How can you prevent dogs jumping at children? How should I respond when it happens?
1 DAY AGO - The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from Expand
1 DAY AGO - The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical conceptsWhenever we go walking in the countryside with our three-year-old, dogs approach him and frighten him. He has never come to harm, but there is always a concern. It happens within seconds. Typically, the owners either airily tell us their dog is harmless, or they more aggressively say: “What are you afraid of?” Does anyone else have this problem? How can you prevent dogs jumping at children? How should I respond when it happens? Tracey Lewis, Diss, SuffolkPost your answers (and new questions) below or send them to nq@theguardian.com. A selection will be published on Sunday. Continue reading... Collapse
20 of the best (and dog-friendly) alternatives to motorway services
4 DAYS AGO - Ditch the the drab chains and head for these lovely gardens, farm shops, pubs and cafe, where your Expand
4 DAYS AGO - Ditch the the drab chains and head for these lovely gardens, farm shops, pubs and cafe, where your dog is welcome too. Chosen by Sawday’sA1, Junction Catterick; 10 minutes from the main road Continue reading... Collapse
Brace yourselves! The original Tamagotchi is making a comeback
5 DAYS AGO - Original Tamagotchi is not yet available to buy in the UK but could be launching soon
There's now a games console for dogs
5 DAYS AGO - CleverPet is a games console for dogs. Because, as its creators explain, dogs need entertaining too
Game of Thrones fans rejoice! Your dire wolf dreams can finally come true (sort of)
5 DAYS AGO - Thanks to the Dire Wolf Project, you too can have a big, shaggy wolfy companion
The hidden world of cats: what our feline friends are doing when we’re not looking
6 DAYS AGO - In Britain, most pet cats are free to roam, but where do they go and what do they get up to? We Expand
6 DAYS AGO - In Britain, most pet cats are free to roam, but where do they go and what do they get up to? We fitted six cats with GPS trackers and found outAs I prepared to write this piece, my three-year-old cat, Larry, had been missing for 24 hours. I had checked under the bins, posted in a community Facebook group and Googled variations of “Lost cat how long normal before come home?” all day. Larry was a house cat when we took him in, but my boyfriend and I had recently moved to a house with a garden so had started letting him out. Just like that, our adorable, loving, docile cat turned into the neighbourhood bruiser. He stopped snuggling with us in the morning, instead impatiently pawing at the door even before we had put down his breakfast. Continue reading... Collapse
Chris Packham reveals wish to have ashes scattered with those of his dogs
20/07/2021 - Naturalist tells the Radio Times of how his pets Itchy and Scratchy helped him cope with Expand
20/07/2021 - Naturalist tells the Radio Times of how his pets Itchy and Scratchy helped him cope with depressionChris Packham has revealed he would like to be cremated when he dies and have his ashes mixed with those of his poodles before being scattered in a woodland.The naturalist told the Radio Times that his love for his late dogs Itchy and Scratchy is in part due to them helping him through periods of depression – likening himself and the dogs to “three organisms umbilically linked” with a shared personality. Continue reading... Collapse
A proper dog’s dinner: where to enjoy a feast with your pooch in the UK
18/07/2021 - After a long day walking sniffing you’ll need a tasty meal. Put your paws up at one of these Expand
18/07/2021 - After a long day walking sniffing you’ll need a tasty meal. Put your paws up at one of these placesThis buzzing bar and restaurant has a popular dog menu featuring well-priced salmon, chicken and lamb dishes, plus desserts including liver brownies and a lactose-free frozen yoghurt specifically for dogs. There are also regular events, including barbecues, live music, and a doggy fair brimming with locally produced dog food, treats and accessories (thedirtyonion.com). Continue reading... Collapse
Britain is a dog-crazy nation. But it’s OK to be dognostic
18/07/2021 - I have nothing against dogs, but do we really want them in our offices?Can I make something clear? Expand
18/07/2021 - I have nothing against dogs, but do we really want them in our offices?Can I make something clear? I don’t hate your dog. I’m sure it is an upstanding member of the animal kingdom, a treasured member of your family, a lovely guy, a terrific bitch. I’ve no doubt you always pick up its poo, too – please tell me you always pick up its poo? – and it’s frankly amazing that you’re prepared to do that. To sign up to 12-plus years of handling another creature’s excrement, carrying it around in a little plastic bag until you find the appropriate bin? I mean, it’s revolting, but it speaks of a unique inter-species bond. I respect that. Do you mind if we don’t shake hands?I won’t overstate the point and pretend that some of my best friends are Schnauzers – but I do have Labrador and Collie acquaintances and, well, look at that picture. Do you think I would submit to that if I weren’t capable of a healthy working relationship with this species?To deviate from the opinion that dogs are Collapse
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How Islam conquered my mother’s fear of cats
2 DAYS AGO - She’d always found them evil and scary, but when I wanted a cat in lockdown I appealed to my mum’s Expand
2 DAYS AGO - She’d always found them evil and scary, but when I wanted a cat in lockdown I appealed to my mum’s faithCats are perfect to most people, but not to my 42-year-old mother. She is just like any of my 17-year-old friends’ parents – she is spirited, sparky, generous and can be feisty when she needs to be. She cooks arguably the best chicken parmesan in the world, and also has impeccable taste in Bollywood music. But there is one annoying trait that makes her different from the other mothers – she unequivocally loathes all animals, unless they are in a palatable format, like her chicken parmesan.In Britain, a hatred for pets is unheard of, any bitterness towards animals is considered completely unacceptable. After all, we are considered a zoophilist nation. Throughout lockdown, pet ownership has surged. According to statistics from the Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association, there are now 34m pets in the UK including 12m cats and 12m dogs, along with 3.2m small mammals, such as guinea pigs Collapse
Lyrics on freedom that strike a chord | Brief letters
4 DAYS AGO - Dawn Butler | Periods | Cats | Song lyrics | Misheard namesI applaud Dawn Butler for her honesty Expand
4 DAYS AGO - Dawn Butler | Periods | Cats | Song lyrics | Misheard namesI applaud Dawn Butler for her honesty in calling out the lies of this morally bankrupt prime minister and cabinet (Dawn Butler ejected from Commons for saying Johnson has lied repeatedly, 22 July). Is it not time that Westminster faced up to replacing the antiquated rules regarding vocabulary in the chamber and allowed honest people to tell the truth?Alison Dodds Melbourne, Victoria, Australia• An interesting article (There will be blood: women on the shocking truth about periods and perimenopause, 22 July), but for some of us the problem of heavy period flow has blighted most of our reproductive lives, not just those years before the menopause. A cycle of heavy, unpredictable periods and anaemia with little useful medical help and a lifetime of embarrassment. It would help if some men didn’t treat the whole subject of menstruation as a joke or a female weakness. Jan Cawser Ripley, Derbyshire Continue reading... Collapse
Dogs go grey with stress, just like humans
5 DAYS AGO - Dogs exhibit similar behaviour to humans when they are anxious
Play laser games with your cat from afar with Petcube
5 DAYS AGO - Introducing the Petcube, a simple but stylish home gadget that will soon become the sworn enemy of Expand
5 DAYS AGO - Introducing the Petcube, a simple but stylish home gadget that will soon become the sworn enemy of the animal kingdom. Collapse
It's Mine: crime prevention now cheap as (micro) chips
5 DAYS AGO - It's Mine Technology claims the common practice of microchipping now has the potential to turn the Expand
5 DAYS AGO - It's Mine Technology claims the common practice of microchipping now has the potential to turn the tables on petty crime Collapse
Roy is a gracious, elderly gentleman who stands on the wrong side of the gate when you open it | First Dog on the Moon
7 DAYS AGO - We wonder if we got an immortal long haired border collieSign up here to get an email whenever Expand
7 DAYS AGO - We wonder if we got an immortal long haired border collieSign up here to get an email whenever First Dog cartoons are publishedGet all your needs met at the First Dog shop if what you need is First Dog merchandise and prints Continue reading... Collapse
Doggy dependency: how to break post-lockdown separation anxiety
18/07/2021 - Lockdown has been hard for all of us – even our pets. Now my dog wants my undivided attentionI Expand
18/07/2021 - Lockdown has been hard for all of us – even our pets. Now my dog wants my undivided attentionI adore my dog, Peanut. She’s a Miniature Schnauzer with a sweet nature and a button nose. She runs like a rabbit and pulls a lopsided smile when we greet her in the morning.She likes to get close to me, really close. In my face close, then she stares. At times, as I gaze into her moony eyes, I wonder if she wants to suck out my soul. Or perhaps she truly is my daemon?My dad said it was the first time he’d seen a dog shed actual tearsLouise lets Peanut sniff her bag and coat until the barking dies down Continue reading... Collapse
My love affair with Oscar: why life’s better with a whippet
18/07/2021 - Oscar is a 12-year-old whippet who has seen me through the ups and downs of the last decade - and Expand
18/07/2021 - Oscar is a 12-year-old whippet who has seen me through the ups and downs of the last decade - and I wouldn’t be without himI love dogs. Duh, of course I do, who doesn’t? It’s like saying you enjoy sitting up in front of a roaring fire or laughter with friends: somewhat basic. They are precision-evolved to delight us and it works: there are about 12m pet pooches in the UK, which means a whole, diverse swathe of the population has decided life is better with a dog curled up at the heart of it, monopolising our affections, sofas and camera rolls.Over the past year that increased hugely (3.2m pets were bought in lockdown in the UK). The downsides of soaring pandemic dog ownership are well documented: unscrupulous puppy-farming sellers, clueless owners and dog-nappings (the Nottingham police force even has a dog theft tsar); dogs with behavioural problems and separation anxiety triggered by the transition from everyone home all the time to something resembling normal life. Kennel Club Collapse
Shops and stores that welcome dogs
18/07/2021 - The best retail destinations that are taking the lead in allowing your four-legged friend to come Expand
18/07/2021 - The best retail destinations that are taking the lead in allowing your four-legged friend to come tooPlaying to their middle-England fanbase, John Lewis caved in two years ago, lifting their dog ban. Now all their stores welcome pooches – in contrast to Selfridges and House of Fraser, which only allow them if carried (johnlewis.com). Continue reading... Collapse
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‘They had a date to kill the cow. So I stole her’: how vegan activists are saving Spain’s farm animals
4 DAYS AGO - Spain may be famous for its love of meat – but sanctuaries across the country are coming to the Expand
4 DAYS AGO - Spain may be famous for its love of meat – but sanctuaries across the country are coming to the rescue of its doomed cows, bulls, pigs, sheep and geeseIn the north-east Spanish region of Catalonia, an enormous bull called Pedro is poking his head over a barn door to look at some sheep. He’ll stay there for two hours if the sanctuary volunteers let him; he’ll have to be tempted away with treats so that the sheep can be let out to graze. Pedro knows the routine; he’s been here since he was a calf, when he was bottle-fed by volunteers. He lives a charmed life – he is fed, he roams, he watches sheep, he sleeps; and when he dies, it will be of natural causes.“He’s enormous!” I say to Olivia Gómez de Zamora, a veterinary assistant from Madrid who spends a lot of time coaxing Pedro from the barn. Continue reading... Collapse
Gallery: LG's Rolling Bot is a pet-tormenting marvel
5 DAYS AGO - Want to subject your pet to a whole new level of tech-enabled torture? Consider the LG Rolling Bot
LG's Rolling Bot is a pet-tormenting marvel
5 DAYS AGO - Want to subject your pet to a whole new level of tech-enabled torture? Consider the LG Rolling Bot
My Social Petwork: Facebook for your pets
5 DAYS AGO - A social network for pets has launched in the UK, catering for people who want to set up personal Expand
5 DAYS AGO - A social network for pets has launched in the UK, catering for people who want to set up personal social profiles on behalf of their pets Collapse
Surreal swimmers: unwind your mind with the ultimate exotic pet
5 DAYS AGO - Jellyfish used to get a raw deal in home aquaria: the blobby beasties tend to get shredded by Expand
5 DAYS AGO - Jellyfish used to get a raw deal in home aquaria: the blobby beasties tend to get shredded by water filters. But this 25-litre tank has jellyfish safety at its heart Collapse
A moment that changed me: meeting the rescue dog who comforted me through unfathomable loss | Shirley Manson
7 DAYS AGO - When I first held my dog Veela in my arms, I was grappling with my mother’s dementia, which was Expand
7 DAYS AGO - When I first held my dog Veela in my arms, I was grappling with my mother’s dementia, which was followed much too soon by her death. The teachings of my little red dog helped me surviveThe first time I rescued an animal was almost 15 years ago, while I was on hiatus from my band, Garbage, in 2007. Shuffling around Los Angeles with little to occupy my time and my catastrophic imagination, my husband suggested we might consider adopting a rescue dog from one of the local shelters. I was a little hesitant at first. It struck me as a massive undertaking (I was not wrong) and I was unsure I had the emotional capacity to engage in the love of a small, defenceless, living thing.My mother had just been diagnosed with Pick’s disease, a criminally aggressive form of dementia that can take a person, as it did my mother, out of the game in less than two years from the day of diagnosis. I was deeply disturbed by the course her disease was taking and finding it hard to connect with life in any Collapse
Chien film festival: Tilda Swinton’s dogs win canine award at Cannes
18/07/2021 - Actor starred with springer spaniels Snowbear, Dora and Rosy in The Souvenir Part IIIt is one of Expand
18/07/2021 - Actor starred with springer spaniels Snowbear, Dora and Rosy in The Souvenir Part IIIt is one of the most sought-after prizes in the movie world; not the celebrated Cannes Palme d’Or for best film, awarded on Saturday night to French entry Titane, but its animal alternative, the Palm Dog.This year’s coveted leather collar award conferred for the best canine performance on screen was given to Tilda Swinton’s three springer spaniels as the prize celebrated its 20th anniversary – its 103rd in dog years. Related: Cannes makes up for lost time with a thrilling auteur-packed lineup | Peter Bradshaw Continue reading... Collapse
Hounds on holiday: the UK’s best dog-friendly places to stay
18/07/2021 - Beds for you, baskets for them… Here’s the top glamping sites, hotels and pubs with rooms that Expand
18/07/2021 - Beds for you, baskets for them… Here’s the top glamping sites, hotels and pubs with rooms that will offer a warm welcome to your four-legged friendsThe owners here pride themselves on their dog-friendly glamping experience set in the South Downs national park. Bring your dogs for free and stay in one of their Mongolian yurts or shepherd’s huts overlooking the clear water lake – ideal for fishing fans. There are dog bowls dotted everywhere, handy after thirsty walks – and plenty of dog-friendly pubs and beaches close by. From £145, meonsprings.com Continue reading... Collapse
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