Category: Dog News

A new study has revealed that nearly half (44%) of dog owners admit that they would struggle to afford vet bills out of their own savings, causing worry and stress.

The number is even higher for cats, where 62% are not covered compared to 47% for dogs. This equates to around 4 million uninsured dogs and 6 million uninsured cats living in the UK.

In spite of the widespread reluctance to insure their furry friends, comparethemarket.com discovered that pet owners who have insured their dogs and cats are paying different amounts, depending on where they live and in some cases, London, for example, pet owners pay a higher monthly premium – which could be why 68% are without pet insurance.

The British Government has today published its reply to the committee which has been looking into the Dangerous Dogs Act, how it works and how it could be improved by education. The committee published its report last October and encouraged the Government to take various steps, including introducing new training, similar to a speed awareness course for drivers, for low-medium level offences and new education initiatives for local authorities and officers.

They also examined Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act which states that four breed types are illegal to own breed, sell, gift or allow to stray in the UK.

The committee learnt from animal welfare experts in the rehoming industry that as a result of the legislation, dogs were being put to sleep because they could not be rehomed.

The committee concluded that: “We are concerned that Defra’s arguments in favour of maintaining Breed Specific Legislation are not substantiated by robust evidence. It is even more worrying that non-existent evidence appears to have been cited before a Parliamentary Committee in support of current Government policy. This lack of clarity indicates a disturbing disregard for evidence-based policy-making.”

“The prohibition on transferring Section 1 dogs has resulted in the unnecessary destruction of good-tempered dogs that could have been safely re-homed. Defra’s position is both illogical and inherently unfair. Whether a dog is euthanised or not can depend entirely on whether it ‘looks like’ a Pit Bull Terrier. It is unnecessarily cruel to forbid good-tempered dogs from being transferred to responsible owners willing to comply with the stringent provisions attached to keeping a Section 1 dog.”

On this point, the committee recommended the Government: “remove the ban on transferring Section 1 dogs to new owners. This should be accompanied by adequate regulation of animal centres and appropriate safeguards to ensure the re-homing of Section 1 dogs is conducted responsibly and safely.”

The Government responded saying:

“Any proposals to amend the law here, for example to allow prohibited dogs which have no previous court approved owner to be rehomed, or to transfer a prohibited dog to people who have had no contact with the dog, would require an amendment to the DDA and the supporting secondary legislation. The Government does not consider that it is a priority to amend legislation at this time. We would also need to consider the implications for public safety and the increased burden on the Courts before any legislative change could be made, as well as the implications for rescue and rehoming centres themselves.”

And continued that it: “recently invited comments from the public and stakeholders on the issue of licensing such establishments in connection with a possible ban on the third party selling of puppies and kittens. The Government considers that, should a decision in future be made to amend the DDA around rehoming prohibited dogs, licensing would be a necessary prerequisite before considering whether such establishments could have a formal role in any rehoming.”

Dr Samantha Gaines, RSPCA dog welfare expert and lead author of the ‘Breed Specific Legislation: A Dog’s Dinner’ report, gave evidence to the committee’s review last year.

Commenting on the Conservative Government’s response she said, “We are extremely disappointed that the Government is still suggesting that prohibited types of dogs are more dangerous than other types of dogs and that they are involved in a disproportionately high number of attacks on people, including fatalities. The RSPCA, in its evidence to EFRA, made it very clear that in the absence of robust data around the dog population such claims cannot be made and it is misleading to do so.

“We are also hugely disappointed that despite EFRA recommending changes which would mean that friendly and rehomeable banned types of dogs could avoid being put to sleep, the Government is unwilling to do so. For the past 27 years thousands of dogs have paid the ultimate price as a result of this draconian and unjust legislation which penalises dogs simply for the way they look. This has lead to the unnecessary destruction of hundreds of friendly and well-behaved family pets and dogs that organisations like ourselves could rehome.

“We’re looking forward to the conclusions of the research project currently being undertaken by Middlesex University. Our own research has shown that there is a lack of scientific evidence to support BSL and positive evidence against it. We remain confident that the outcome of the research will be one which recommends breed neutral legislation and that Government will act on this.

“The Government urgently needs to act on this; public safety and the lives of thousands more innocent dogs in the future rely on it.”

Full access to the Government’s response is available here.

In a nutshell, nothing is set to change for the dogs most at risk of losing their lives due to how they look, rather than act, because of the law. 

We all love to treat our dogs. Birthdays, Christmases and sometimes just because we want to. But which regions of the UK spend most?

New research from Direct Line Pet Insurance has revealed that dogs in London, the East of England and Scotland are owned by the biggest spenders, as a generous 18 per cent of Londoners spend over £100 on their dog at Christmas.

The majority of dog owners (41 per cent) spend between £10-20 on their dog at Christmas. More than a quarter of owners spends between £21 and £40, while a generous four per cent spend between £81 and £100.

However, Christmas isn’t the only time that owners pamper their pups because over two-thirds of pet owners admitted to buying their dogs presents whenever they see something they’d like.

All About the Mane

Comparing owners grooming habits to their dogs, 2 in 10 dog owners take their dog to the groomers every couple of months whereas 22 per cent of owners only visit the hairdresser once a year.

In the age of the well-groomed modern man, it may come as a surprise that half of men admitted that they spend more money on their dog’s coat than their own hair.

Room for Another?

It seems the extent of pampering is endless, as the research showed the majority of dogs in the East Midlands, North West and South East have their own rooms, but overall dogs across the country sleep where they want.

Prit Powar, Head of Pet Insurance at Direct Line, said: “Naturally dog owners treat their four legged companions as part of the family and these results aren’t surprising coming from a dog loving nation.

Christmas is a great time for owners to be with their dogs but it’s impossible to keep an eye on your pet all the time. With all of the extra food around at Christmas, it’s crucial to be aware of what pets are eating as some human food can be poisonous to dogs.

If you feel your dog has eaten something they shouldn’t have, all Direct Line Pet customers will be able to connect with a vet 24/7 through Pawsquad which is provided for free with their pet policy. If in doubt, customers should get their pet to the vet immediately just to be on the safe side.

“Direct Line urges responsible dog ownership all year round and Christmas is no different. Direct Line Pet Insurance customers concerned about their pet’s health can take advantage of free access to the PawSquad app, which allows users to video call or text a vet in any situation including emergencies.”

Apparently one in 10 men do.

In new research, out today from Direct Line Pet Insurance, 9 in 10 dog owners have admitted to finding it easier to buy gifts for their dog than their family.

Dog owners also admitted to spending more money on their pet’s presents than friends’, grandparents’, siblings’ and even their parents’ presents.

Almost a third of dog owners choose to give their dog their Christmas presents before their partner because they’re more excited to give it to their pup (probably a good decision to stop the dog rummaging too!).

Prit Powar, Head of Pet Insurance at Direct Line, said “Naturally dog owners treat their four legged companions as part of the family and these results aren’t surprising coming from a dog loving nation.

“Christmas is a great time for owners to be with their dogs but it’s impossible to keep an eye on your pet all the time. With all of the extra food around at Christmas, it’s crucial to be aware of what pets are eating as some human food can be poisonous to dogs.

“If you feel your dog has eaten something they shouldn’t have, all Direct Line Pet customers will be able to connect with a vet 24/7 through Pawsquad which is provided for free with their pet policy. If in doubt, customers should get their pet to the vet immediately just to be on the safe side.

“Direct Line urges responsible dog ownership all year round and Christmas is no different. Direct Line Pet Insurance customers concerned about their pet’s health can take advantage of free access to the PawSquad app, which allows users to video call or text a vet in any situation including emergencies.”

Related article: Make your dog their own Christmas meal this year with our dog-safe Christmas Menu for Dogs (including doggy mince pies!)

A better understanding of the way dogs communicate distress could be the first step in reducing the risk of dog bites for both children and adults, a new study has found.

Psychologists investigating how children and parents perceive and interpret dog’s body language found that both groups significantly underestimate and misinterpret the way that dogs display distress or anxiety, including behaviours such as snarling or growling which can cause a significant risk to children.

The project consisted of three phases involving children aged three, four and five years old and one group of parents.

Initially, each group was shown a series of short video clips of dogs displaying a full range of behavioural signals which ranged from happy dogs through to high-risk conflict-escalating behaviours such as growling, snarling or biting. Participants were then asked to rate their perception of the behaviours on a simple, child-friendly scale from ‘very happy’ to ‘very unhappy/very angry’.

The groups then took part in a training phase where the videos were repeated, this time accompanied by simple information explaining the type of behaviour the dog was displaying, for example, ‘the dog is licking its nose’, how to interpret the behaviour – i.e. the dog is worried, followed by a safety message such as ‘you should leave the dog alone’. Participants then also saw novel videos with all behaviours.

Once the training phase was completed, participants were immediately tested to establish their judgements of the dogs’ behaviours then testing again after six months and after one year to measure whether the training had a lasting effect.

Results showed that younger children found it harder to correctly interpret dog distress signals with 53 per cent of three year olds misinterpreting high-risk signals such as growling or snarling. Of the children who made mistakes, 65 per cent thought that these dogs were happy. Results showed 17per cent of the parents also incorrectly interpreted these behaviours.

After the training intervention, both children and adults showed better understanding. Most improvement was found on conflict-escalating signals such as staring, growling or snarling with adults and older children showing the highest levels of improvement. Pre-training, only 55 per cent of four year olds were able to correctly interpret high risk dog behaviours with this rising to 72 per cent post training. The training was also shown to have a lasting effect with the figure rising to 76 per cent twelve months post-training.

Lead researcher Professor Kerstin Meints from the University of Lincoln’s School of Psychology said: “We observed that children often try to apply an explanation for the dog’s signals that would be appropriate to explain human behaviour. For example, children often wrongly interpreted a dog snarling and showing its teeth to mean that the dog was happy, which could put them at significant risk if they were to approach a dog displaying these signals.

“This project is the first to offer an intervention to significantly enhance children’s and adults’ abilities to correctly interpret dog signalling and has shown that with simple training we can improve their awareness, knowledge, recognition and interpretation skills.”

A new survey has revealed that nearly three quarters of dog owners are unable to recognise the sign of a fearful dog barking, with a third mistaking a fearful dog bark for excitement or playfulness.

According to the new research from Direct Line Pet Insurance, owners were able to identify a dog experiencing pain or shock easiest, followed by a warning or ‘pack alert’ deep pitch bark.

So what does this say about our ability to communicate and understand our dogs?

The pet insurer says that to uncover these findings dog owners were asked to listen to a series of barks selected by an animal behaviourist and identify the emotion conveyed.

When asked to listen to the sound of a bored dog barking, only 41 per cent selected the right emotion, with 37 per cent instead thinking they were listening to a scared dog.

A bored bark is typically characterised by an incessant whine, whereas a scared dog will often emit a rapid high-pitched noise, according to K9 Magazine’s editor and former professional dog trainer, Ryan O’Meara.

Just 2 in 10 dog owners could correctly tell when a canine was making excited sounds, with the majority (58 per cent) thinking the animal was bored or experiencing separation anxiety.

Despite the frequent misinterpretations of dog barks, almost half (47 per cent) of pet owners boast that it’s easy to identify a dog’s emotion from its bark alone.

Why does it matter?

If dog owners misinterpret the emotion their pet is trying to express, they may miss valuable signs that a dog is distressed or in need of veterinary attention.

Prit Powar, head of Pet Insurance at Direct Line, said: “Even the most experienced of dog owners can misinterpret what their pets are trying to tell them. Because animals cannot verbally communicate their feelings to us, it can be easy for pet owners to miss warning signs of distress or pain. This is why owners need to be informed and vigilant. Learning to recognise symptoms of common ailments via an animal’s body language provides valuable cues for pet owners and may save invaluable time if your pet is ill and trying to communicate this to you.”

To make things more confusing, some owners admitted to encouraging their dog to bark or howl, in some cases for the purpose of filming for social media, by teasing them with objects like remote-controlled cars and put on music and TV programmes they know will elicit a bark.

Prit Powar continued: “Dogs can bring joy in many ways, but it’s important that their entertainment value does not trump their welfare. While it might seem funny to spur them to bark by using stimuli like TV programmes and sounds of other dogs, this can be very distressing for a pet if they think it’s a sign of a threat or conflict. Owners need to consider why their pets react in certain contexts and try to limit stressful situations.”

Resources: Translate the 10 most common dog barks with K9 Magazine

Well known animal lover Paul O’Grady has pledged his support to a social enterprise helping animals living on the streets after taking to the streets of London with StreetVet for the ITV show ‘For The Love Of Dogs’.

StreetVet was established in 2017 by vets Jade Statt and Sam Joseph and is a growing initiative now made up of more than 300 vets and nurses caring for pets across nine cities in the UK.

After joining their volunteers one evening to see how the organisation helps homeless pets, dog lover Paul, 63, wanted to do more to help and has become an ambassador for StreetVet.

Paul O’Grady and StreetVet co-founder Jade Statt

Speaking about the decision and work he saw firsthand, Paul said, “When we were filming ‘For the Love of Dogs’ we went out on the streets with StreetVet to see firsthand what they do for the homeless and their pets.

“I was really impressed with the dedication of the team and want to support them to enable them to reach even more homeless people around the country.”

StreetVet provides free veterinary care for homeless pet owners. They recognised that pets – mostly dogs – living on the streets needed access to treatment and began giving health checks, worming and flea treatment and vaccinations and surgical treatment when required.

It resonated with their profession and soon they had hundreds of volunteers going out with backpacks in their own time. As well as 450 dogs, they’ve treated 15 cats.

StreetVet co-founders Sam and Jade with client Andy Hutchins

Co-founder Jade Statt, 39, said she was thrilled to have Paul’s support: “We were hoping to find someone who understands the bond between an owner and their dog and that person is Paul.

“To our homeless owners, their dog is their lifeline. Paul is known for his love of dogs and he completely grasps this relationship.

“Paul is warm and compassionate and can relate to people from all walks of life and cares deeply about human and animal welfare.

“That’s what StreetVet is about. We are humbled he’s agreed to work with us as an ambassador to make people aware of the homeless crisis and the struggles of our clients and their dogs.”

StreetVet relies on donations, volunteers and industry support to provide vital supplies and equipment, and help patients.

They have been nominated for the Animal Friends 100k Charity Giveaway and are awaiting confirmation of their charity status.

Jade said, “This is an incredible opportunity for StreetVet to be awarded enough funds to expand into more cities and help more animals.

“We’re faced with an increasing homeless population and we do all we can on limited resources, but this funding really would enable us to do so much more.”

You can vote at www.animalfriends.co.uk/100kcharitygiveaway

Veterinary charity StreetVet has launched a campaign to encourage the nation’s animal lovers to put their best paws forward and vote to secure a 100K charity giveaway.

The 100K giveaway is being fronted by UK pet insurance firm, Animal Friends, to celebrate 20 years of donating millions of pounds to animal charities around the world.

Streetvet, who provide free veterinary care to an estimated 500 pets owned by members of the homeless community on the streets of nine UK cities, is one of three charities in the running to win the 100K prize money and the organisation tells us that if they were lucky enough to win ‘the £100k pot would go on expansion across the U.K., and also continuing to offer vet care to our current patients’.

Pet lovers and their pooches can cast their vote for StreetVet online here from today (Wednesday 7 November) with voting closing on Monday 10 December.

Seven-year-old Staffy, Missy, was the first to cast her vote with her paws to support her homeless counterparts who don’t have a voice.

Dr Jade Statt, Co-Founder of StreetVet said, “We’d absolutely love to win the 100K Charity Giveaway. It would help us to keep providing life-saving veterinary care to animals owned by members of the homeless community across the UK. As the nights draw in and the weather gets colder, there is an increasing need for fundamental care and support for man’s best friend.”

Meet Kuga. At eight months old he began training with the Australian Special Air Service Regiment and in 2010, he was deployed to Afghanistan with his handler for his first tour.

On 26 August 2011, during their second tour, he and his handler were part of a Special Operations Task Group (SOTG) troop conducting a mission to capture a senior Taliban insurgent in the Khas Uruzgan district.

Photo Credit: Commonwealth of Australia 2018

After landing by helicopter near a target compound, the unit began their patrol. Kuga and his handler were located next to the river.

Kuga was then instructed to search for concealed insurgents or improvised explosive devices (IEDs) located along the river’s edge. As the patrol moved closer to the target compound, Kuga indicated an enemy presence and moved down towards the river.

Photo Credit: Commonwealth of Australia 2018

As he entered the water and swam across the river to the opposite bank, he was targeted and injured by bursts of automatic fire. His handler moved into position to support him while Kuga continued to swim, undeterred, by the close-range fire. After reaching the bank, he charged towards a small tree line where his handler was able to identify the enemy’s location and witnessed an insurgent firing at Kuga at close range.

While apprehending the insurgent, Kuga was shot again, causing him to lose his grip.

During the incident, Kuga was shot five times: twice in the ear, once in the toe, once in the cheek (which exited through the neck) and once in the chest, which exited the shoulder and broke his upper-left leg. Kuga also received shrapnel wounds to his lower spine.

Despite his injuries, the brave Belgian Malinois swam back across the river when recalled by his handler, who administered emergency first aid and requested a helicopter medical evacuation for him. Kuga was subsequently treated in Afghanistan and Germany, before returning to Australia for further treatment and rehabilitation.

Sadly, Kuga passed away in kennels less than a year later and although inconclusive, it was believed that his body succumbed to the stress placed upon him due to the injuries sustained in the incident. Kuga’s death is officially recorded as ‘Died of Wounds’.

Today he was posthumously awarded the equivalent of the animals Victoria Cross by the PDSA for his remarkable and brave actions during his mission to capture a senior Taliban insurgent. He is the first Australian dog to receive the accolade.

Corporal Mark Donaldson VC accepted the award on the regiment’s behalf alongside Australian Army special operations military working dog, Odin.

Photo Credit: Commonwealth of Australia 2018

On receiving the award, he said, “Kuga’s actions that day in Afghanistan were heroic. There’s no doubt in anybody’s mind that he saved lives. He just wouldn’t give up on his mates and doing his job.

“Kuga and the other military working dogs in Afghanistan saved countless lives, whether they were finding IEDs or tipping us off to an enemy presence before we’d seen them. Kuga’s PDSA Dickin Medal is for the all military working dogs who worked alongside us in Afghanistan and every day since.”

That’s right. All Saints’ Nicole Appleton, who is a huge dog lover, wants to see your cute dog photos this Halloween on her social networking app for pet lovers and she’s even teamed up with a pet camera manufacturer to offer one lucky winner the chance to win their own Furbo.

Pictured left to right with Nicole, Bridget – Ruby

Earlier this year, inspired by her own two dogs, Ruby and Bridget, Nicole launched the social networking app for pet lovers, Petscene. Now she’s asking pet lovers to share their pets with her on the app, with a competition in place that promises one lucky winner their very own Furbo pet treat camera.

To have some fun and be in with a chance of winning, all you have to do is download the Petscene app from the App Store or from the Google Play store for Android phones and share your pets Halloween photos, tagging in #PetSceneHalloween before 31st October.