And Bobby lived up to his name yesterday as he arrived in France.

No sooner had his four paws hit the French soil than he was up to no good.

Bobby arrived safely after a 12 hour drive and after a good sniff about the house, he decided to have a look around the front garden and give it his seal of approval.

But he disappeared under the car only to return a completely different dog. He was black.

Bobby was covered from head to tail in black oil; you could barely make out that he was supposed to be white!

What an excellent start to the holiday – pinning down the dog in the kitchen sink.

What a mucky pup.

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What a mucky pup

It’s a bond that only dog owners understand.

But now children in Dorset are getting to experience this unique relationship, as dogs there are being used to help primary school children learn to read.

The people behind this new scheme are The Caring Canines charity. Volunteer dog owners sit with the children, from St Michael’s Primary School in Bournemouth, with their terriers, Labradors and Shetland sheepdogs.

Unlike children, the dogs don’t laugh when a child makes a mistake or stammers over a word and this is said to build their confidence and motivate them when it comes to reading.

But what do the dogs get in return? Well, they are treated to a good old stroke and playing session after the reading is finished.

It’s not the most conventional classroom method, but I say that anything involving dogs has got to be a good thing.

Perhaps it’s time we started bringing our dogs into work. Purely for motivational reasons of course.

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Man’s best friend

But that’s not the general consensus at Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, California. Here they hold an annual World’s Ugliest Dog Contest where celebrity judges choose one lucky winner for the title.

This year’s winner was Pabst, a boxer-mix shelter dog. Pabst sports a unique under bite as well as an adorable frown.

His owner, Miles Egstad was a first timer at the competition and won $1,600 in total during the dog competitions. And as part of his prize, Pabst won a year-round modelling contract which he signed with his paw.

Pabst was a rescue dog adopted by Egstad three years ago and he is the first ‘mutt’ to win the contest in more than seven years.

Some say he’s got a face that only his mother could love, but I think Pabst is adorable. Despite that prominent under bite.

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Not so U.G.L.Y

Now, talking about these energy certificates, you might be wondering what on Earth do these have to do with Dogs. Well, this is the misconception…

Lots and lots of people are under the misconception that owning a pet cat or dog will decrease the rating on your energy certificate.

Well, you may be pleased to know that this is not the case for most. Maybe, and just maybe if you own ten or more cats and dogs, then this may potentially affect your energy rating if you are not well set-up, but I personally think this is not the case.

So what’s your opinion on this? Do you think that by owning a pet dog, the government should decrease the energy certificate rating for your home and business?

Many would not like this but I’m sure there are a few out there who would like to see a decrease?

What do you say to this?

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Energy Certificate and Pet Dog equals Misconception

Lots of people don’t really realise the fact that lots and lots of office workers out there do not like the fact of having any sort of pets in the office, except if it’s fish as these don’t get in the way of anyone working in the office.

It’s not that people don’t like pets in the office; it’s just that when the pets, cats and dogs start to raid the office furniture, this is when it stops people from working. This is the major point. Staff find it difficult to work, especially when they have deadlines and meeting to meet and attend.

This goes to all the office bosses and managers out there. Bringing animals and pets to the office can really bring down and destroy the morale of the people.

Some people also have a really strong phobia with dogs and cats. When they come within a 100 meter’s of one, they begin to feel funny quite dodgy.

Basically, my point is that in the end of the day, the best action to take is not to bring an animal which could potentially cause anyone even a little bit on uneasiness to the office. An office is a place to work, not to relax!

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Office and dogs don’t go together

However, this friend of mine works at a place that decided to try it.  Apparently, the day was a roaring success (there was no chewed office furniture or anything apparently) and she has now been asked to investigate the practicalities of allowing dogs in the office.

Their office is much smaller than ours with fewer staff, so nobody is allergic and the atmosphere is a little more relaxed.  I do doubt that the concept would work in our larger office but still, it would be a nice idea.  I’ve read reports in the past that dogs in the workplace make people feel more relaxed and comfortable, but still, I doubt our MD would see it that way..

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Keeping dogs off the office furniture

Off the top of my head, the ones I can think of at the moment include:

• Marley and Me (think I might watch this one, I quite like Jennifer Aniston films when I’m not in the mood for an action film or anything, they’re quite easy-watch stuff)
• Beverley Hills Chihuahua (I mean, what?  the stuff they come out with!)
• Hotel for Dogs
• Bolt

I sometimes wonder if they do it on purpose.  It’s the same with war films or other such ideas, they’re just like buses, you wait for ages and then three come along at once.  For dog lovers, they’re now stuck for choice and I’m sure not everyone will go to the cinema to watch all four.

Personally, I think I might try to see Marley & Me but then again, I might wait to watch the DVD.  I’m interested to hear what everyone thinks of them though so feel free to drop a comment if you’re going to see them or not

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Dog films

Bracco is an Italian hound, worth around £1200, but naturally he is priceless to his owners.  He went missing in January when he got excited and ran off following a deer.

Since then the couple has taken two weeks off work, costing them around £3000 as it’s unpaid leave, to search for the dog and have even hired a private plane to search for him, bought night time binoculars to help see him and now had a psychic reading to see if it they could help.

I’m not sure if I’d consult a psychic to find my dog.  The couple said of the psychics:

One told us that she had spoken with Jacob, who said he was ‘OK and trying to make his way home.’

He said he had just wanted to go on an adventure. He is still alive and wants to get back.

Now, excuse me, but doesn’t a psychic make contact with spirits from the other side?  So if he’s still alive, how did he talk to them?  Load of rubbish if you ask me.

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Using a psychic to find a lost dog

So I give in, come on then, for a bit of fun, which dog breed do you think Obama should have and what name do you think he/she should be given and why?

Leave your suggestions below!

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What to call Obama’s dog?

The dogs will even have their own pic n mix, and owners are being provided with a doggy poop bag, just in case the dogs get too excited at their first venture into the cinema.  Tickets are being priced at just 95p.  I’m always saying there are not enough places to take your dog and if this event was close enough, I’d be taking my shih tzu.  I’m not sure it would be good in the long term though as I think it might ruin the film and my popcorn if every now and then I caught a whiff of a smelly dog or its poop!

Leiston Cinema in Suffolk says that this strange event is the ideal way for them to celebrate their 95th anniversary.

Wayne Burns, manager of the film theatre, said: ”All dogs must be kept on a short lead and accompanied by a responsible adult aged 18 or over and cats are most certainly not permitted to see the film.”

The screening is 11.30am February 8th, and the official launch of Bolt is on February 13th.

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Cinema screening for dogs