An Appeal for Bear

The Mayhew agreed to take poor Bear in, as it was an emergency situation and no home had been prearranged for him in the UK (this is the case for other dogs rescued by Penny Farthing). He is a sweet and friendly dog, who responded amazingly well to the large photo–call that awaited the first day of his arrival with many press keen to get a glimpse of the poor hound who had his ears and tail hacked off in preparation for the Afghan world of dog–fighting.

They were met by a happy, excitable over–grown puppy who was thrilled with the opportunity to play and meet new people.Those facts still stay the same, but sadly we are unable to find quite the right owner for Bear with the restrictions of the big city.

We desperately need to find Bear a home in the countryside, away from an urban environment where he can stretch those long legs (he is 6ft on his hind legs!) and play to his heart’s content.

If you're interested in Bear, click here for more information.

Hot Foot it to Raise Cash for Cats Protection

It’s not a challenge for the faint–hearted – a 20ft barefoot walk over burning hot coals – but charity Cats Protection is on the lookout for fearless cat lovers to take part in a sponsored firewalk.

The once–in–a–lifetime opportunity will give participants the chance to walk across wood embers smouldering at 800 degrees without experiencing pain or injury.

rewalking experts who will be on hand throughout the evening. The event, to be held at Brighton Racecourse, will raise cash for Cats Protection, the UK’s largest cat charity which rehomes 52,000 cats every year.

Participants will need to provide £25 registration fee and agree to a fundraising target of £150 in order to take part.

Cats Protection’s Events Organiser Julie Sharp said:"The firewalk is certainly quite a challenge and there’s no doubt participants will have to be pretty brave.

"However, many people who have completed a firewalk talk of how inspirational it is, so we hope that participants will find it a rewarding experience – especially as they will be raising much needed money for Cats Protection."

Apart from providing the ultimate challenge for thrill–seekers, firewalking is an ancient religious and spiritual practice with the first recorded firewalk taking place in India 3000 years ago.

There are many theories as to why it is possible to walk over hot coals without pain or injury – including the poor heat conductivity of wood, the short contact time between the coals and feet, and adopting a ‘mind over matter’ approach.

Anyone wishing to take part is asked to fill out an application form which can be obtained from Julie Sharp at Cats Protection on 01825 741980 or email. Full fundraising support will be given for the event, which will take place at Brighton Racecourse, Freshfield Road, Brighton, from 6pm on Monday, 9 November.

West Midlands is Officially the Most Pet–Friendly Place in the UK!

In this animal–loving nation of ours it seems there is one place in particular which attracts the most pet–friendly attitudes.

ThePet.net Awards 2009 have revealed the most petowners rate the West Midlands as the best place in the UK to own a pet after thousands of pet–owners were invited to vote for their favourite pet–friendly businesses.

ThePet.net Awards were completely free to enter with hundreds of different pet–related businesses and passionate pet–owners taking part nationwide, but almost half of all winners are based in the West Midlands including the favourite Pet Shop,Vets, Pet–friendly Pub/Restaurant, Pet Sitter, Cat Breeder and Canine Hydrotherapy Centre.

TV vet and co–founder of ThePet.net Marc Abraham said: "We hope the awareness raised by the Awards will help highlight those deserving pet–related businesses that proudly put ‘pet before profit’, offer great value–for–money and fantastic customer service.This will in turn keep Britain owning pets forever as well as reduce pet abandonment and increase rescue pet adoption."

ThePet.net Awards 2009 were presented on 4 May at this year's Ultimate Pet Show at the Birmingham NEC.

To find out more about ThePet.net’s ‘Year of the Rescue Pet’, 10 Top Money Saving Tips to help you and your pet through credit crunch, or to find or add pet services in your area, visit www.ThePet.net today.

Stop Pulling!!!!

Dog Train & Behave Week Takes the Lead with Free Advice

Dog training and behaviour experts The Company of Animals is delighted to announce its third Dog Train & Behave Week (25th July –1st August 2009).

The drive of this year’s weeklong initiative is ‘Stop Pulling’ whilst again raising public awareness of the advantages of having well trained dogs that fit easily into society.A trained dog is a happy dog and training is the best antidote to counter the raft of anti–dog legislation that is spreading through local authorities nationwide.

Training your dog to walk to heel is considered the basic prerequisite of a well–behaved dog. Taking your dog for a walk should be an enjoyable experience for both dog and owner, and one where the owner must be in control at all times!

By taking the lead and getting involved with Dog Train & Behave Week, (simply register for free at: (www.dogtrainandbehave.com) dog owners will learn about the positive reward based training revolution, receiving free expert advice and top training tips from Dr Roger Mugford and his team.

As a hub of information for all dog owners, the site offers a variety of expert advice that can be downloaded for free. Covering all aspects of responsible dog ownership from tips to train your dog at home, information about dogs and the law to simple first aid tips, the site also directs owners to their nearest ‘Stop Pulling’ centre.

The ‘Stop Pulling’ centres will be hosted nationwide by dog clubs, dog trainers, pet stores and vet practices as workshops highlighting positive reward based techniques that are synonymous with Dr Roger Mugford’s multi–award winning ‘Halti’ headcollar.

Offering a rare opportunity to engage with your customers, posters, stickers and leaflets will be supplied in–store, explaining the aims and objectives of Dog Train & Behave Week.

Internationally renowned Animal Psychologist and founder of The Company of Animals, Dr Roger Mugford enthused: "Dog Train & Behave Week offers all smart dog owners the chance to learn more about how to get the best out of their dog, whilst having fun training their 'best friend' to be a good canine citizen. Dog Train & Behave Week is a must to lead the way to responsible and informed dog ownership through fun, friendship and teamwork."

Volunteers needed to support Cats Protection’s Ferndown Appeal.

Cats Protection is appealing for volunteers to help raise funds for a new centre that could revolutionise the way in which the south’s unwanted cats are found new homes.

The cat charity needs to raise £900,000 to create the Ferndown Homing Centre, in Dorset, which will make it easier and quicker for the public to adopt cats. As part of the fundraising effort, at least 25 volunteers are needed to support the charity’s community fundraising activities.

The new centre will only hold cats that are ready for adoption, cutting out lengthy waits for owners to take their pets home. It will work alongside the charity’s volunteer–run branches in Bournemouth and for miles around, adding to the work carried out over a large catchment area in the South of England. It is planned that the centre will open in the first quarter of 2010.

Katrina Hodges, Cats Protection’s Community Fundraising Manager said:"The Ferndown Homing Centre is an exciting and important project for us. It will support branches throughout the area and could act as a model for our cat adoption activity in the future – ultimately helping us to make a difference to more cats.

"The charity is looking for people from all backgrounds, aged 16 years or older, to help with the Ferndown Appeal.There are a variety of ways that people can get involved, such as giving a few hours to help out with street collections or running a fundraising event, and we can find each volunteer a role that suits their current job and commitments. If you would like to help the charity ensure a brighter future for unwanted cats in the south, then please get in touch."

For further details, please email or call 01825 741980.

A ballroom dancing cat – fancy that!

A shot of the dancing dog and cat video.

Cosequin, the world leading joint care supplement for cats and dogs, has launched a series of entertaining new paw–tapping internet videos, featuring the fancy feline footwork of a ballroom dancing cat and her canine partner (Ginger and Fred).

The Cosequin team hopes the light–hearted new videos of Fred and Ginger demonstrating everything from the jive to the rumba will raise awareness of the more serious issue of mobility problems in cats and dogs.To see the videos log onto www.cosequin–dance.co.uk.

Pet owners visiting the site can also enter a competition to win a day with award–winning animal photographer, Sam Lunt. The prize, worth over £1,000, includes a photo shoot for you and your pet with the pictures being presented to the lucky winner in a beautiful, bound photo book.There are also ten pairs of tickets for a live dancing show up for grabs.

Sadly, mobility issues can affect pets at different life stages, but it doesn’t need to be an ongoing problem. Cosequin is the perfect solution for cats and dogs that may not be able to perform the cha cha cha quite as easily as they once could. By supporting joint condition and maintaining not only healthy cartilage, but also healthy joint structures, Cosequin is suitable for all cats and dogs that need some joint support, especially highly active or older pets.

Cosequin is available either as a chewable tablet or, for pets with particularly discerning taste buds, the taste–free powder in Cosequin capsules is designed to be sprinkled directly onto the food.

To see the viral videos and enter the competition visit this site where you can choose four dances for Fred and Ginger to perform or pick up a leaflet from your local vet practice.