New Year

Dogs Trust offers advice for owners to minimise suffering for four-legged-friends.

An estimated four million dogs are likely to be showing signs of fear or anxiety this New Year’s Eve, according to Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity.

To help make fireworks less stressful for our dogs on New Year’s Eve and beyond, the charity is offering some immediate tips and long-term advice to dog owners available on their website.

1. Walk your dog before dark
2. Make sure your house and garden are secure

I receive press releases every day, and this morning when I went through my emails, I spotted two which highlight the plight of too many dogs at this time of year. We know that Christmas can be a difficult time for dogs, and there are various reasons for that, the saddest being abandonment by their owner. For Rottweiler, Roger, and Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Tugz, this nightmare became reality.

Roger and Tugz were fortunate in as much as they were found and taken to Batersea Dogs & Cats Home, making them the charity’s first arrivals of 2017.

Roger is a six year old Rottweiler who is partially sighted, and was found on New Year’s Day

If you're looking for some resolutions to get 2015 off to a good start, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home have come up with some fantastic ones:

Ring in 2015 with Battersea Dogs & Cats Home’s New Year’s Resolutions

Calling all pet owners: if you haven’t yet thought of any New Year’s resolutions, the experts at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, the world famous animal charity, have got a few suggestions that will benefit both you and your pet.

Episode 80 of DogCast Radio is now available. The first interview is with dog aggression expert, Susie Aga. It's always great to talk to Susie, as she has such wonderful insight into canine thinking and behaviour. In this episode she is giving advice in response to a listener's problem. Katarina Anthony is having problems with her German Shepherd, Bismakr, who is constantly vying with one of his companions, a Great Dane/Shepherd mix, for the position of top dog.

It sounds like Katarina is doing many of the right things to keep the peace, but Susie has lots of suggestions for further action.

Happily, Princess Beatrice’s dog Norfolk terrier Max, who was lost in Windsor Great Park shortly before Christmas, has turned up safe and sound. She is delighted to have him back, and apart from having picked up an eye infection, Max is none the worse for his adventure. Over New Year we had our own encounter with a lost dog, though not one with such a posh owner.

I saw this one the other day. Once you start noticing them, you see them everywhere! It can liven up dog walking, playing I-spy poo signs, try it.

Anyway, not sure if this one is saying you have to bring a mammoth with you to spear the poo with his tusks. Or maybe that you have to clear up after big dogs? Or maybe just big poos? Suggestions on a postcard – or should that be e-card?