Barking Up The Wrong Tree

Could your dog be a donor?

It may not be something you have thought about before, but a recent case of poisoning has highlighted the importance of having dog blood available for transfusions.

Mo, a Staffordshire bull terrier, almost died after accidentally eating rat poison and it seemed like the odds were stacked against her when her only chance of survival was a blood transfusion. With the nearest blood bank nearly two hundred miles away, hope started to dwindle.

Luckily for Mo, the owner of two Newfoundland dogs who live nearby heard about her predicament. Molly was chosen to donate blood to the stricken Mo, and this act saved the poisoned dog’s life.

So, if you have a large, robust but calm dog who would like to help save other dogs in distress, contact your local vet.

Record stay at Battersea for Cleo

The average length of stay for a dog arriving at Battersea Dog’s Home is just sixty-three days. For Cleo, her stay would prove to be a little longer than the average, and the home struggled to find her a new family.

Well, I am happy to announce that after four hundred and sixty one days, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier has been rehomed. According to her new owner, she can now look forward to long walks in the woods and trips to the countryside.

So, all’s well that ends well. And if you are looking to replace a beloved canine friend this year, don’t get it cloned, take a trip to your local dog sanctuary and give a new lease of life to a dog that already exists and doesn’t cost $50,000….

New Yorker pays $50,000 to have her best friend cloned

A woman who worked on Wall Street and is, perhaps surprisingly, married, had forked out $50,000 dollars so that her beloved dog will effectively never die.

She was so worried by the idea that her dog would be irreplaceable, that when she heard about the South Korean company offering cloning services, she decided to ensure she could get a carbon copy replacement.

Apparently, the new puppy not only looks like her first dog, but he also likes to play the same games and has a similar personality. The woman had thought of getting the clone done while her first pooch was still alive but then thought better of it…

Council may ban dogs from parks

A local council has taken the drastic step of announcing that it may ban dogs from parks in Wooburn and Bourne End if owners continue to fail to pick up their dog’s mess.

Notices in the parks read:

“In view of the high level of dog fouling in the park the Parish Council will be monitoring the situation over the next few months with a view to excluding dogs unless the situation improves.”

The problem in the five council run parks seems to be caused by a minority of selfish dog owners who disregard the rest of the general public and other dog owners.

The council have stated that they are not against dogs stating:

“We are not against dogs in any way and we hope this first stage of making people aware will get them to start picking up. We don’t want to get into a policing situation.”

They just want to highlight the irresponsible actions of a few selfish individuals.

Cheryl just wants her dogs

News of Cheryl Cole’s divorce from footballer Ashley Cole has been splashed across the papers and magazines.

As soon as it was announced, there was speculation as to how the couple would split their fortune. With millions of pounds between them and a luxury property, you would think that there would be months of arguments to come.

But Cheryl has revealed that the only thing she wants out of the divorce is her pet dogs.

She wants custody of Coco and Buster and is not worried about getting her hands on anything else. She is letting Ashley have the mansion and will not ask for any of his fortune so long as she gets her pooches.
I can’t say I blame her.

The dog and bone

We all know how clever dogs can be but one pet pooch has stunned his owner by developing skills of his own.

The poodle-terrier cross called Nemo has been trained to act as the ears of his owner Irene Henderson as she is deaf. But as well as alerting her when he hears the doorbell or alarm clock, Nemo also paws his owner when she gets a text.

Nemo wasn’t trained to do this; he trained himself, but Irene is really grateful as she says texts are really important to her for keeping in touch with her friends.

Travolta mourning the loss of his dogs

The death of a pet dog is always difficult to come to terms with. But when they die suddenly, the news can be even more difficult to bear.

John Travolta is currently mourning the loss of his dogs after an accident that happened at Bangor International Airport in Maine.

The dogs were being walked by one of the actor’s staff when they were hit by an airport service vehicle.

Reports say that when Travolta heard the news, he was angry with the staff to begin with, for letting the accident happen, and then he burst into tears.

The sad news comes just as Travolta and his wife have announced that they are expecting a baby.

Dog returned to rightful owner

A lady who was separated from her dog has just won a legal battle to get her 11 year old Jack Russell, Penny back.

Liz Hiorns had reported her dog as missing but the message was lost by the council and Penny was sent to a rescue centre and rehomed.

The new owners then refused to give Penny back. A legal fight began but the new owners decided to give Penny up before the court hearings started.

It’s good to see the dog back to its rightful owner, but it’s a lesson to learn; we must really take care of our pooches and always know where they are and what they’re up to.

Hard cheese for vicar’s pooch

I can’t think of anything worse than seeing your dog suffering or in pain. But that’s exactly what a vicar had to endure when he was conducting a couple’s wedding rehearsal.

The vicar quite rightly stopped the rehearsal in order to save his choking pet dog. And he stopped at nothing to get the Cairn terrier breathing again because he actually gave the dog the kiss of life.

The alarm was raised when the vicar’s wife ran down the aisle during the rehearsal with their dog in her arms. Izzy the terrier wasn’t breathing.

The reverend swiftly pulled out a piece of cheddar cheese which had got stuck in the dog’s throat and began to give her mouth to mouth.

The dog came round and ran out of the church to get a drink. Thank goodness it all ended well and the couple can now laugh about the experience; particularly as the mouth to mouth happened just as the reverend was about to say: ‘you can now kiss the bride’.

Fight over Britain’s Got Talent dog

My favourite dog of the moment is Chandi who performed on the first round of auditions of the new series of Britain’s Got Talent.

It almost brought me to tears to see the rescue dog dancing away and responding so well to its owner’s commands. But Ant and Dec are having a spot of bother over the talented tailed one.

It appears that the two pint sized hosts can’t agree on whether this year’s dancing dog, led by owner Tina is better than last year’s star pooch – Gin who was trained by owner Kate.

Well I don’t normally like to take sides when it comes to dogs as they’re all beautiful animals, but I think I know who my money’s on. What do you think?