Are pets really good for us – or just hairy health hazards?
2 DAYS AGO - Many animal-lovers think a cat or dog can help you live a longer, happier, healthier life. But Expand
2 DAYS AGO - Many animal-lovers think a cat or dog can help you live a longer, happier, healthier life. But does the science back them up?My childhood dog was called Biff. Biff was a handful. He was a loud, cocky shetland sheepdog who oozed bravado and bravery. Yet, underneath it all, he struggled with the dog version of impostor syndrome. Biff was a bag of masked insecurity. He was like the kid in school who says he has seen all the scary movies, but refuses to go to any sleepovers where scary movies are played; the kid who has “a girlfriend at another school”. It was that fragile side I especially loved about Biff during my teenage years. We shared an insecurity that neither of us had the cognitive skills to put into words. This was a friendship – one that lasted as he grew older, grumpier and more infirm.He was an exceptionally licky dog, and loved nothing more than slurping his tongue over our jeans, shoes, socks and coats. Officially, this behaviour was something we attempted to quash – but, Collapse
A nudge to pick up the fudge': US city flags dog poo left in public places
5 DAYS AGO - Campaign in Springfield, Missouri, urges residents to clean up after pets as city says it picks up Expand
5 DAYS AGO - Campaign in Springfield, Missouri, urges residents to clean up after pets as city says it picks up nearly 25 pounds of dog poo a weekOfficials in small-town America are planting miniature but powerfully frank flags in piles of abandoned dog poo in public places, as part of a campaign to get residents to clean up after their pets downtown.The police department in Springfield, south-west Missouri, posted photos of the flags in use on its Facebook page on Wednesday. Continue reading... Collapse
Call to train British guide dogs – archive, 8 October 1934
7 DAYS AGO - 8 October 1934: Owing to quarantine difficulties dogs trained abroad can not be imported into Expand
7 DAYS AGO - 8 October 1934: Owing to quarantine difficulties dogs trained abroad can not be imported into England, hence the need to train dogs in this countryDelegates of the Manchester and Yorkshire branches of the National Association of Blind Workers were welcomed on Saturday afternoon to their conference in Manchester by the Lord Mayor, Alderman Joseph Binns.One of the most interesting addresses was that by Mr. Musgrave Frankland, secretary of the Liverpool branch of the National Institute for the Blind, who spoke on “Guide dogs for the blind.” Related: Analysis: what went wrong at the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association Related: A working life: the guide dog trainer Continue reading... Collapse
Pets are a 'saving grace' for stressed-out workers
02/10/2019 - Millions of British workers believe the stress of their job has had a negative effect on their Expand
02/10/2019 - Millions of British workers believe the stress of their job has had a negative effect on their mental health. A poll of 2,000 employees revealed six in 10 feel tired, anxious and worried due to huge Collapse
Man who invented labradoodle says it is his 'life's regret
26/09/2019 - Wally Conron feels he created a ‘Frankenstein’s monster’ as now unethical breeders make hybrids Expand
26/09/2019 - Wally Conron feels he created a ‘Frankenstein’s monster’ as now unethical breeders make hybrids with serious health problemsThree decades ago, Wally Conron bred two unlike animals to unleash a creature the world had never seen. Today, he says it’s his “life’s regret”: “I opened a Pandora’s box and released a Frankenstein’s monster.”That travesty was a labradoodle. Related: Shock tactics: can electric dog collars ever be ethical? Continue reading... Collapse
Tell us about the moment you realised your cat loved you
24/09/2019 - If you have lived with a cat we’d like to hear your stories about when you discovered they Expand
24/09/2019 - If you have lived with a cat we’d like to hear your stories about when you discovered they returned your affectionCats, it turns out, love humans more than we might think. Despite their contrary and aloof reputation, our feline friends form close emotional attachments to people who look after them – much like babies and dogs do.“Our study indicates that when cats live in a state of dependency with a human, the majority use humans as a source of comfort,” Dr Kristyn Bitale of Oregon State University, one of the researchers. Continue reading... Collapse
May I have a word about… perking up your pet the hi-tech way | Jonathan Bouquet
15/09/2019 - Worried that your dog or cat is missing out on vital treats or grooming? There’s a (jargon-laden) Expand
15/09/2019 - Worried that your dog or cat is missing out on vital treats or grooming? There’s a (jargon-laden) solution at handIt has long been known that the UK is a country of pet lovers, and with good reason. A study has found that British dog owners spend an average of £240 a month on their pet, with costs including food, treats, grooming, insurance and vets’ fees, while cat owners spend £100. That’s a staggering £24.5bn on dogs and £9.6bn on cats each year. And now, to ensure that Fido and Tiddles need never want for anything again, there is a new app. I learn this from an excited press release that landed in my inbox.“A behavioural research and user experience consultancy has helped a pioneering vet tech firm to successfully launch its app. Award-winning firm SimpleUsability was commissioned by tech startup Vet-AI to take a full user-centred design process to create their revolutionary app, Joii. Joii, a groundbreaking mobile app which leverages AI and is designed to help pet owners to look Collapse
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An ‘accessible’ lunch can leave a bad taste | Brief letters
1 DAY AGO - Michelin star in Manchester | Flour power | Puddings | Female pre-Raphaelite artists | The F-word Expand
1 DAY AGO - Michelin star in Manchester | Flour power | Puddings | Female pre-Raphaelite artists | The F-word | Tripping over petsThat’s an interesting remark from your north of England correspondent in “Mana from heaven: The chef who finally brought a Michelin star to Manchester” (12 October): “At the moment he’s focused on opening for lunches mid-week. Charged at £65 per head, as opposed to the £105 evening tasting menu, it’s Mana’s bid to remain accessible to locals.” £65? Accessible? Are we to gather from this that it’s no longer grim oop north?Ian AndersonBristol • Wendell Steavenson’s “Flour power” (The long read, 10 October) continues the widespread fashion of the fetishisation of food in the guise of promoting healthy eating. £4 loaves of sourdough made with scarce heritage grains, wind milled by corporate refugees, is more about bragging rights with your friends than proper food. To get cheap proper bread, all you need is a breadmaker, a bag of organic wholewheat bread flour and a Collapse
Domestic rabbits plagued by diseases and poor diets, study finds
2 DAYS AGO - Royal Veterinary College researchers point to misconceptions about how ‘minimal care and handling’ Expand
2 DAYS AGO - Royal Veterinary College researchers point to misconceptions about how ‘minimal care and handling’ pet rabbits need They are often thought of as the perfect pets for children: cute, fluffy and low-maintenance. But many of the UK’s 1.5 million domestic rabbits lead miserable, disease-ridden lives, research has shown.Overgrown nails and teeth, gut stasis and dirty backsides – which can result from poor diets and lead to myiasis – were some of the most common conditions found in a study of over 6,000 rabbits taken to vets. Related: Pet rabbits are cruelly neglected and mistreated in Britain, survey finds Continue reading... Collapse
I adore dogs, so why does their unconditional love make me nervous? | Adrian Chiles
5 DAYS AGO - Those recovering from heart attacks and strokes apparently do better if they have a dog in the Expand
5 DAYS AGO - Those recovering from heart attacks and strokes apparently do better if they have a dog in the house. And dogs help depression, too. It’s a shame I can’t bear them looking at me. Those recovering from heart attacks and strokes apparently do better if they have a dog in the house, according to a study of 300,000 people in Sweden, published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. The companionship’s good for the soul, and the incentive to exercise is a help. It’s well known, too, that dogs are good for depression, but I must say that they don’t work for me. I love dogs, but have never owned one; I prefer to borrow them. My friends’ cockapoo is one I’m very close to. He’s called Hugo, which was the breeder’s choice, not theirs. The problem with walking a dog called Hugo in any park near where I live, is that when you call him, half the boys within earshot come running towards you. Apart from that, Hugo gives great value at times when Collapse
What can I do about three cat-murdering dogs in a neighbourhood yard?
07/10/2019 - Loving a pet makes us hope their bad behaviour is an aberration, so take an approach that doesn’t Expand
07/10/2019 - Loving a pet makes us hope their bad behaviour is an aberration, so take an approach that doesn’t feel like jabbing a finger, advises Eleanor Gordon-SmithThere are three massive dogs in a yard in my neighbourhood that keep murdering local cats. I wonder whether I should letterbox the neighbourhood to let them know this is going on so cat owners let their cats out at their own risk. I am related to one of the murdered cats (I was his devoted cat-auntie). My family does not want me to do this. They have a small child, so it is important they have as smooth a relationship with the dog-owning neighbour as possible. Am I potentially antagonising the dog-owning neighbour with a letterbox drop?Let’s do the easy part first: you are absolutely right that someone should alert local cat owners. In fact, I think it would be unkind to know about the threat and not say anything. If it happened again you’d always wonder whether you could have stopped it, and you know how you’d feel if someone could Collapse
Are humans the only species to keep other species as pets?
01/10/2019 - The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from Expand
01/10/2019 - The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical conceptsAre humans the only species to keep other species as pets, purely for the owner’s pleasure, rather than out of any necessity?Clare Dunkley, Finchley, London Continue reading... Collapse
The Dog House: feelgood TV at its fluffiest
25/09/2019 - Like a canine First Dates, this masterful matchmaker show that pairs pups with new owners is the Expand
25/09/2019 - Like a canine First Dates, this masterful matchmaker show that pairs pups with new owners is the perfect televisual tonic. Hankies at the ready …As acclaimed, must-see dramas stack up on my streaming services, looming bleak and unwatched, I have found myself instead looking forward to every single episode of The Dog House on Channel 4, which might just be the most charming show on television (step aside, The Repair Shop). Every Thursday, it’s a balm; an hour-long mood enhancer that gently delights in the goodness of people and the wonder of love.The Wood Green animal charity rehouses cats and dogs, but even though recent reports suggest that cats actually do have affection for their owners, rather than abject contempt, this is the canine roadshow. Each week, dogs that have come through the doors of Wood Green are matched with potential new homes. We are told the stories of the people who want a dog, and the people who have been forced to give their dogs away, and even the stories of Collapse
Cats bond with owners and are not as aloof as they seem, study shows
23/09/2019 - Dog owners – and some other scientists – are not so convinced by US study’s conclusionsCats may Expand
23/09/2019 - Dog owners – and some other scientists – are not so convinced by US study’s conclusionsCats may sometimes seem aloof, contrary and utterly nonplussed by humans, but it turns out that might not be the full story.Researchers say they have found that, like children and dogs, cats form emotional attachments to their caregivers including something known as “secure attachment” – a situation in which the presence of a caregiver helps them to feel secure, calm, safe and comfortable enough to explore their environment. Related: How do you know your cat loves you? Let me count 25 ways | Fay Schopen Continue reading... Collapse
I gave a blueberry facial to a vegan dog': inside the pet pampering boom
14/09/2019 - From cat spas to dogs Fitbits, pets are more fussed over than ever. What’s behind the mini-me Expand
14/09/2019 - From cat spas to dogs Fitbits, pets are more fussed over than ever. What’s behind the mini-me phenomenon?Jane Lawlor is giving me a tour of her Essex hotel. ‘Most of our suites come with views of the pool or the rolling fields of the Brentwood countryside, and our evening turn-down service includes lighting flameless candles and leaving luxury pillow treats,’ she says, handing me a glass of champagne in the hotel bar, where velvet sofas face a wood-burning stove. “We’re all about relaxation and privacy here, so most guests like to eat in peace via room service, choosing anything from pan-crusted cod to lobster tail with caviar. And wait till you see the spa – we offer the latest treatments using award-winning products.”I can see that she gets treated exactly the way she would at home: like royalty. She always comes back perfectly groomedIn a 2018 study, 51% of consumers said they would sooner take a hit on their own spending than on their pets'It's no longer seen as acceptable to Collapse
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From Renaissancecore to the pillow bra: this week’s fashion trends
4 DAYS AGO - What’s hot and what’s not in fashion this weekPets on planes On a flight to Milan, Kendall Jenner Expand
4 DAYS AGO - What’s hot and what’s not in fashion this weekPets on planes On a flight to Milan, Kendall Jenner wore a top paying homage to her dog – the fashion equivalent of an emotional support animal. Continue reading... Collapse
Riddled with exclusions': pet insurers slapped with a Shonky award
6 DAYS AGO - Consumer advocacy group Choice will not recommend a single Australian pet insurance product Rocky Expand
6 DAYS AGO - Consumer advocacy group Choice will not recommend a single Australian pet insurance product Rocky is usually pretty responsible. The teddy bear lookalike Chihuahua-Jack Russell cross is too much of a “little old man soul” to get into much trouble. But one Sunday this April, while his owner Penny Lane was in the midst of packing for an interstate move, he vaulted from a stool to a high kitchen counter and devoured several of the chocolate brownies she’d baked for her farewell party. “I’d made them really chocolatey too,” she said.She rushed him to Melbourne’s Lort Smith animal hospital, where he was held overnight for treatment. The bill came to $800. “I thought, it’s alright, I’ve got pet insurance.” But when Lane submitted the claim – alongside proof from previous vet appointments that Rocky was otherwise healthy – her claim was rejected. Related: Shonky awards 2018: Commonwealth Bank's Dollarmites gets a gong Continue reading... Collapse
William Wegman: ‘Weimaraners are serious and try hard. They’re spooky and shadowy’
05/10/2019 - Since the 1970s, William Wegman has been photographing his dogs in costumes and poses that are Expand
05/10/2019 - Since the 1970s, William Wegman has been photographing his dogs in costumes and poses that are both funny and unsettling. It was all to do with ‘putting the ordinary out of sync’ William Wegman did not start his art career wanting to photograph dogs. But dogs, it turned out, wanted to be photographed by him. His first great muse, a Weimaraner called Man Ray, noodled around in front of the camera until Wegman decided to click the shutter. That was in 1970. Wegman had grown up in the 1950s obsessed by a droll comedy duo, Bob and Ray; suddenly he had a sidekick of his own. He and Man Ray already visited galleries and bars together. Now they started making photos and videos, too, revelling in a kind of spare and poetic slapstick. “He was a great dog for that,” says Wegman wistfully. “Really serious and so concentrated and funny.”We are in a large sunlit room in Maine, so far north that we are practically in Canada. Wegman has been giving me a grand tour of his lakeside retreat, a Collapse
Country diary provides words of sanctuary in turbulent times | Brief letters
26/09/2019 - Affectionate cats | Narendra Modi | Lundy life | Country diary | Bookshop signThe supposed Expand
26/09/2019 - Affectionate cats | Narendra Modi | Lundy life | Country diary | Bookshop signThe supposed affection of cats (Yes, your cat really does love you…, G2, 25 September) is strongly suggested by the story of Doorkins Magnificat, the Southwark cathedral cat. The cathedral staff tell how, on the night before a previous dean’s funeral, Doorkins forsook her usual sleeping place and slept instead under the coffin. A Magnificat indeed.Rev Dr Peter PhillipsSwansea• Neither Bill Gates nor any other American can “legitimise” Narendra Modi (Bill Gates, don’t legitimise Narendra Modi with this award, Journal, 25 September). In these post-imperial days, India’s 600 million voters are enough. Meghnad DesaiLabour, House of Lords Continue reading... Collapse
‘He brought me a tissue when I was ill’: the moment readers realised their cat loves them
24/09/2019 - Research shows cats really do love their owners. We asked readers to share the time they first Expand
24/09/2019 - Research shows cats really do love their owners. We asked readers to share the time they first felt a genuine, reciprocal bond with their petCats, it turns out, love humans more than we thought. According to research from Oregon State University published this week, felines form close emotional attachments to people who look after them – much like babies and dogs do. Many cat owners will know this already, of course, so we asked Guardian readers to tell us about the moment they realised their pets really loved them.For one Twitter user, Fletch Williams, it was when her cat “brought me a tissue when I was sick in bed. Something he did only a few times, and never when I was well.” Elizabeth Booth, 60, from Kettering, Northamptonshire, says her black-and-white cat, Billy, would “stroke my hand with his paw while he lay outstretched next to me on the sofa”. Continue reading... Collapse
Shock tactics: can electric dog collars ever be ethical?
18/09/2019 - Last year, the government announced plans to ban remote-control collars, but now a dog-owning Expand
18/09/2019 - Last year, the government announced plans to ban remote-control collars, but now a dog-owning minister is calling for the ban to be abandoned. So what is the truth about these training aids?Is it cruel to give your pet electric shocks? Just little ones? The work and pensions secretary, Thérèse Coffey, has come under fire for using one on her beagle-pug cross, Lola, which reportedly kept trying to attack other dogs. She spoke to Steve Andrews, a Suffolk dog trainer, who recommended an electric collar to help control Lola’s behaviour. This seemed to work, and Andrews has since asked Coffey to help to overturn the government’s plans for a ban on remote-control collars. Awkwardly, the plans were announced by Michael Gove last year, when Coffey was a minister in his department.“Thérèse’s dog responds on setting 11 [out of 100],” Andrews told the Eastern Daily Press. “She felt what that was like and could feel nothing … This is not cruel. Thérèse and her family are dog lovers doing the Collapse
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