We invited members of the congregation to attend our wedding, and stay for drinks afterwards. One of them kindly brought along Sadie, this beautiful Parsons Jack Russell terrier, who was rescued less than a year ago. She also wore a large cream bow, which looked even bigger on such a small dog. As the priest announced that the ceremoney was complete the congregation applauded. The little dog joined in, barking loudly, to the delight of all concerned. She then posed patiently for dozens of photos.

her owners work in call center outsourcing, and they work shifts to fit in their dog care responsibilities.

Buying a puppy from a breeder is something that a lot of families see as the obvious way to get a dog. But a recent survey by RSPCA inspectors reveals that more than half of all puppy breeding establishments in England in Wales do not meet the animal welfare needs. The number of complaints about animals and pet purchases, have almost doubled in the past two years. More than 4,600 calls were made to the goverment complaints service in 2008.

The RSPCA wants to work with local authorities, who license animal breeding establishments, to ensure the animal welfare standards are raised. Thay also want to clamp down more and more on rogue puppy traffickers who are routinely peddling sick puppies imported from Ireland. Round here that animal rescue centres are full of unwanted puppies from Ireland, so you can see that by using a puppy breeder you could be contributing to puppy trafficking. This is where puppies are bred in large numbers for profit, often with little regard for animal welfare. Many puppies fall sick, and some die.

These are the facts – RSPCA undercover staff bought six puppies. Of these, two were seriously ill. Frank, a mastiff, had parvo virus, but was fortunately saved by vets. Chardonnay, a cavalier King Charles spaniel cross, was diagnosed with pneumonia and, despite constant care, sadly died two weeks later. Read more »

As the time since losing Kev passes, the pain receds a little. Towards the end of the year we hope to adopt another dog -or possibly two dogs. The owner of Primrose, the Standard Poodle who came from Australia, has noticed an interesting trend among local dog owners. Helen finds that, for Arundel dog owners, a rescue dog has a certain cachet.  Buying from a breeder is not seen as the best option, and some people actually frown on the idea.  This must be music to the ears of animal rescue charities.  They have been urging us for years to look at all the unwanted dogs first, rather than encourage puppy farming.  We are only one small town of admittedly middle class dog lovers, but at least the message is getting through.  Older dogs are the other neglected group, as they are often passed over in favour of puppies.  When we adopted Kev, his age was estimated at nine. We had nearly four rewarding years with him, and given the chance we would do it all over again.   Our beautiful dog was slim and handsome, with a fantastic coat. He always helped me avoid eating too much as half my snacks always reached his stomach.  This is a great alternative to an appetite suppressant, and helped me keep my weight down. That is just one more advantage to having a dog.

Sherbet, the Wheaten Terrier who lives near my house, has showns no signs of losing his urge to meet and mate with every female dog in our town.  His enthusiasm for the ladies meant that he had to stay on the lead all the time, which is a shame.  Before his hormones took over, Sherbet walked well off the lead along the river bank with his family.  They are not interested in breeding any pups from Sherbet, so the desision to neuter him was taken.  My husband and Sherbet’s ‘Dad’  were pretty squeamish about the procedure, so his Mum took him to the vet on Thursday.  The op. went well, and Sherbet was full of beans again by Saturday. I know this because I took him for a walk and his vigour was undiminished.  It’s important to remember that there is plenty of Testosterone flowing round his body for six weeks after being neutered.  When we adopted Kevin he had been neutered at the rescue centre. Two weeks later we visited some friend who are great fans of Vegas vacations. We were mortified when he tried to ‘hump’ their male Black Labrador!

The Obamas have finally welcomed their Portuguese Water Dog, named Bo, to the White House.I am a little disappointed that he is not actually from an animal; rescue centre.  It is true that his first owners gave Bo up because things were not working out with their existing dog, another Portuguese Water Dog. They gave him back to the breeder, and this was the breeder from where Ted Kennedy bought his own Portuguese Water dog.  The Senator  was obviously on the lookout for a dog from this breed, it was he who advised the family to get one.  The Portuguese Water dog sheds very little hair, making it suitable for anyone with allergies – also for people who do not want to clear up mats of dog hair every day. The Portuguese Water Dog is set to become known as the “Hypoallergenic Dog Breed” now the Obamas have given it such prominence.

Bo is still a puppy – just six months old – so he has had some upheaval in his short life. He was born in Texas, his first owner lived in Washington, DC, he returned for just a day to the breeder, then spent a month being trained for his new role in Virginia, before moving on to his new home at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Before his arrival at the White House the First Family’s dog spent a month with a dog trainer. Was this necessary? Hard to tell: a trained puppy can be allowed to stray into more public events, I suppose.

It is not always necessary to buy from a breeder if you want to adopt a specific breed.  There are plenty of rescue organisations who rehome one breed of dog, and a quick search online should find you a rescue organisation for the kind of dog you would like to own.  While there are so many dogs available for adoption, it makes no sense at all that breeders are producing so many puppies – many of whom are rejected by their owners in later life. And the Kennel Club continues to rubber stamp this culture.

The RSPCA is appealing to people living in the South East of England  who can offer a new home to one of more than 100 St Bernards which were removed from kennels in Northamptonshire in December 2008.

Since then the dogs have been cared for in private boarding kennels on behalf of the RSPCA. While they remained the property of their former owner, the Society was unable to rehome them.

Now, ownership of the St Bernards has been signed over to the RSPCA and so good new homes can be sought.

The dogs are being rehomed in small groups through various RSPCA animal centres. Priority will be given to potential owners who live nearest to where the dogs are currently being cared for to limit how far they will have to travel to their new homes. In the South East region, priority will be given to people living in Kent , as the dogs are being cared for near Maidstone. If you would like to offer a home to one of these wonderful dogs in the UK, please call 0300 123 8000.

Please note that a donation will be required in return for rehoming one of the dogs which helps cover the cost of their neutering, vaccinations, microchipping and veterinary check

St Bernards are large dogs and, as these particular animals have lived in kennels all their lives, they are not used to walking on leads and have not been house trained. They will need experienced homes where there is a reasonably large amount of space. They will also need regular grooming.

Paul Williams, RSPCA animal welfare manager in the RSPCA’s east region, said: “These dogs will need special care and patience. They all have good temperaments but their kennel background means that they will need owners with the knowledge and time to help them settle into their new homes.

“So far,  caring for these St Bernards has cost the RSPCA around £100,000 and all donations, however big or small, will be gratefully received. If you would like to rehome one of the dogs or make a donation so we can continue to care for animals like these, please call us on 0300 123 8000.”

The majority of the dogs range in age from two years to eight years and older and should make very loyal and rewarding pets for those able to give them the care they desperately need.
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