick as a ﬂ ash, Roger saw the opportunity. He claimed it was him, not the professor, who had invented the Wagometer and that he didn’t know anything about the other one. Problem solved for the journalist; he probably wasn’t going to be ﬁ red after all.Perhaps Roger didn’t realise it was destined to be front-page news. Who knows, maybe he had invented a machine with exactly the same name. The journo was still short of copy, so he shoe-horned a mention of Elton John writing the Wag and Bone Show a song.Objectively, this was all amazingly positive publicity for a very new show, but I had obviously failed in my mission to ‘kill the Wagometer story’.Elton saw the story and decided to have a diva strop about getting second billing to a Wagometer. But worse still, ITV’s This Morning saw the front-page story and booked Roger to demonstrate his machine live on their show. Of course, he didn’t tell them it didn’t exist and that he’d just said it to get a desperate journalist out of a tight spot. No, instead he made one! (Or perhaps he may have been working on this side hustle for years!) It was a little black box with a car radio aerial stuck on with superglue.HIDING AT CRUFTSRichard and Judy loved it, and Roger pointed it scientiﬁ cally at various dogs and claimed the readings showed how happy the dog was. He ad-libbed and made all sort of observations about which breed’s tails were the most expressive of happiness.Every other newspaper picked up the story, too. Roger and his little black box were everywhere.Crufts was on at the same time, and I spent most of it hiding from the board of the Wag and Bone Show and especially from a furious Mary from Purina.Somehow, we all eventually saw the funny side, and everyone forgave Roger, too. And we didn’t really need a song – we were destined to break records if not make them. Kevin, our illustrator, was given the job of creating the free adverts for the Mail to use. They were unconventional and funny. We ended up making many different versions and the paper used them all large on the well-read TV listing page. They went in very many more times than the MD had originally rather reluctantly promised. The repro guys loved them so much that whenever there was a free space, they’d just put one in, even if it wasn’t planned!Guy Zitter (the Mail MD) conﬁ ded in me ahead of the show that everyone on the paper was pestering him for free tickets, and that no one had ever begged him for Ideal Home Show passes! PIllustration KEVIN BROCKBANK66Dogs Today Issue 363 Confessions of a dogaholicNever underestimate put some meat on the bare bones of this epic Mugford was in every journalist’s little black book famously the Queen’s dog psychologist – but, most of all, he loved self-publicity!mission to ‘kill the Wagometer story’.Bone burial REVOLUTIONARYHEADCOLLARStops dogs pulling on the lead and gives you back control.Life-Changing products for you and your dog!Also available: Collars, Non Slip Leads and Gripper Training Leads oﬀering added security and conﬁdence throughout the winter months.NO MORE PULLING • NO MORE RIDING UP • NO MORE RUBBINGNO MORE COMING OFF • NO MORE DISCOMFORT‘Matching accessories in a selection of colours’ with high quality workmanship and ﬁttings.Endorsed by Dr David Sands BSc PhD CFBA Fellow of the Canine & Feline Behaviour AssociationCall to join the ever growing number of people changing toDogmatic 01952 245330 or visit us at www.dogmatic.org.ukWINNER2020Global100Best Dog Collar Manufacturer 2020 – UK‘PRODUCT I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT’For Dog People by Dog People Because your dog deserves the BESTWinners 2013-2024AWARDED ‘Best Dog Collar Manufacturer 2020-21 - UK’ and Most Innovative Dog Collar Manufacturers 2019

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