The first dog is a Portuguese Water Dog and it is supposed to be called “Bo” and was given to them by Senator Ted Kennedy, who also owns two Portuguese Water Dog’s.

Find more information on the story at the BBC and the Los Angeles Times.

Also find information on the Portuguese Water Dog Breed at WikiPedia.

Dog Owners in North Devon might soon be under dog controll orders, where the council will be able to have the freedom to make any area a dog exclusion or dogs on leads area, with out going through the public.

Here’s what Torridge Council wants.

1. Dog fouling – covering all public land.
2. Dogs on leads by direction – covering all Torridge District Council’s parks, gardens and open spaces, beach and foreshore managed by the Council or its agents.
3. Dogs on leads – on all public roads, pavements and footpaths, pedestrianised areas, allotments, any land comprising a fenced (and / or walled) park, sporting or recreational facility signed at its entrance(s) by the Council as a ‘dogs on leads area’.
4. Dog exclusion – from all enclosed children’s play areas, bowling greens, croquet lawns, tennis courts, skate parks, cycle enclosures, putting greens and any sporting or recreational facility, beach or foreshore area signed by the Council at its entrance as a ‘dog exclusion area.

 

Kennel Club is alerting dog owners in North Devon about this proposal by the council. They recommend dog owners to visit the councils website to view more details.

A Kennel Club spokesperson said

 ”Such a sweeping exclusion order is a real threat to dog walkers. With these powers the council could decide to ban dogs from any areas in which they place a sign – now or in the future – without having to re-consult with the public. Whilst this council may try to assure people that only children’s play areas will be involved, by not specifying particular areas any council which is elected in the future could bring in new ‘dogs on lead’ or ‘exclusion areas’ elsewhere without consulting the public – which is greatly concerning.

Basic animal welfare includes properly exercising your dog. Reducing the areas in which people may walk their dogs could result in them not be properly exercised and is therefore not a realistic solution. We would strongly urge all dog owners in the local area to respond to the public consultation and make their views known about this issue”.

The RSPB and its partners (Burung Indonesia and Birdlife International) have been given a 100 year lease to look after part of the Sumatran rainforest and its wildlife.

The area they are looking after is two-thirds the size of Greater London, it is called harapan (meaning “hope”) and it has loads of wildlife, as well as some of the worlds rarest animals.

It costs £20 to plant 40 trees for the rainforest animals, what will not just benefit the wildlife but also the local people, as it will create work for them.

The RSPB are getting young people and schools to help fundraise money buying trees grown by local people.

Every young person who raises money to help the wildlife explorers rainforest appeal; will get a certificate and a set of special stickers as a thank you.

Visit www.rspb.org.uk/youth to download a sponsor form, money box and other fun stuff. Alternatively write to: RSPB Wildlife Explorers, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 2DL or email: explorers@rspb.org.uk and the rspb will send them to you.

 The Blue Cross has recently announced that they are going to attend Crufts because they want to support and help the concerned dog owners about the health and welfare of pedigree dogs.  

 Kim Hamilton, The Blue Cross chief executive said: “We know that three quarters of pet owners are concerned about inherited health defects in dogs, so it’s important that we are at Crufts to  reach many thousands of dog owners and give them practical advice on how they can help achieve a brighter future of our pets.”

In a survey of over 1000 pet owners commissioned by the charity last month, 74% admitted they were concerned about the issue of inherited health defects in some dog breeds but 38% felt powerless to do anything about it. A futher 33% of pet owners thought they could help reduce the problem if they knew more about it but 65% did not know where to find reliable information about health and welfare of pedigree dogs.

The Blue Cross stand will have the charities experienced animal behaviourist and veterinary professionals; ready to answer questions from dog owners.   

Further advice is available to download free from www.bluecross.org.uk and www.allaboutpets.org.uk – the charity’s online community for pet lovers – which hosts over 70 pet care advice leaflets from The Blue Cross.