Scrim the tramp terrier, known for his many getaways, now has a home and an extended family to look over him
Calling King Solomon.
The wiry terrier named Scrim who had virtually all of New Orleans looking for him while he spent most of the previous year on the run – enduring a hurricane, a historic snowfall and other perils – landed in the middle of an adoption controversy among those who recently brought him to heel again and then wanted to keep him.
Continue reading...Researchers say drugs may be able to increase lifespan by extending health and thus shortening the rate of ageing
Not for nothing are dogs called man’s best friend: they are good for their owners’ mental and physical health, and some studies have shown that if you’re looking for a date and want to seem more attractive, it might be time to get a canine companion.
So what would it be like if dogs could live for ever – and what if that secret could help their owners live longer, healthier lives too?
Continue reading...Six-year-old spanador called Ivor taught to identify tree fungal-like organism killing trees and shrubs around UK
Sniffer dogs are usually found looking for contraband at airports and train stations, but the UK government is now dispatching trained hounds to find forest-harming pests.
A dog has been used for the first time in the UK to successfully identify tree disease. Researchers from Forest Research used a trained spanador – a cocker spaniel labrador cross – to find the tree pathogen Phytophthora ramorum.
Continue reading...Bill aims to strengthen animal welfare by closing legal loopholes around imports of dogs, cats and ferrets
The government has thrown its weight behind a bill to crack down on puppy smuggling as part of a commitment to strengthening animal welfare.
Ministers announced on Friday that they were supporting a private member’s bill sponsored by Danny Chambers, a Liberal Democrat MP and veterinary surgeon, to crack down on the pet-smuggling trade.
Continue reading...Firefighter was lowered into shaft and dog, who was ‘a good sport’, was ‘secured and raised out’, authorities said
Firefighters fetched a dog from an abandoned mine shaft in northern California after it fell 50ft.
Firefighters were called around 3.40am last Thursday to a mine located in El Dorado county, roughly 68 miles east of Sacramento.
Continue reading...Savannah Bentham, from the Malton area, killed by family pet in attack police said was out of character
An XL bully dog has been put down after fatally attacking a 10-year-old girl in North Yorkshire last week.
Savannah Bentham, from the Malton area, was fatally attacked by her family’s pet dog at home on Friday. On Tuesday, the dog was identified as an XL bully and was euthanised by a vet, North Yorkshire police said.
Continue reading...Expert reminds owners ‘freeze it, don’t squeeze it’ when it comes to a tick, ideally with a tick-freezing spray from a chemist
Dog owners have been warned about a tick boom unfolding along Australia’s east coast, with some experts predicting an unusually bad season for furry friends.
Veterinary scientist and parasitologist Peter Irwin, an emeritus professor at Murdoch University, said the severity of a tick season was largely determined by the preceding weather, and last summer had been very hot and wet along the east coast”.
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Continue reading...Labrador Lucy laid down on owner Pamela Helmstadter, 72, to protect her from cold after husband John, 82, fell and died
A dog may have saved a woman from dying alongside her husband after the couple – the animal’s owners – became lost for four frigid nights while on a walk in the woods in Maine, according to authorities.
John Helmstadter, 82, and Pamela Helmstadter, 72, of Alexander, Maine, left their home on Sunday 13 October, to go for a walk with their one-year-old black labrador, Lucy, officials said.
Continue reading...Gardeners’ World presenter is bucking the trend to make the event more inclusive
Some gardeners at the Chelsea Flower Show may balk at the idea of a dog scrabbling around near their prize roses.
But Monty Don is designing his first Chelsea garden for next year’s event – and making it dog-friendly.
Continue reading...Woman taken to hospital in a critical condition after being attacked by the dogs
Three dogs have been shot dead by police who were trying to save a woman being mauled in a Melbourne back yard.
Police were called to Ross Street at Dandenong in the city’s outer south-east about 10am on Thursday, where the woman was being attacked by the dogs in a back yard.
Continue reading...Gita, 13, sat down in middle of road in Washington state after owner hurt his leg, fell and couldn’t get up
A dog saved her owner – who hurt his leg at home in rural Washington state, fell and couldn’t get up for hours – by walking to a road, sitting in the middle of it until a local sheriff’s deputy stopped, and leading the officer to him, according to authorities.
Gita’s ability to be “a good girl and true hero” in her 84-year-old owner’s moment of need after his injury at their cabin on 25 September led to her “saving his life that day”, the Stevens county sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Continue reading...Thursday’s bomb threat came after Trump repeated unfounded rumor that immigrants were ‘eating the pets’
The mayor of Springfield, Ohio, has said that the bomb threat made on Thursday that forced the evacuation of the city hall, two schools, and other buildings was explicitly anti-immigrant and hostile to the city’s Haitian community, following Donald Trump’s stoking of a rightwing conspiracy theory that some residents’ pets are being eaten.
Rob Rue, the mayor, accused national Republicans who are amplifying wild rumors from a far-right provocateur that Haitian immigrants in Springfield are hunting and eating other people’s pets of “hurting our city”.
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Continue reading...Survey found almost a third of UK dog owners spent less than a day researching the breeder
Would-be dog owners are buying puppies with little thought, effort or research, the UK’s leading dog breeding organisation has said, warning that convenience culture is having a “devastating” effect on puppy welfare.
According to research by the Kennel Club, almost a third (29%) of dog owners in the UK spent less than a day researching their decision and the breeder.
Continue reading...Staff at a practice in Wales have accused its private-equity-backed owner of poor pay and overcharging customers
Staff working at a chain of commercial vet surgeries have extended their strike, accusing their private-equity-backed owner of underpaying workers and overcharging pet owners as part of the first industrial action to hit the veterinary sector in the UK.
Unionised vets, nurses and support staff at Valley Vets in south Wales, which is owned by one of the largest veterinary corporations in the country, VetPartners, decided last week to stay out until the end of the month, in the latest move in an increasingly bitter dispute.
Continue reading...Dogs, horses, birds, goats and pet cockroaches were seized from a home in Riverside county and placed in care
Animal services officials in southern California have rescued more than 100 neglected animals including dogs, horses, birds and pet cockroaches from a home in Riverside county.
Riverside county officials served a search warrant on Wednesday at a property that was discovered following the Nixon fire that burned more than 5,200 acres (2,100 hectares) in July, according to a statement released on Thursday.
Continue reading...Italian brand makes first foray into pet scents – but RSPCA warns against such products as dogs rely on sense of smell
If the axiom that a dog is man’s best friend holds any credence, Dolce & Gabbana has now elevated it with the introduction of its latest perfume: a mist for dogs.
But the RSPCA has warned against messing with dogs’ sense of smell by giving them their own fragrance, warning the odour could come across as unpleasant for them – and hamper their ability to connect with their surroundings.
Continue reading...Animal lovers fear legislation will lead to many of the dogs being killed or ending up in overcrowded shelters
Turkish legislators have approved a law aimed at removing millions of stray dogs from the country’s streets that animal lovers fear will lead to many of the dogs being killed or ending up in neglected, overcrowded shelters.
Some critics also say the law will be used to target the opposition, which made huge gains in the latest local elections. The legislation includes penalties for mayors who fail to carry out its provisions and the main opposition party has promised not to implement it.
Continue reading...Organisers hope dogs will mimic behaviour of wolves that in past would have helped disperse wildflower seeds
Backpack-wearing dogs are being enlisted to “act like wolves” to help rewild an urban nature reserve in the East Sussex town of Lewes.
Before wolves were persecuted to extinction in the UK in about 1760, they were known to roam large areas, typically covering 12 miles (20km) or more each night.
Continue reading...Eight dogs vied for the title in the Sonoma-Marin Fair’s disagreeable-looking dog competition
The World’s Ugliest Dog annual contest may not render the most flattering title to its victor, but don’t tell that to Wild Thang.
The eight-year-old pekingese won this year’s competition on Friday.
Continue reading...Scottish-style right to roam deal should train owners and protect livestock and wildlife, say campaigners
Dogs and their owners must be brought to heel with the return of dog licences, registration for breeders and a ban on toxic flea treatments, campaigners have said.
The activists from the Right to Roam campaign want a deal for dogs to protect farmers’ livestock and vulnerable wildlife from being menaced by Britain’s rising dog population and out-of-control dog behaviour.
Do not allow your dog to approach animals or people uninvited
Don’t linger if wildlife is disturbed by your presence
Where possible avoid animals – release your dog if threatened by cattle
Always keep your dog in sight and under control – if in doubt use a lead.
Don’t take your dog into fields of vegetables and fruit unless there is a clear path.
Finish the jobbie – bag it and bin it. Take it home when bins aren’t available.
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