This pet owner is worried about the effect that crating has on her dog. During the day, he is penned up whilst she goes to work. She is looking for answers to the question of what she can do to improve her dog’s life. Continue Reading

My plea this week is to parents … please do not get a dog to solve your kids’ behaviour problems … it simply won’t work!
Every week I’m flooded with questions asking, typically, what type of dog to get for little Johnny aged 4 who’s climbing walls, swinging from the chandeliers and totally out of control - but his doting Mom, in her wisdom, hopes all it will take is a Staffie puppy to put Monster kid back on terra firma tracks! Continue Reading

Today’s article is a special food feature, giving advice on the best diet for your pets and explaining why fresh is always best.  With inflation breaking the sound barrier and the cost of food hitching along for the ride, most of us are taking a deep breath and pulling in our belts  another notch in order to keep the proverbial ol’ wolf from the door. But what about our own little wolves in sheep’s clothing, our dogs? Must they also have their collars  tightened or is there another way for them to escape the lean times ahead? Continue Reading

Just as in any other walk of life, myths about pets find their way around the world and often in our mail boxes. And a common question that is asked is whether they are indeed fact, or simply old wives’ tales. So today I thought I’d turf a  few of these well-worn myths into the Bark Ages where they rightfully belong! Continue Reading

Fifty years ago, a small mutt of dubious ancestry became the most famous dog in the world. Her name was Laika and her fate was to be the first living animal ever to enter space.

Looking for a volunteer

A month earlier the Russians had launched the world’s first satellite, and they were racing the clock to try out their new invention with a man on board. I guess they must have called for volunteers, probably very small vertically and horizontally challenged volunteers, who could have fitted into the tiny capsule which weighed 113kilos, but little people didn’t exactly rush at the opportunity because the position remained vacant. Continue Reading

Maggie the Jack Russel was featured on Animal Planet - this amazing dog can count using her front paw. Watch this video for proof of this astounding trick. Continue Reading

A great big thanks to all our readers who voted for Glynne, our resident Pet Shrink, in the annual Copy Dog’s Fools Awards. She won two awards at the event, namely Best Writer and Charisma.

Here is what some voters had to say about Glynne: Continue Reading

Some say the dog’s intelligence is equivalent to a 4 year old child … to that theory I say absolute polony! I believe our best friend’s IQ is equivalent to a very smart, adult human. And I qualify this by adding that animals may have a different type of intelligence to ours but, nevertheless, just as superior. Continue Reading

Drienie would like to know what kind of food to give a tortoise that has wandered into her garden. Continue Reading

If more people understood animal hierarchy, there would be less aggression, less fighting, less blood spilt, fewer lives lost and certainly less dough spent on panel beating and repairs.
Trouble is, we humans often think we know better and interfere with the natural animal hierarchy which is written in stone and cannot be changed no matter how clever we think we are.  And yes, I have read all the important books and scientific papers on the subject of animal behaviour. Continue Reading