The DogCast Radio blog

Have you seen this story about a Pyrenean mountain dog traveling on the London underground?

It was the last day of Crufts - and rumours abounded. Protestor on the loose were the general gist of the rumours, and the rumour mill was certainly in full flow. As we were walking in, a friend phoned. She had bought season tickets for Crufts, but had heard on the radio about the protests at the show, and wanted to know how bad were they? I told her I was standing at the front of the NEC and there wasn't a protester in sight. This was about 9.20a.m.

Later in the day we counted fourteen protestors.

I've seen many celebrities in the press room at Crufts, and I've always left them in peace, as they're usually on a break or eating a quick meal or snack and I don't want to intrude. However, I saw one yesterday that I couldn't resist asking if I could approach. It was Endal, the dog of the millennium. His story is amazing
, he and Allen Parton found each other when each was in a very dark place, with a future that looked bleak. Despite that Endal became Allen's assistance dog, and the bond between them is heart warming. I can't read the story without my eyes filling up - but you know by now I'm like that about dogs!

We got more great material recorded at the second day of Crufts. We spoke to TV vet Marc Abraham, who is the co-founder of ThePet.net. He and co-founder Andrew Seel are using the power of the Internet to let pet owners tell one another about businesses that are pet friendly. If you have a business you'd like to recommend, check out their awards. Marc is also the veterinary adviser to the Kennel Club, and you can find his blog on the Crufts site.

Marc was helping Jill Moss promote the right messages about MRSA and other serious infections on the Bella Moss Foundation stand. We caught up with Jill and she had some useful advice for dog owners worried about MRSA.

I was just too blooming tired to post anything yesterday, as we got back very late and I had batteries to charge and so on. We had a great day though. We bumped into Mic Martin, from Dog Borstal, who was there at Crufts raising money for Support Dogs. He gave us a great interview that covered not only what he was doing at Crufts, but the training classes he offers. He didn't swear once, and he was not half as frightening as he is on Dog Borstal. Which was a relief!

We got lots of breed profiles recorded down in

You know the saying about if you want the best seat in the house move the dog? Well in our house it's often if you want to work at the computer move the dog. Star has tried out most possible resting places in our house, and because she's such a small dog, she can squeeze herself into spaces you wouldn't think possible. She is less adventurous these days, but when she was a tiny puppy there were many times we carried out full scale searches, only to find her blissfully asleep in a cupboard.

She certainly has a knack for getting comfortable, and

Do you have a favourite pet friendly business? If so you could nominate them for an award with ThePet.net. The winners will be announced at The Ultimate Pet Show at the NEC in May. I've only just discovered The Ultimate Pet Show, and it looks like a great day out for pet lovers. If you think you have Britain's Most Talented Pet (doesn't have to be a dog) you can enter them into a competition. I'd love to see some Shire Horses entered into that one!

I've just come across this brave - or foolhardy perhaps - woman who is planning to walk from John o Groats to Lands End. That's the length of Britain; that's some dog walk! Her name's Sophie Easterbrook, her dog is called Patch, and you can follow them on Twitter, read Sophie's blog, and help them to raise money for Dog's Trust along the way.

Take care

Julie x

So we know we have to scoop the poop, but what should we do with it then? And how can you perform the whole task in an environmentally friendly way? Muksak (love the name!) has some ideas:

Answering the call of nature with muksak at Paw-things

I was listening to the British comedian Alan Davies telling a story about his Alsatian dog, and I noticed that he spoke of the dog as referring to him as Alan rather than Dad. This is something that becomes apparent about dog owners once you've been around them a while - some refer to themselves as their dog's mom or dad, others imagine the dog using their Christian name. I don't think there's anything wrong with either one, but I don't actually think that's how our dogs relate to us.