The DogCast Radio blog

We all know that our dogs make our lives happier and better, and Crufts celebrates this aspect of dogs. Friends for Life highlights dogs who have changed and enhanced their people's lives in various ways. Watch this video to learn more about the dogs and people - from the disabled dog who gives confidence to his disabled young owner, to the police dog who has helped make life safe for us, to dogs who have made life worth living again. Who will you vote for? - and yes you can vote for them all!

Have a bit of fun adopting and looking after your own virtual rescue dog while helping to raise £20,000 for Blue Cross at the same time, courtesy of Samsung.
  

zooplus add Vet’s Kitchen to their range & offer chance to win 6 months’ supply to celebrate

 
Online pet store zooplus.co.ukis now stocking Vet’s Kitchen Veterinary Formula Dog & Cat Foods. Along with great introductory BOGOF offers to encourage pet owners to try the food developed by TV vet Joe Inglis and his team, zooplus are offering Facebook fans the chance to win a 6 month supply for their dog or cat.

Dogs Trust Darlington’s Blind Bedlington Terrier finds her furry tail ending

Next time you are at the park don’t be surprised if you are greeted by a dog called Chicken-Fish or come across a cat named Pickywickywoowoo, as these are just some of the weird and wonderful names we bestow upon our pets.

Animal charity Battersea Dogs & Cats Home has revealed some of the nation’s craziest cat and daftest dog names in a survey of its 225,000 Facebook and Twitter fans, and it appears we are quite creative when it comes to naming our four-legged friends.

Battersea’s top 20 most bizarre dog and cats names are:

Dog
Chicken-Fish
Toe-Jam
Mr Terry Foxer

Animal charity backs report’s criticism of Government

The RSPCA has backed criticism of the Government’s failure to properly tackle irresponsible dog ownership, made in a new House of Commons committee report.

Britain’s biggest animal charity supports many of the recommendations the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs select committee (EFRA) today made in its report on dog control and welfare.

Among the recommendations, the committee suggests the introduction of consolidated dog legislation, Dog Control Notices and tighter limits on unlicensed dog breeding.

Charity acknowledges commitment to tackling dog-related issues but slams recommendations to extend breed specific legislation

Earlier this month, the Government announced that all dogs in England must be microchipped by April 2016. Battersea Dogs & Cats Home is offering a free microchipping and name tag engraving service at Windrush Square, Brixton on Monday 4 March, and Ruskin Park, Denmark Hill on Wednesday 13 March from 11am – 4pm.

Less than one third of all dogs arriving at Battersea are microchipped and the charity believes permanent identification of dogs will help to reduce the problem of stray dogs and help reunite more pets with their owners.

After spending two Christmases at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home Old Windsor, Fenton a Staffordshire Bull Terrier has been given a new start to life thanks to Veronica and Jim McKnight from Sheerness in Kent.
 

Government to implement compulsory microchipping in England and Wales

The Kennel Club has today pledged to gift microchip scanners to every local authority in England and Wales in support of the government’s decision to introduce compulsory microchipping for all dogs.