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Chiengora
Have you come across chiengora? - it's using dog hair to knit or weave with. The chien part of the word comes from French meaning dog, and the gora part refers to the angora style softness of the fur.
Frances Pike knows all about collecting and preparing dog fur for use, and has made several items using chiengora fibre. Having an item made from your dog's fur can be a great fun item, but more than that, for those whose dog has passed on the chiengora item can be a an excellent memorial and sense of comfort.
If you want to use some of your dog's fur, listen to Fran's advice for gathering it. You can find out more about Fran at her blog, which is about many aspects of knitting, not just chiengora.
If you do make something using your dog's fur, we'd love to hear about it.
Karen Wild
Karen Wild is a dog trainer who enjoys working with people just as much as working with dogs, and has been involved in an innovative project at a school for children with special needs.
Coco, the headmaster's Labrador, has been socialised and trained very carefully and is proving a hit with the children - as well as a great source of motivation for them.
Karen talks about how she came to work with dogs, her attitude to her clients - human and canine - and her work with Coco.
You can find out more about Karen at her website, and you can follow her on Twitter, where her name is WildPaw.
News and other items
In the DogCast Radio News you can hear about the dog who blew away - complete with kennel, the dog that was just too big for the house, and the dog who nearly came to a sticky end when he chewed up the mail.
Plus a study claims we have made our dogs less intelligent just by domesticating them - hear the details.
The DogCast Radio family recently lost a member - Luna the cat. She was not quite a year old, and met her end when a car knocked her over. You can read a tribute to her in the DogCast Radio blog - The cat who stole the heart of a dog lover.
Plus host Julie ponders if a thoroughly wet and very friendly dog is what really sorts the dog lovers from the non dog lovers. What situations do you think sort out the dog fan from the rest of the world?