The DogCast Radio blog

You may remember in Episode 91 of DogCast Radio we ran a competition to win Ziggy the painting dog goodies. We announced the winners in episode 94 and you can see Elizabeth and Ziggy's video blog about it and show what the prizes were above. Thanks to them for putting up the goodies, and I hope Ziggy is inspired to paint many more masterpieces. Elizabeth was wonderful to interview, and if you'd like to know how Ziggy started painting and what his working methods are, do give that interview a listen.

In Episode 50 of DogCast Radio there's an interview with Angela Mitchell about her book Your First Great Dane. This book was inspired by her experiences with her own Great Danes, and now she's written another book about the breed she loves. Here's what she says about it:

"'Two Great Danes' is the follow-up to my successful book 'Your First Great Dane', and is once again a humorous 'tell it like it 'is' account of life with, this time, 2 Great Danes in my house. And along with some more handy hints and tips, because of Bob's hugely different character to Hovis, there are many more laugh out loud moments which I hope the readers will enjoy. Although it is very much a 'stand alone' book, it does read better after having enjoyed 'Your First Great Dane'."

So if you are a Great Dane fan, or you know someone who is, check out Two Great Danes at the Parapress site.

I've just read a fascinating article on stray dogs in Moscow entitled Smartest Dogs: Moscow Stray Dogs . Apparently a growing number of dogs who have to fend for themselves are developing impressive and effective new ways of "hunting" down their food, courtesy of unwitting humans!

I have interviewed David Frei (in Episode 76 of DogCast Radio) about The National Dog Show and thought it sounded very interesting. Up till now I couldn't watch it from the UK, but this year I will be able to watch it online. Now all I need to find is where I can watch the Thanksgiving parade online for the full experience. Here's more information about The National Dog Show:

If you think you have trouble stopping your dog escaping, check out this canine escape artist! I love the point when she is halfway out and suddenly seems to realise how long a way it is down to the ground. I also love the two dogs waving her off at the end. Cute, but I bet it's annoying to have to deal with!

Take care,

Julie x

I watched the weather forecast this morning which informed me that the morning would be dry but by the afternoon heavy rain would set in. So I decided to switch my day around and walk the dogs in the morning to avoid getting wet. (Remember me not wanting to get wet later in the story.)

A few weeks ago we added two kittens to our growing menagerie. This was something we did with full commitment, but some trepidation as we obviously already have two dogs, plus Anthony is allergic to some cats. However, having made the decision to take them in, we were determined to make it work. You can hear more details in this weekend's show about how the canines and felines have settled down together, but as shown in the photos they are now perfectly happy and relaxed in each other's company.

If you're looking for a Christmas present with a doggy theme, how about Speaking for Spot? You'll please the dog lover you give the gift to, and you be doing a good turn to their dog - empowering their owner with the knowledge they need to make the right decisions. Here's more information from author Dr Nancy Kay:

Just had this in connnection with Discover Dogs, which is on the 14th and 15th of November at Earls Court in London:

DOGS HELP FACEBOOK GENERATION TO FIND REAL LIFE PUPPY LOVE

Following the lead of Davina McCall dogs help one in twenty to find love and one in three to make new friends but many still agree with Cheryl Cole that their dog is the ‘only one that they can trust’

UPDATE:You can find out about the 2010 shows at www.stlpetexpo.com/
If you have a service that dog owners should know about, check out the opportunities at Pet Expos in 2010:
Nearly 10,000 people (and their pets!) attended the 2009 St. Louis Pet Expo on Saturday, October 24.
A great  time was had by all!
Here are some comments by our exhibitors:

In the UK the fifth of November is bonfire night. This may be fun for humans, but for many dogs the loud firework noises make it miserable to say the least. Luckily neither of our dogs are bothered by fireworks, but I know some dogs become quite unhappy, and some can become frantic. There are various remedies you can give, and I've just received this email with some novel advice for keeping your canine cheery: (If you can come up with any other suggestions, do let us know)

More dogg less bark this firework season