Cat owners may be forced to microchip pets as UK thefts soar
2 DAYS AGO - Owners could face fines of up to £500 for unregistered cats to combat black market Expand
2 DAYS AGO - Owners could face fines of up to £500 for unregistered cats to combat black market activityMillions of cat owners could be expected to get their cats microchipped or face fines under new government plans as the number of felines being stolen has risen sharply during the pandemic.Data from the police shows the number of cats being taken has risen almost threefold in five years, with a notable 12.3% in the last year. Owners are now being asked to microchip their cats in the same way as dogs already are. Related: Dog-bite Britain: the problem with the pandemic puppy explosion Continue reading... Collapse
Pet detective says stolen giant rabbit is ‘still hot’ and a smuggling risk
4 DAYS AGO - Owner offers £2,000 reward for record-breaking Worcestershire pet while rabbit expert predicts Expand
4 DAYS AGO - Owner offers £2,000 reward for record-breaking Worcestershire pet while rabbit expert predicts ransom demandDog thefts are one thing.A giant rabbit, however, is a leap into the unknown. Continue reading... Collapse
On my radar: Nick Laird's cultural highlights
7 DAYS AGO - The poet and novelist on politics, pugs and reading plays over ZoomBorn in 1975 in Cookstown, Expand
7 DAYS AGO - The poet and novelist on politics, pugs and reading plays over ZoomBorn in 1975 in Cookstown, Northern Ireland, poet and novelist Nick Laird attended the University of Cambridge before working in law for six years. In 2005, he published his first collection of poems, To a Fault, and his first novel, Utterly Monkey. Since then, he has won numerous awards for his writing, including the Somerset Maugham award, the Geoffrey Faber Memorial prize and the Eric Gregory award. He lives in London with his wife, Zadie Smith, and their two children. Laird and Smith’s children’s book debut, Weirdo (Puffin, £12.99), illustrated by Magenta Fox, is published on 15 April. Continue reading... Collapse
Ainsley Harriott: ‘I talk to my ingredients when I'm cooking’
06/04/2021 - The former Ready, Steady, Cook presenter on his love of the children’s classic Animal Magic, and Expand
06/04/2021 - The former Ready, Steady, Cook presenter on his love of the children’s classic Animal Magic, and the Galloping GourmetGrowing up, television was the only form of entertainment at home, apart from our Encyclopedia Britannica volumes, which were so enormous and packed with so many thin pages that we only reluctantly referred to them for schoolwork. Otherwise, we used to congregate as a family in the dining area, where there was a television. I was the youngest of three and that’s where we used to watch all our shows.Probably the biggest influence on me was Animal Magic with Johnny Morris. It really stuck with me because I loved the way that he talked to the animals, a little bit like Dr Dolittle, and educate us about their lives. It was amazing to see the animals in different parts of the world, too – it somehow made them seem a lot friendlier to us and, for me, it began a lifelong connection with animals and pets. Continue reading... Collapse
If your dog goes for my sheep, then I will shoot, UK farmers warn walkers
04/04/2021 - Inexperienced owners who acquired dogs during lockdown are blamed for rise in livestock Expand
04/04/2021 - Inexperienced owners who acquired dogs during lockdown are blamed for rise in livestock deathsFarmers are warning that attacks on livestock by dogs are reaching “epidemic proportions” as they brace themselves for a surge in dog attacks heading into peak lambing season.An increase in dog ownership during the pandemic, especially among inexperienced dog owners, saw the cost of dog attacks on livestock rise 10% last year to £1.3m, according to research published by NFU Mutual. Continue reading... Collapse
Japan's largest pets fair - in pictures
02/04/2021 - At the Interpets fair in Tokyo about 300 exhibitors will present their products to business Expand
02/04/2021 - At the Interpets fair in Tokyo about 300 exhibitors will present their products to business visitors and pet lovers Continue reading... Collapse
From the archive: the mouse breeders of Shipley, 1983
28/03/2021 - Big news from Yorkshire’s mouse capital of the worldFor anyone thinking the cover of the Observer Expand
28/03/2021 - Big news from Yorkshire’s mouse capital of the worldFor anyone thinking the cover of the Observer Magazine of 21 August 1983 has ‘British eccentricity’ written all over it, ‘Mouse proud – the cut and thrust of British mouse breeding’ doesn’t disappoint.Maureen Green went to Shipley in Yorkshire – ‘the mouse capital of the world’ she was told – to talk to some leading breeders of the National Mouse Club. It began with a heated dispute in the Under Eight Weeks Old class at the annual awards. ‘Although the animal itself is so minute, it’s the work that has gone into it, you see,’ said one member. ‘And when you are breeding something so small, to improve such fine points, the judging also has to be very, very precise.’The mouse should be long in body, with a long clean head, not too fine or pointed at the nose… Continue reading... Collapse
Buying lockdown dogs on a whim can lead to trouble, says RSPCA
26/03/2021 - Warning about difficulty of training new pets follows fatal wounding of Freddie the Thames seal Expand
26/03/2021 - Warning about difficulty of training new pets follows fatal wounding of Freddie the Thames seal The RSPCA’s dog welfare expert has warned that buying new dogs “on a whim” during lockdown could lead to preventable incidents with other animals.Dr Samantha Gaines was speaking after a dog attack caused the death of Freddie Mercury the Thames seal this week. Related: Freddie the Thames seal put down by vets after dog attack Continue reading... Collapse
What appointments did these dogs have to keep?': long lunches and brief liaisons in a radical new dogumentary
23/03/2021 - To mark National Puppy Day, Elizabeth Lo’s acclaimed film Stray gives humans rare insight into the Expand
23/03/2021 - To mark National Puppy Day, Elizabeth Lo’s acclaimed film Stray gives humans rare insight into the canine gaze, courtesy of homeless mutts in IstanbulFrom the moment Zeytin makes her first appearance in Elizabeth Lo’s feature Stray, there is no doubt you are in the presence of a unique spirit. As she surveys an Istanbul side street at dawn, her features are alert, her gaze is uncompromising and her deep, dark eyes sparkle with intelligence. There’s something of Katharine Hepburn in The African Queen about her, or maybe Brad Pitt in one of his less kempt moments. But non-dog comparisons don’t do her justice. This is one indomitable bitch.Lo first encountered Zeytin and her friend Nazar on a 2017 casting trip to Turkey, and knew immediately that she had found the star she was looking for – which is to say, a dog who could carry a human film. “We were wandering through a busy underground tunnel filled with people when suddenly these two giant stray dogs streaked past us,” she says. Collapse
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Pet time and power naps: working from home during the Covid crisis
2 DAYS AGO - From getting chores done to missing colleagues, readers reveal the highs and lows of remote Expand
2 DAYS AGO - From getting chores done to missing colleagues, readers reveal the highs and lows of remote workingCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageWorking from home has some well-publicised advantages, such as time and money saved on commutes, but some people have also found innovative ways to use their time. From cat-napping to later-life learning, four readers share their highs and lows of working from home. Related: Working from home: the good, the bad and the ugly | Letters Continue reading... Collapse
Major White House news: Biden’s dog to receive anti-biting training offsite
5 DAYS AGO - Presidential pet, a rescue dog, has ‘nipped’ two staff membersSpokesman for first lady says Expand
5 DAYS AGO - Presidential pet, a rescue dog, has ‘nipped’ two staff membersSpokesman for first lady says additional training neededMajor the White House dog will receive further training away from the executive mansion after two biting incidents at his new home, a spokesman for the first lady, Jill Biden, said on Monday. Related: Amorous alligators put Florida on alert as mating season begins Continue reading... Collapse
Fit in my 40s: am I fat-shaming my dog if we work out together? | Zoe Williams
7 DAYS AGO - In a wall-sit, you should ideally hold your dog in your arms. I have to file that under ‘might Expand
7 DAYS AGO - In a wall-sit, you should ideally hold your dog in your arms. I have to file that under ‘might work on a cockapoo’Something terrible happened a year ago. It involved my dog, another dog (who was fine, by the way, after a while), and I broke my hand trying to make him stop. What I should have done, apparently, is stick my finger up my dog’s bum hole. You know when you have a trauma, and you replay the moment many times, wishing you’d done things differently? I still get that a lot, entirely focused on Romeo’s butt. I stare at it for hours, full of if-onlys.As a result, he’s no longer allowed off the lead, so even though I have innovated around this, running with him and teaching him dog show jumping, he’s now quite fat. I don’t get as much joy from the walks, either, because they’re not as carefree; we both get less exercise. Related: Fit in my 40s: I tried a TikTok workout with my daughter. She hated every minute Continue reading... Collapse
The dogs keeping office workers company through lockdown
06/04/2021 - Owners say taking four-legged friends to work helps tackle loneliness and livens up Zoom Expand
06/04/2021 - Owners say taking four-legged friends to work helps tackle loneliness and livens up Zoom callsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage“Dogs are just like ‘play, eat, sleep’ – they bring me back into the moment. I think we can all learn something from that,” says Carole Henderson, who has been taking her “furry backup” to the office for the last few months.They are not so good at making the tea and things get a bit rowdy when the delivery man comes round, but Henderson’s labradors Barney and Rusty, and labradoodle Lily, have been her sidekicks for the last decade. As well as being excellent foot-warmers, they have helped her emotionally with getting through solo months in the office. Continue reading... Collapse
Out of the dog house: pressure grows to open up rentals to pets
04/04/2021 - Lockdown has shown the importance of animals to households, but many renters are not allowed to Expand
04/04/2021 - Lockdown has shown the importance of animals to households, but many renters are not allowed to have themWhen Jordan Adams left home three years ago, he missed one member of the family in particular – five-year-old Weimaraner Jasmine. So when the opportunity arose to look after the dog when his mother went away, he jumped at the chance. Until his landlord said otherwise.Adams found that under the terms of his tenancy, he wasn’t allowed to have pets in the property in Surrey. “I live in a ground floor flat with plenty of room. I think I should be able to have Jasmine occasionally and would really like my own dog eventually,” he says. Continue reading... Collapse
Death by chocolate: Kennel Club in Easter warning to dog owners
01/04/2021 - Sweet treats can cause potentially fatal health problems for dogs, with cases doubling over Easter Expand
01/04/2021 - Sweet treats can cause potentially fatal health problems for dogs, with cases doubling over Easter periodFrom chocolate eggs to hot cross buns and simnel cake, for many Easter is a time for sweet treats. But experts have warned they can cause potentially fatal health problems for dogs.According to data from the the Kennel Club, incidents of canine chocolate poisoning more than double over the Easter period when compared with other months. Related: 'Make a memory': campaigners fear revised Countryside Code lacks bite Continue reading... Collapse
Streaming: the best films about dogs
27/03/2021 - Our canine companions have long been an inspiration to auteurs and sentimental film-makers Expand
27/03/2021 - Our canine companions have long been an inspiration to auteurs and sentimental film-makers alikeBritain, we’re told, has recently reached “peak dog”. With many of us housebound in the past year, it has seemed the ideal time to adopt a dog – prompting a lot of “for life, not just for Covid” messaging from anxious animal shelters. If you’ve felt the urge for some canine companionship but just don’t feel ready to commit, the movies have you covered — the vicarious subgenre of cinéma du chien is a rich and varied one.It also gets a fine new entry this week (streamable on Amazon) in Elizabeth Lo’s lovely dogumentary Stray, a moving but notably unsentimental study of Istanbul’s street dogs — a sort of bookend to the same city’s cat-centred travelogue Kedi some years ago, albeit from a different filmmaker. Filming over the course of three years, and eschewing dialogue or voiceover, Lo’s film thoughtfully observes the movements and survival strategies of a population once threatened and now Collapse
DIY dog food is all the rage: will these recipes bowl over my little terrier?
25/03/2021 - More of us turn our noses up at mass-produced pet food and prepare our own, which must follow Expand
25/03/2021 - More of us turn our noses up at mass-produced pet food and prepare our own, which must follow strict nutritional advice. Felicity tries out some recipes on Wilf“We trust people to leave the hospital with a baby and keep it alive,” Debora Robertson, journalist and author of Dogs’ Dinners and Cooking for Cats, sighs down the phone. “We trust them to feed their children, but not their pets. Isn’t that mad?” Dog behaviourist Louise Glazebrook agrees: “The constant explanation that we could not possibly be relied upon to feed a dog without one of three multinational corporations putting it in a bag and flogging it to us at a ridiculous price really does make my blood boil.”Put like that, it does seem strange. Yet, like many pet owners who cook for other humans without a second thought, I’m oddly nervous of admitting I sometimes also prepare food for my terrier. Robertson recalls when she first wrote about it: “I felt like I was coming out of a very strange closet … but it was clearly a Collapse
Toilet-invading iguanas among invasive species now banned in Florida
22/03/2021 - Distraught pet owners can get permits for creatures including pythons and lizards but state wants Expand
22/03/2021 - Distraught pet owners can get permits for creatures including pythons and lizards but state wants trade and breeding to stopFlorida is known as a state with a fondness for the exotic, from its long history of accommodating religious cults to the Bubble Room restaurant where every day is Christmas Day. But now time is running out for one type of eccentric Floridian: those who own or breed exotic and invasive reptiles and other non-native animals. Related: Miami Beach imposes emergency Covid curfew to curb spring break chaos Related: Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort partially closed by Covid-19 outbreak Continue reading... Collapse
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Dog-bite Britain: the problem with the pandemic puppy explosion
2 DAYS AGO - Over the past year, dog ownership has surged, and they have brought many of us untold joy. But the Expand
2 DAYS AGO - Over the past year, dog ownership has surged, and they have brought many of us untold joy. But the lack of proper training or socialisation has led to a growing danger of attacksAnnie Forman’s cockapoo was not a pandemic puppy, but she became one: a furry lifebuoy to cling to during the first lockdown. Forman, 28, a receptionist at a GP surgery in a small Devon town, had grown up with dogs. They had never let her down, which she couldn’t say for some of the humans in her life.So when in January last year, Forman moved from her parents’ dog-filled home to her own place, the first thing she did was get a puppy. “There was no way I was going to go anywhere in life without a dog,” Forman says on the phone. As she speaks, Nellie the cockapoo is curled up on her lap. “I’ve struggled with my mental health for many years, and dogs were what got me through it. That’s why it was a bit crap what happened – because everything that had made me feel better sort of got taken away.”I remember one Collapse
Australian dogs poo the weight of the Sydney Harbour Bridge each month. Where should it go?
7 DAYS AGO - Pathogenic and methane-producing, poo is the worst part of pet ownership. But in South Australia, Expand
7 DAYS AGO - Pathogenic and methane-producing, poo is the worst part of pet ownership. But in South Australia, a group of enterprising pet owners are piloting solutionsI’ve always picked up my dog’s droppings with bittersweet feelings. There’s the gratification of doing the right thing, and the guilt for contributing to plastic waste. This was eased somewhat by using biodegradable bags, but there’s more work to be done.Animal Medicine Australia estimates there are 5.1m dogs in Australia. A single dog produces approximately 340 grams of waste per day. That means Australia’s dogs drop a mind-boggling weight in poo, 1734 tonnes – equivalent to nine empty jumbo jets every day, or a Sydney Harbour Bridge’s worth monthly. Related: Excremental growth: UK sniffs a pandemic puppy poo problem We learned that we can divert ... five tonnes of dog poop each year via just one green waste bin Continue reading... Collapse
Tim Dowling: is the dog-fox friendship sweet – or a bad omen?
7 DAYS AGO - The fox looks at me. ‘You have to go,’ I say. But it doesn’t moveThe dog is barking. I have no Expand
7 DAYS AGO - The fox looks at me. ‘You have to go,’ I say. But it doesn’t moveThe dog is barking. I have no idea what time it is – I went to bed late and fell asleep abruptly – but, judging from the blackness on the other side of the window, I’m confident that if I were one of my neighbours, I’d be pissed off.I sit up in bed. The dog is still barking. My phone says it’s 3.30. I pick my trousers off the floor and pull them on, because there are no dangers or demons in this world I am prepared to meet trouserless. Related: Tim Dowling: the dog needs a haircut, and I’m next in line Continue reading... Collapse
If you bought a dog during lockdown, they'll need help coming out of it | Rachel Casey
05/04/2021 - Behavioural problems are a common reason for rehoming, so prepare them for when you’re not there Expand
05/04/2021 - Behavioural problems are a common reason for rehoming, so prepare them for when you’re not there 24/7Despite the lows of the past year, for many lockdown has been the perfect opportunity to welcome a dog into their lives. The demand for dogs during the pandemic has been huge, with a 60% increase in calls from people seeking to adopt from the Dogs Trust charity, and with many other rescue organisations reporting similar findings. Google searches for “buy a puppy” increased by 115% after the UK first went into lockdown in March 2020, with prices for some of the most sought-after breeds reaching record levels.Dog ownership is a wonderful thing, but it is also a huge responsibility and a commitment that spans way beyond lockdown: as the saying goes, “A dog is for life”. As restrictions ease and the resumption of normality begins, it’s important we consider the implications for our canine companions and give them a hand to help them adjust. Related: 'Our rescue cat rescued us': how pets Collapse
There’s a cold snap forecast. The tortoise is in peril | Tim Dowling
03/04/2021 - I use a weather app with a poor reputation, on purpose, because I often want it to be wrong I come Expand
03/04/2021 - I use a weather app with a poor reputation, on purpose, because I often want it to be wrong I come downstairs in the morning to find the cat and the tortoise both waiting for me.“Mayor,” says the cat. Related: Tim Dowling: the cat has plenty to say. But why should I listen? Continue reading... Collapse
Joe Biden's dog, Major, bites second person in a month
31/03/2021 - German shepherd ‘nipped someone while on a walk’, then today one of the dogs left faeces on the Expand
31/03/2021 - German shepherd ‘nipped someone while on a walk’, then today one of the dogs left faeces on the White House floorJoe Biden’s dog, Major, has been involved in its second biting incident in a month, the White House has said.The dog “nipped someone while on a walk” on Monday, according to Jill Biden’s press secretary, Michael LaRosa. The animal “is still adjusting to his new surroundings”, he said. The individual was seen by the White House medical unit “out of an abundance of caution” and returned to work without injury.One of Biden's dogs pooped on the floor, per pool"Champ and Major were spotted in the hallway outside the Palm Room doors in front of the Diplomatic Room. There was dog poo on the floor. It’s unclear which dog was responsible for it" Continue reading... Collapse
Tim Dowling: the dog needs a haircut, and I’m next in line
27/03/2021 - I’m a dab hand with the dog clippers, but no one’s touching my new top knotIn the last month I’ve Expand
27/03/2021 - I’m a dab hand with the dog clippers, but no one’s touching my new top knotIn the last month I’ve acquired an absent-minded habit: gathering my hair in a balled-up fist at the crown of my head, to see if I have enough for a top-knot. Not quite.I’m not the only one in the house who needs a haircut; everyone does apart from the middle one, who came back from America looking as if he’d had a quick trim at the airport. But so far the only efforts towards a solution have been directed at the dog. Related: Tim Dowling: an unsettling force has upset my equilibrium… hope Continue reading... Collapse
Stray review – exquisite dog's eye view of Istanbul
23/03/2021 - Elizabeth Lo’s film about the street dogs of the Turkish metropolis is the perfect companion piece Expand
23/03/2021 - Elizabeth Lo’s film about the street dogs of the Turkish metropolis is the perfect companion piece to Kedi, a 2016 work about its catsAt last, just what world cinema really needs right now: an exquisitely made film about street dogs in Istanbul, satiating that universal desire to see distant lands, coo over beautiful, noble animals, and satisfy the audience’s need to feel guilty about the misfortune of poorer, unluckier people. Director Elizabeth Lo’s first feature-length documentary ticks every box, while also providing a companion piece to Kedi, Ceyda Torun’s equally wonderful ode to Istanbul and Turkey’s feral felines. Together, the two films would make the perfect night in of viewing for quarantined animal lovers with frustrated wanderlust, especially anyone who loves the magnificently grotty Bosphorus metropolis.Filmed seemingly with a low-slung camera held for great chunks of the running time at dog-head height, the film follows a gaggle of orphans both canine and human whose Collapse
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