The final two days of Crufts – in pictures
10/03/2024 - Crufts 2024 featured over 24 thousand dogs from 220 breeds. The event culminates with the awarding Expand
10/03/2024 - Crufts 2024 featured over 24 thousand dogs from 220 breeds. The event culminates with the awarding of the best in show trophy on Sunday night Continue reading... Collapse
‘No discernible nostrils’: Crufts in row over prizes for French bulldog
08/03/2024 - Critics say Elton does not meet revised breed standard, but world’s biggest dog show says he Expand
08/03/2024 - Critics say Elton does not meet revised breed standard, but world’s biggest dog show says he passed all relevant health checksA row has erupted at the world’s biggest dog show after the prize for the best canine in the utility group went to a French bulldog that some have argued has no discernible nostrils.Concern over hugely popular squashed-face breeds such as pugs and French bulldogs has grown in recent years, not least because they are prone to short lives and myriad health problems. Continue reading... Collapse
‘Much more fixated on the sausage’: study sheds light on obesity in labradors
07/03/2024 - Study suggests dogs with POMC gene mutation are hungrier between meals and burn fewer calories Expand
07/03/2024 - Study suggests dogs with POMC gene mutation are hungrier between meals and burn fewer calories when at restWhen it comes to greedy canines, labradors take the biscuit. Now researchers have shed light on why the breed is prone to a portly form.Scientists previously revealed a mutation in a gene called POMC (proopiomelanocortin) predisposes dogs to obesity. The genetic variant is found in about a quarter of labrador retrievers and two-thirds of flat-coated retrievers, with the effect slightly larger in the former. Continue reading... Collapse
Dogman review – Luc Besson’s bizarre and macabre tale of canines, crime and drag
05/03/2024 - This well-executed film spans the life of a traumatised jewellery thief with a host of dog Expand
05/03/2024 - This well-executed film spans the life of a traumatised jewellery thief with a host of dog acolytesThe question of whether Luc Besson has got his groove back is only going to annoy those who dispute any former groove-ownership. Besson himself might contend that box office success is in any case the sole criterion for assessing groove. At all events, this bizarre and macabre drama-thriller is watchable and Caleb Landry Jones gives an oddly engaging performance as Douglas Munrow, a wheelchair-using “Dogman”, questioned by police psychologist Evelyn (Jojo T Gibbs) after being arrested in full drag gear, smeared with blood, while at the wheel of a van filled with his “babies” – his dogs.Murrow’s conversation with Evelyn reveals in flashback a childhood kept in a dog kennel by an abusive father, at whose hands a terrible injury was sustained; then there are poignant teen years in a children’s home where his eyes are opened to poetry by a Shakespeare-loving drama student who turns him into Collapse
Tim Dowling: we thought the cat had miaowed his last. He had other ideas
02/03/2024 - He came in limping and in distress, and then disappeared, promoting a frantic searchSunday Expand
02/03/2024 - He came in limping and in distress, and then disappeared, promoting a frantic searchSunday morning: the cat wakes me up in its usual way, by leaping on to my chest and placing a paw over my mouth to stop me crying out. I open my eyes, and the cat leans in.“Miaow,” it says, meaning: let’s go. Continue reading... Collapse
The pet I’ll never forget: Letty, the rat I rescued from a bin – who bit my finger to the bone
26/02/2024 - Ours was a love-hate relationship. She was beautiful and dainty and I loved her. I was human and Expand
26/02/2024 - Ours was a love-hate relationship. She was beautiful and dainty and I loved her. I was human and she hated me. But when she died I mourned her more than any of my friendlier ratsWhile many student flats are infested with unwanted mice, 20 years ago I voluntarily filled mine with rats. I began with two from a pet shop, but ended up taking on several more rescues, buying an enormous cage so they could climb and dig and play. Lots of people don’t like rats, but they are wonderful animals and a great alternative if you don’t have time or space for a dog. Rats are clever, clean and full of personality and affection. But none of mine had as much personality as Letty, the rat I found in a bin.She had clearly been someone’s pet, though I never found out whose, or how she had ended up on the streets. On a visit home from university one Christmas, I went for a drink with a friend who mentioned that he had seen a black-and-white rat in a nearby bin. It took two attempts, but I caught her, Collapse
Reign of the goldendoodle: how it became the UK’s top dog
19/02/2024 - For every goldendoodle, there are 995 potential buyers. Why is the breed more popular than any Expand
19/02/2024 - For every goldendoodle, there are 995 potential buyers. Why is the breed more popular than any other?Name: Goldendoodle.Age: The first goldendoodle is thought to have been bred by Monica Dickens, the great-granddaughter of Charles, in 1969. Continue reading... Collapse
He broke your heart in Anatomy of a Fall. Now Messi the dog is a Hollywood A-lister
17/02/2024 - The border collie has taken ‘play dead’ to a new level. But his trainer says stardom was a long Expand
17/02/2024 - The border collie has taken ‘play dead’ to a new level. But his trainer says stardom was a long time coming: ‘He’s a misunderstood artist’It’s Oscar season in Hollywood, and I had been sent to the Four Seasons hotel in Beverly Hills for an interview with one of the year’s breakout stars.As I entered the lobby I saw him immediately: his shaggy black-and-white locks, those distinctive, eerie blue eyes. He was wearing a leash, and a female fan had wrapped her arms around him. A crowd of people were snapping photographs. Continue reading... Collapse
TV tonight: the return of a beloved doggy dating show
15/02/2024 - Abandoned dogs are matched with new owners at a north London shelter in The Dog House. Plus: the Expand
15/02/2024 - Abandoned dogs are matched with new owners at a north London shelter in The Dog House. Plus: the fearless Rob and Romesh have a go at F1. Here’s what to watch this evening Continue reading... Collapse
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Arj Barker on monkeys, nudity and men’s shorts: ‘I don’t want people to see my knees’
09/03/2024 - In a new interview series from Guardian Australia, we ask our favourite people a bunch of randomly Expand
09/03/2024 - In a new interview series from Guardian Australia, we ask our favourite people a bunch of randomly selected questions. First up: a comedian and actor gets existentialGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailWhat is in each of your pockets right now?Some poop bags. Because I took my dogs out earlier. And they weren’t as productive as I had hoped. So there’s still two poop bags in here.Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morningArj Barker stars in The Nut Farm, out in Australian cinemas 14 March. He is touring his new standup show The Mind Field all around Australia starting 22 March, including Melbourne international comedy festival dates 28 March to 21 April Continue reading... Collapse
Canine hopefuls on the second day of Crufts – in pictures
08/03/2024 - More than 24,000 dogs from 220 different breeds are taking part in Crufts 2024 with hundreds of Expand
08/03/2024 - More than 24,000 dogs from 220 different breeds are taking part in Crufts 2024 with hundreds of the most agile and athletic dogs competing in different categories including agility and flyball and, new for this year, hoopers – a low-impact and inclusive activity for dogs and owners. The event culminates with the awarding of the best in show trophy on Sunday night Continue reading... Collapse
Who let the dogs on? Everything you need to know about Virgin Australia’s planned pets in cabins scheme
07/03/2024 - From confining animals to carriers to dealing with doggy business, how will the airline’s policy Expand
07/03/2024 - From confining animals to carriers to dealing with doggy business, how will the airline’s policy to let small cats and canines fly in plane cabins actually work?Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastVirgin Australia’s announcement that it will allow small cats and dogs to fly at passengers’ feet may have triggered excitement among pet lovers eager for the future service, but there’s plenty of detail yet to be worked out – including one big elephant in the cabin.In what will be an Australian first, Virgin have said they hope to launch the offering within 12 months, noting they will work out many of the finer details of the service as they say they need to wait for regulatory approval.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading... Collapse
The pet I’ll never forget: Lucy the punk cat, who chased dogs and treated me with contempt
04/03/2024 - ‘She’ll be no trouble,’ her former owners promised. We soon discovered the awful truthWhen my Expand
04/03/2024 - ‘She’ll be no trouble,’ her former owners promised. We soon discovered the awful truthWhen my parents agreed to take in Lucy, “a lovely quiet Burmese”, from a friend of a friend, they had no idea what they were letting themselves in for. “She’s no trouble at all – just feed her Kitekat and she’ll be happy.” Eight-year-old me knew these were the exact words because my mother repeated them often, with a rising note of indignation, over the following months.We knew Lucy had never previously been outside the walls of a Glasgow tenement, so obviously a period of adjustment was expected. But for days, she was a yowling ball of black fur lurking behind the sofa. A shiny new bowl of cat gloop remained untouched. If she was happy, she had a funny way of showing it. Continue reading... Collapse
‘A soul killer’: what’s behind the US’s critical veterinarian shortage?
26/02/2024 - As vets turn away from the profession citing poor mental health and high costs, experts say public Expand
26/02/2024 - As vets turn away from the profession citing poor mental health and high costs, experts say public health is at riskA longstanding shortage of veterinarians in areas across the US has caused crises for some pet owners; contributed to mental health issues among veterinary staff; and could leave the country at risk in terms of food safety and public health, experts have warned.The lack of veterinarians and veterinary professionals has been attributed to the high cost of entry, long hours and the stress of dealing with animal owners in life and death situations. Continue reading... Collapse
How about charging dog owners £100 for a licence to cover the costs of poo? | Ros Coward
25/02/2024 - The country’s 13 million dogs create a lot of mess that’s hard to dispose of, dangerous and Expand
25/02/2024 - The country’s 13 million dogs create a lot of mess that’s hard to dispose of, dangerous and harmful to the environmentAn unlikely folk hero has emerged in the Venice beach area of Los Angeles. Their identity is unknown, but their popularity is down to their homemade flags on cocktail sticks stuck into piles of dog faeces with messages like “Lazy. Pick. Up. Your. Dog. Poo”. The message is going down well. “I’m a big fan,” said one local. “No one wants to see a dog poop everywhere.”These are the exact tactics that were used in Britain back in the 1980s, when dog faeces on the streets first began to be seen as unacceptable. Campaigners stuck little flags with similar messages aimed at getting dog poo off streets and public play areas. In many ways it was a successful campaign. There’s now widespread consciousness of the dangers to children of toxocara disease caused by accidentally ingesting excrement via their hands. And there are very few who would put up a public defence that a Collapse
The pet I’ll never forget: Simón the street dog was my loyal companion – and a daring solo explorer
19/02/2024 - I had been promised a labrador. What I got was a snarling creature that my uncle had found in an Expand
19/02/2024 - I had been promised a labrador. What I got was a snarling creature that my uncle had found in an alley. We ended up deeply in love, but he never lost his wild sideIt wasn’t love at first sight with me and Simón. In fact, I didn’t want him. I had been promised a labrador, but when we met in 2004 he turned out to be a street dog – one of the estimated 66,000 strays that prowl the streets of Bogotá, a deep-black furred creature with a white chest who may have been the grandson of a labrador. He was aggressive and I was scared of him, yet we took him home. After all, we had driven for eight hours from my home city, Bucaramanga, to collect him after my uncle, while looking for his missing cat, had found this “labrador” in an alley.My uncle said the dog was about six months old, judging by how short he was. On the way back, he vomited in the car the whole way. To be fair, Bucaramanga is at the top of a plateau; to get there, you drive along Pescadero, a steep, winding road that snakes its Collapse
Felix the cat, our elderly moth-eaten rescue, was a true survivor | Letter
15/02/2024 - Yehudit Keshet on the joy of living with, and loving, elderly petsI enjoyed reading your article Expand
15/02/2024 - Yehudit Keshet on the joy of living with, and loving, elderly petsI enjoyed reading your article about people adopting old and sick dogs and cats to love – and be loved (‘They deserve love!’ Last-chance pets – and the people who rescue them, 7 February). On sabbatical in Lancaster around 2005, my partner and I used to volunteer at a rescue shelter for cats. We came across Lenny basking in the sun, oblivious to the fact that he was blocking the pathway. He was elderly and moth-eaten, but the sun lit up his grey tabby coat so that it shone bluish in the spring light. He was clearly a cat of character.We were told that he was not for rehoming, having survived cat flu and been rescued from a dysfunctional home with 22 cats, six dogs and several rabbits. Impressed by his survival record, we insisted on adopting him. Renamed Felix, treated for chronic catarrh and mutually ignored by Barsie, our resident feline, Felix led the happy lethargic life of a superannuated prima donna, stirring Collapse
The pet I’ll never forget: Cocker the cockerel, who made my life a misery
13/02/2024 - I thought I would be living the dream when we moved to rural Norfolk. But that feathered bully Expand
13/02/2024 - I thought I would be living the dream when we moved to rural Norfolk. But that feathered bully declared war on sleepCock-a-doodle-doo! Nothing encapsulates the joys of country life better than a cockerel’s crow. Or so I thought before my family moved to rural Norfolk in the summer of 2022. The converted barn that we would be living in came complete with 20 chickens, 15 ducks and two farm cats; we previously had zero pets.We took to chicken-keeping well. The kids ran among them scattering corn and checking for eggs every five minutes. Names were devised for some of their favourites – Lulu, Dolly, Charlotte – and the less imaginative Cocker for the leader of the pack. Continue reading... Collapse
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Canine film stars battle it out in doggy Oscars: will Messi the collie get teeth into top Fido award?
09/03/2024 - Anatomy of a Fall’s Snoop sheepdog faces competition from Barbie’s labrador and Napoleon’s Expand
09/03/2024 - Anatomy of a Fall’s Snoop sheepdog faces competition from Barbie’s labrador and Napoleon’s pomeranianIn the panoply of awards ceremonies set for this weekend, the Fidos may well be the “best in show”. The doggy Oscars, or the showbiz Crufts – take your pick – take place on Sunday evening in a star- and collar-studded event that concludes on the same day as both of its more established rivals.The battle for the coveted Best in World award – an embossed collar – for the greatest on-screen dog performance is expected to be fierce, but the favourite is Messi the border collie who played Snoop in Anatomy of a Fall. He faces competition from Barbie’s incontinent labrador, Josephine’s pomeranian in Napoleon and dogs owned by Tilda Swinton and Sandra Hüller. Continue reading... Collapse
You be the judge: should my best friend get a dog when he works such long hours?
08/03/2024 - Janette thinks leaving the dog with a sitter all day isn’t fair; Pádraig says he can make it work. Expand
08/03/2024 - Janette thinks leaving the dog with a sitter all day isn’t fair; Pádraig says he can make it work. You decide who’s barking up the wrong treeFind out how to get a disagreement settled or become a jurorThe poor dog will spend five days a week living with the sitter. So what’s the point of having one?I will make changes to the way I work – I’ve wanted a dog my whole life Continue reading... Collapse
California community comes together to find beloved cat: ‘It is so appreciated’
06/03/2024 - Dundee the cat, survivor of 2018 Camp fire, was taken in a car theft – but he was reunited with Expand
06/03/2024 - Dundee the cat, survivor of 2018 Camp fire, was taken in a car theft – but he was reunited with his owner after locals rallied roundSusie Heffernan was just returning from the vet with her beloved cat, Dundee, last Wednesday when she stopped to pick up pet food at a Tractor Supply in Paradise, California. She covered Dundee’s carrier on the passenger seat, locked her truck and ran inside.When she returned, the truck was gone, as was the eight-year-old Snowshoe Siamese. Video footage from a nearby store revealed someone had broken into her vehicle and driven off with Dundee still inside. Continue reading... Collapse
Guinea pig abandoned at London tube station with note asking for new owner
03/03/2024 - RSPCA take in young rodent after Canning Town staff discover cage in alleywayA guinea pig has been Expand
03/03/2024 - RSPCA take in young rodent after Canning Town staff discover cage in alleywayA guinea pig has been found abandoned outside an east London tube station, with a note reading: “I need a new owner.”Staff at Canning Town station discovered the animal, which has been named DiscoPig, alone inside a cage with the piece of paper taped to it. Continue reading... Collapse
Why do so many women spend more time with pets than people? Where do I start? | Emma Beddington
26/02/2024 - Pet hangouts are blissfully free from social awkwardness, aggravation and anxiety. Your pet will Expand
26/02/2024 - Pet hangouts are blissfully free from social awkwardness, aggravation and anxiety. Your pet will not text ‘nearly there’ when it is actually still faffing around looking for its keys ...‘The average woman with a pet now spends more time ‘actively engaged’ with her pet than she spends hanging out face-to-face with fellow humans on any given day,” I read in the Atlantic. It was a dissection of the “crisis in social fitness”, alternatively known as “why we’re all destined to die alone, our faces eaten by the very pet whose company we have chosen above our own kind”. Am I, a pet owner, or my pet-owning friends (of all genders) surprised? Of course not.Humans are great for certain things. Opening jars. Forensic textual analysis of single-word WhatsApps from potential romantic entanglements. Separating dark and light washing. Remembering why you hate your boss. But despite all that, pets make better low-key hangout companions. Continue reading... Collapse
Credit cards, loans and nest eggs: how Australians are paying for pet care
24/02/2024 - Thousands of dollars every year are spent on pets, but with the cost of living rising, some Expand
24/02/2024 - Thousands of dollars every year are spent on pets, but with the cost of living rising, some families are having to choose between groceries and their animals’ careSign up for the Rural Network email newsletterJoin the Rural Network group on Facebook to be part of the communityJoshua Rosalky has a “problem dog”. “She had teeth when I got her, but it was only half her teeth, and I was like, ‘I need this dog’,” he says. “I fell completely in love with her. About three and a half weeks after I got her, I went to my local vet, she took one look and said all the teeth needed to come out. It was in the ballpark of about $3,000.”A loan from family allowed Rosalky to cover the surgery for the pug and Jack Russell cross, named Luna, but more health issues rolled in due to neglect she faced while living in a puppy mill, pushing his budget to the limit. Continue reading... Collapse
‘Leave your expectations at the door’: how to support a rehomed dog
17/02/2024 - Adopting a rescue dog is a worthy act, but owners can sometimes be confronted with challenging Expand
17/02/2024 - Adopting a rescue dog is a worthy act, but owners can sometimes be confronted with challenging behaviours. Training and persistence can help avoid the pain of returning a beloved petGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailWhen Michael* and his then girlfriend adopted their rescue dog, Bowie, it seemed like a great idea. The couple had already adopted another rescue dog; had taken in three other dogs for shorter care periods until permanent homes were found for them; knew a fair bit about dog training; and were passionate about animal welfare: if they knew a dog was going to be put down, they did the best they could to stop it, even if it meant taking it in themselves.But life with Bowie didn’t pan out the way they’d hoped. Bowie, a kelpie, needed constant stimulation and walking, was prone to destructive behaviours, and was “very highly strung”. Eventually, the couple made the difficult decision to move him on.Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture Collapse
Cat lost for four years turns up over 150 miles from Northern Ireland home
15/02/2024 - Smyth family from County Down had lost hope of seeing Blueberry again until he was found in Expand
15/02/2024 - Smyth family from County Down had lost hope of seeing Blueberry again until he was found in Galway, Ireland Four years after the Smyth family had abandoned all hope, the call came: “We have your Blueberry.”The beloved black cat who disappeared in November 2019 from the family home in Bangor, County Down, on Northern Ireland’s coast, turned up last week in County Galway in western Ireland. Continue reading... Collapse
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