Latest from the Buddies pet insurance news team…a microchip finally unravels the mystery of who a two-year-old Labrador actually is. Police called to a domestic dispute came face-to-face with a dog called Sam, who was at the centre of a custody battle between an estranged couple. Turns out the warring parties assumed the dog was a stray when he appeared on their doorstep and they kindly took him in. At first he was called Carlos and then Sam. Confused police and RSPCA officers then found that Sam had a microchip and his original name was Jack. They managed to trace his first owners and were relieved to find that Jack reacted like a long-lost pet should when reintroduced to his ‘true’ family.
Latest from the Buddies pet insurance news team… the credit crunch is beginning to take its toll on animal charities, as donations dry up and the number of abandoned pets rises. The UK’s largest animal charity, the RSPCA, revealed this week that it is having to cope with a 57 per cent rise in cases this year. Owners are being forced to give up heir pets due to financial pressures. The charity claims that 30 animals are being abandoned each day and calls from desperate pet owners have risen a staggering 52 per cent.
Latest from the Buddies pet insurance news team…the Companion Animal Welfare Council (CAWC) has called on pet owners to help in its investigation into shock collars. Using an online survey, it is hoping to establish whether devices that use electric pulses should be recommended for training purposes. The study, led by Professor Daniel Mills of the University of Lincoln, will include first hand accounts from dog, cat and horse owners. The survey deliberately tries to avoid any opinions people might have around this hotly debated topic, but try and stick to facts. Like all properly conducted surveys, the ultimate purpose is to shed light rather than heat on a controversial issue.
Latest from the Buddies pet insurance news team…Spanish authorities in the city of Girona have introduced draconian measures to keep dogs and their owners under control. The council, which last year handled more than 300 dog-related complaints from the public, has issued a whole set of by-laws in an attempt to tackle the problem. Fines will be issued to owners who keep their pet tied up for longer than six hours a day, or in cramped conditions. Dogs who are let off the lead, or allowed to jump into public fountains can be fined up to 500 euros. While many find this approach acceptable, one measure which has attracted the headlines and been branded absurd, is a ruling that an owner must walk their dog for at least 20 minutes a day, or face a fine of 400 euros. Even the council spokesperson was forced to admit that this was going to be difficult to enforce.
Latest from the Buddies pet insurance news team…evidence that the credit crunch is creeping into the pet world is starting to emerge. Latest figures published by the Kennel Club reveal that registration of pedigree dogs is well down on 2008. During the first quarter of 2009, registration across all breeds fell by 16 per cent. The terrier group reported the largest fall of 22 per cent, with the pastoral group least affected, dropping just 10 per cent. Registrations for the UK’s most popular breed, the Labrador Retriever, were 15 per cent lower than the same period last year. Surprisingly, breeds that have attracted the most negative publicity following the controversial BBC breeder documentary, seem to have bucked the downward trend. Numbers of Bulldogs, French Bulldogs and Pekingese are all up.
Latest from the Buddies pet insurance news team…new guidance from DEFRA, designed to help authorities enforce the Dangerous Dog Act, seems to have backfired. The document attempts to outline the way in which the current law works and provide practical guidance in identifying the breed characteristics of the dogs covered by the legislation. It has been heavily criticised by a number of organisations. The Kennel Club is calling for amendments to the legislation itself, while the RSPCA welcomed the guidance, but still opposed breed specific laws. The government meanwhile, is ticking to its guns, with ministers arguing that the current legislation, reviewed only two years ago, was adequate but needed to be implemented more effectively.
Latest from the Buddies pet insurance news team…the American Kennel Club (AKC) has opened its doors to non-pedigree dogs. The move follows a meeting last month, at which delegates asked the board for a change to the rules. Following the amendment, which comes into force in April 2010, mongrel/crossbreeds will be able to take part in agility, rally and obedience trials. Owners will be required to register the dogs with AKC, but only spayed and neutered dogs will be eligible. The AKC is hoping its more flexible approach will broaden the influence it has with the wider dog community. Here in the UK, the Kennel Club has allowed mixed breeds to be represented in trials for the past 60 years, with no restriction on whether the animal is capable of breeding or not.
Latest from the Buddies pet insurance news team…a Whippet breeder who lost three of her litter of five puppies to thieves, was forced to pay a ransom for their safe return. Mrs Oliver of Spyanfly Whippets, contacted local dog wardens and used the Doglost website to try and track down the missing puppies. The distribution of leaflets at local traveller’s sites led to a phone call from a man demanding money for the return of the puppies. After discussions with the police, Mrs Oliver decided not involve the law in the ransom payment, but arranged to meet the thieves in a lay-by. The police had cars nearby to witness the crime and be on hand if events took a turn for the worse. Having paid the ransom of £1,500, the puppies were handed back.
Latest from the Buddies pet insurance news team…Alfie and Meg, two border collies who were stolen from their garden in Flintshire, have been found. The thieves posted a letter through the owner’s letterbox, taunting the victims of the crime and asking whether they had any other dogs to steal. Fortunately, Alfie was discovered by the local dog warden within a few days, but Meg was not reunited with her owners for more than a week. She was found tied to a tree in the local park and had been taken into care by the Capricorn Animal Rescue in Padeswood.
Latest from the Buddies pet insurance news team…builders restoring a home in Devon, have come across a bizarre find hidden in a wall. They discovered the mummified remains of a cat that is possible hundreds of years old. Apparently, in the dim and distant past, the bodies of cats were placed inside walls to ward off evil. The presence of a cat in the house was part of local myth, with villagers claiming that it goes back some 400 years. To maintain the ‘powers of the cat’, the owner has decided to put it back where it was found.
