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2010

News in from the USA

West Hollywood City Council passes historic law to ban the sale of Puppies and Kittens in pet shops

The following is a release from Judie Mancuso President, Social Compassion In Legislation (SCIL)

Dear Friends:

Congratulations! Thank you all so much for sending your support letters to the West Hollywood City Council.Tonight, (1st February 2010) the ordinance to ban the sale of dogs & cats in pet stores (except shelter animals) passed unanimously. This law will guarantee that dogs and cats from cruel puppy/kitten mills will no longer be sold in the City of West Hollywood.

The audience was packed with supporters, and several speakers and Council members noted the historic nature of the evening. Thank you all so much for your support! We are told from the council that your quick response via the overwhelming amount of support emails led them to this unanimous vote. They received emails from not only local and state supporters but also from groups and individuals from Washington to New York and even the United Kingdom (a shout out to Border Collie Rescue-UK).

Thank you all, your activism is truly amazing.
 

Potentially, this ground breaking legislation could cut off outlets for puppy farm bred dogs (and kittens) in the City of West Hollywood and will hopefully be taken up by other City and State legislators around the USA. By removing a source of badly bred dogs and cats from being available to the public to be 'conned' into buying, this should have the knock on effect of reducing the numbers being discarded and ending up in pounds, rescues and humane societies.

Please watch the following video - just click in the centre of the screen

We hope it may encourage you to 'get active' and help make a difference.

REPORT ON PEDIGREE DOGS RELEASED

Following the BBC documentary "Pedigree Dogs Exposed there have been a number of reports, summaries and accounts of the predicament of pedigree dogs in the UK. The latest, and perhaps most in depth, report is from Prof' Patrick Bateson and contains many recommendations designed to improve the quality of life for pedigree dogs and there owners. Click the link below to read it in full.

2009

Free Darcy Campaign

Highlighting our quarantine laws and how it can adversely affect specialist dogs working overseas

Dogs like Darcy are highly trained and save lives, both in the UK and throughout the world. The UK has a 'passports for pets' scheme which circumvents quarantine restrictions, but this is only relevant to certain countries. If a dog is not on the scheme or visits a country not participating in the scheme it will be subjected to 6 months quarantine upon re-entry to the UK. This has happened to Darcy.

Our quarantine restrictions are there for a reason - primarily to prevent the introduction of Rabies into the UK. This is a very good reason.

However, we firmly believe that there should be some sort of provision to enable dogs like Darcy to be able to assist in disasters around the world and not be subjected to our current draconian quarantine isolation upon their return. We need a different system for dogs like Darcy.

6 months is a long time in the life of a dog.

Lets put aside the emotive argument that six months in isolation, separated from the handler it has bonded with, is both unkind and cruel to a domestic companion animal like a dog. Lets also put aside the fact that it is unkind and cruel to deprive a working dog of its work and subject it to the frustration it will consequently endure while restricted in this manner.

These are the facts of quarantine and all dogs are so affected - some breeds, like the Border Collie, worse than others.

For a dog like Darcy it is 6 months where he will be unable to do the work he has been trained to do. It will be six months where his training will not be practiced or updated and when he is released from quarantine he will need to be retrained to reach his current standard.

After long and expensive training, it will be six months where Darcy - as an asset to the human race - will be wasted.

Like so many aspects of our modern society, there is little sense to this - economically or socially.

Like so many aspects of our legal system and our laws affecting animals, we have an antiquated and ill thought out quarantine law that is applied in an indiscriminate, knee jerk manner by those who enforce it. Politicians could change this.

If you - like us - feel that there should be a modification of our quarantine laws to allow dogs like Darcy to be able to work more freely around the world -saving lives - helping humans - without being subjected to an enforced 6 months quarantine on return to the UK -

SIGN THE PETITION OUTLINED BELOW

Petition information

Darcy, an Essex County Fire and Rescue Service’s search and rescue dog, will have to spend six months in quarantine after going to Indonesia to carry out life saving search and rescue work. We believe that rescue dogs should be exempt from the quarantine laws. Six months imprisonment does not seem like a fitting reward for a dog which has worked abroad to try and save lives.

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to change the UK quarantine laws to exempt search and rescue dogs which have done life saving work overseas

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/FreeDarcy/

Border Collie Elected Mayor of Rabbit Hash, Kentucky, USA

16 candidates struggled through a long, and sometimes contentious, fight for the highly sought after and prestigious position for the 2008 term of office.  Finally, on the 5th November, Border Collie 'Lucy Lou' was elected with a majority 3489 votes over her closest rival.

Border Collie Rescue wishes Lucy Lou good fortune in her term in office. If anyone wishes to know more about this unusual and, undoubtedly, very wise Kentucky community, click on the link below and visit their website.

Natalia - Cruelty case Border Collie makes full recovery - owners prosecuted.

Natalia was so frustrated by her imprisonment that she had worn a hole in the lino by constant circling and the other dog, a Doberman called Charmaine, had to be put down after she was found with severe enteritis, sunken-eyed, collapsed and surrounded by faeces.

When Natalia was handed over to Border Collie Rescue care she was underweight, suffering from muscle wastage - particularly on her hind legs, had sores and holes in her pads from constant circling, had sores on her sides, rump, chest and abdomen from lying in urine and on hard ground for long periods, was suffering from anal gland problems and had very bad teeth, both the latter problems caused by bad diet and all, in part, subsequently rectified by good diet and exercise and the extraction of six of her teeth and the de-scaling of the others.

She was also psychologically damaged.  She was over-stimulated by the slightest noise and had developed a compulsive repetitive circling pattern that she fell into without thinking and could be triggered by audio or visual stimuli. She was agoraphobic. She was wary of other dogs, possibly because she had been dominated by her companion in captivity. She was wary of new people and frightened by change.

Initially her pads and sores needed daily treatment by the administration of healing creams several times a day. She needed 24/7 care to correct her repeated circling - a habit allowed to build up over some time - so undoing the damage could only be effective over several months of constant attention, reminding her when she slipped into the pattern and breaking her habit by diverting her attention and allowing her to realise what she was doing. Regular small meals several times a day coupled with short exercise sessions, both of which were increased over time allowed her to gain weight and build muscle proportionately.

Her problems had developed over a long period of time and needed a long period of time to address.

Everything Border Collie Rescue needed to do for Natalia she always responded to with expressions of gratitude for their efforts, which made all the time and energy over the 6 months period very easy to give when she was so rewarding to help.

She loves to run free off the lead and has enjoyed the freedom of the BCR fields and has excellent recall and general obedience. She can now walk beautifully on or off the lead, following her handler instead of spinning in front continuously as she did when she first came in.

All her training and re-habilitation has been based on trusting and following a leader and she loves her newfound freedom.

To read an article from the Yorkshire Post Newspaper and view a video about Natalia and her progress - click here

Watch trailers for our latest video - "Nice Work" - a documentary about our work and some of the dogs we have re-homed.

Watch the whole Nice Work series here

Archie, an eight-month-old border collie, ran into the stick at speed after it was thrown at the dog to chase.

The stick tore through the animal's windpipe and shredded the muscles down the side of its neck.

The dog collapsed unconscious and the owner's father Steven Harding carried it half a mile to its home in Exeter, Devon.

He then took it to a surgery where three local vets Peter Howard, John Gale and Sara Eley opened up its neck and removed the stick.

Mr Howard said: "It was impossible to know what damage had been done to vital structures in Archie's mouth, throat and neck but it was obviously a life threatening condition.

"There were two small branches acting like barbs anchoring the stick inside the throat.

"A major nerve was trapped tightly around the end of the wood which risked paralysis. The stick had to be sawn off to release it.

"Amazingly the major blood vessels of the neck had avoided potentially fatal damage and after three hours of intense surgery the stick was removed through the neck incision and all the wounds repaired."

The dog is now recovering at home where he has been banned from playing with sticks.

His owner, Anna Harding, 27, said: "The vets have done a remarkable job and Archie is back to his old self.

"There will be no more sticks for him. From now on he will have a nice soft old tennis ball."

Vets have warned owners about the dangers of throwing sticks, which cause thousands of injuries to dogs every year across Britain.

Source - Telegraph online - http://www.telegraph.co.uk

A Warning for dog owners about the use of certain types of garden mulch

sent to us by Ali Taylor, Head of Welfare, Battersea Dogs Home

Yesterday one of our dog agility friends experienced a tragedy and wanted me to pass a special message along to all of my dog loving friends and family. Please tell every dog owner you know.

Over the weekend the doting owner of two young lab mixes purchased Cocoa Mulch from Target to use in their garden. They loved the way it smelled and it was advertised to keep cats away from their garden.

Their dog Calypso decided that the mulch smelled good enough to eat and devoured a large helping. She vomited a few times which was typical when she eats something new but wasn't acting lethargic in any way. The next day, Mum woke up and took Calypso out for her morning walk. Half way through the walk, she had a seizure and died instantly.

Although the mulch had NO warnings printed on the label, upon further investigation on the company's website, this product is HIGHLY toxic to dogs and cats.

Cocoa Mulch is manufactured by Hershey's, and they claim that "It is true that studies have shown that 50% of the dogs that eat Cocoa Mulch can suffer physical harm to a variety of degrees (depending on each individual dog). However, 98% of all dogs won't eat it."

Cocoa Mulch, which is sold by Home Depot, Foreman's Garden Supply and other Garden supply stores, contains a lethal ingredient called
"Theobromine".  Theobromine is the ingredient that is used to make all chocolate especially dark or baker's chocolate which is toxic to dogs.
It is lethal to dogs and cats. It smells like chocolate and it really attracts dogs. They will ingest this stuff and die.
Several deaths already occurred in the last 2-3 weeks. Just a word of caution, check what you are using in your gardens and be aware of what your gardeners are using in your gardens.

Cocoa bean shells contain potentially toxic quantities of theobromine, a xanthine compound similar in effects to caffeine and theophylline. A
dog that ingested a lethal quantity of garden mulch made from cacao bean shells developed severe convulsions and died 17 hours later. Analysis of
the stomach contents and the ingested cacao bean shells revealed the presence of lethal amounts of theobromine.
 

2008

We are concerned about a concept being imported to the UK from the USA which can broadly be described as 'Pet Rental'.

In essence, by joining a 'club', members will be able to 'rent' time with a dog of their choice on an hourly, daily, weekly, (whatever) basis. The businesses that are offering this service profit from exploiting human self indulgence and the dogs vulnerability and helplessness in law.

MP, David Drew has tabled an Early Day Motion on 4th July 08 (EDM 1699), calling upon the House of Commons to act on this matter as it is obviously of great concern to anyone who has the interest of dogs at heart and is against exploitation of animals in principal.

The EDM is as follows -

That this House expresses concern about the operation of the dog rental company, FlexPetz, which has opened in London with the intention to expand to various cities across the United Kingdom; acknowledges that the UK dog rental business is currently very small but recognises the potential for its growth due to the increase in fashion accessory dogs; disapproves of causing distress to dogs as a result of them being rented out to numerous people; believes that this encourages irresponsible attitudes to dog ownership; further believes that dog renting is, or should be, a breach of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 in that it is highly likely to inhibit dogs from having the ability to exhibit normal behaviour patterns; further disapproves of renting dogs for profit; calls on the Government to take action to ensure compliance with the Animal Welfare Act; and thanks the Kennel Club for drawing attention to this issue.

At the point of writing this article, the motion had 5 signatories - progress can be followed here -  http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=35983&SESSION=891

In order to progress into Parliamentary consideration, this EDM needs as many signatories as it can get, so we ask you to contact your local MP by any means possible and ask them to support EDM 1699 by adding their name as signatory.

Please lets nip this sort of exploitation in the bud.

It is morally, ethically and humanely wrong to expose any animal to this sort of exploitation and to allow it to be done - for profit or not -  is a sad reflection on the humanity of any society.

What next - Rent a Child?

Friends of Ruswarp appeal

The Settle-Carlisle railway line came very near to closure in the 1980s.   32,000 people and a dog (a fare paying passenger) objected.   The dog was Ruswarp, a Border Collie owned by Graham Nuttall, co-founder of the Friends of the line.   After years of campaigning, the line was reprieved in 1989 and, such is demand, its capacity is about to double – a remarkable turn of fortune.

Graham Nuttall and Ruswarp were inseparable.   On 20^th January 1990 they went walking in the hills, but failed to return.   Graham’s body was found on 7^th April.   His faithful dog Ruswarp had stayed with him for 11 winter weeks.   The case attracted much attention at the time – the RSPCA honoured Ruswarp and were inundated with offers to care for him.   He lived just long enough to be at his master’s funeral.

An appeal has now been launched to commission a bronze statue of Ruswarp, to have a place of honour at Garsdale station, Graham’s favourite place, near to the summit of the Settle-Carlisle Line.   This coincides with restoration of the station by Network Rail.   It will symbolise the campaign to save the line, its subsequent success and the loyalty of ‘man’s best friend’.   If you would like to make a donation, send a cheque payable to ‘The Ruswarp Memorial Fund’, to Project Officer Josie Perriman, Foresters Cottage, 2 Howson’s Yard, Settle BD24 2EG.   Or visit www.settle-carlisle.com/webshop, The link will take you to the Ruswarp Appeal.

URGENT - Please help Advocates for Animals with their campaign to ban snares in Scotland 

Please visit www.bansnares.com where you can quickly and easily support this campaign.

Advocates for Animals is requesting people write to Michael Russell MSP asking him to use his powers under the Nature Conservation Act to bring an Order in the Scottish Parliament that would ban cruel and indiscriminate snares once and for all

2007

http://new.edp24.co.uk/

31 October 2007

Man prosecuted for dangerous dog

A man has been prosecuted under the Dangerous Dogs Act after his Border Collie bit a member of the public.

Mark Osborne, 44, of Woodlands Drive, Thetford appeared before magistrates at Swaffham yesterday and pleaded guilty to being in charge of the dog that was dangerously out of control on May 6 at The Woodlands in Thetford.

He was given an 18-month conditional discharge and both he and his wife Julie, 43, were made subject of a control order under the Dogs Act 1871.

The dog must now be kept secure within their home and be kept on a lead, muzzled and handled by an adult when it is taken out.

The couple were also ordered to pay £500 costs to Breckland Council.

Speaking after the court case Kay Fisher, Breckland executive member for the environment, said: “Breckland takes its responsibilities about dangerous dogs very seriously.

“The council promotes responsible pet ownership but will not hesitate to take action if owners let their dogs out of control and present a danger to members of the public.”

From - Shanci Animal Protection Organization - Guangzhou China

Video of Sally and 5 of her pups.

Music - 'Puppy Walk' - provide by 'Om'

Video of Gael being trained

Music - 'Song for Hope' - provided by 'Eskimo' - www.eskimomusic.com

Video of Pan - a Border Collie born blind.

Ireland is in need of a overhaul of it's animal welfare laws and enforcement practices. One organisation is spearheading a campaign to do just that. ANVIL - Animals Need a Voice in Legislation - is actively campaigning to make a change and improve conditions for animals in Ireland and they need our help - visit their website at http://www.anvilireland.ie and sign the petition calling for change.

6th April 2007 - Animal Welfare Act 2006 - now in force. Happy Easter Furry friends!

Hopefully we will now get less calls from people saying "I witnessed 'such and such' and told the RSPCA, but they said that as the dog had shelter, food and water, there was nothing they could do!" Now - if a dog is likely to suffer they can do something about it.

To see a PDF copy of the act, click on the link below. Read it - it affects you and your pets. They now have legal rights.

The House of Lords has forced the Government to reconsider the exceptions to the ban on tail docking by rejecting the proposed law with its current exemptions.

The RSPCA has publicly condemned the regulations that allow certain working dogs to be docked and do not believe exceptions are necessary.

The ban will come into force at the end of March in Wales and on 6th of April in England, as part of the Animal Welfare Act. The current wording would have allowed exemptions for working dogs only in England and Wales. In Scotland the law does not allow any exemption.

RSPCA sources say that the charity "remains committed to the view that any exemption to a ban on the cruel and painful act of tail docking, except for medical reasons, is totally unnecessary. This has been demonstrated in countries such as Sweden, where a full ban has been successfully implemented since 1989."

The Council for Docked Breeds have made it known that they oppose a ban on the docking of dogs tails and have said that a number of their members will simply cease breeding rather than comply with the law. As a ban on docking will effectively make the CDB redundant it is not surprising they oppose the ban and the UK could certainly do with less dogs being bred so all in all the new law looks like it will have a beneficial effect in other areas as well as ending a rather archaic and unnecessary practice of human mutilation of an animal.

In the "old days" docking became common practice as a form of tax avoidance. It was applied to working dogs to mark them as exempt from taxation levied on pet dogs. Many people docked the tails of their pets simply to avoid tax. Many of our "traditionally" docked breeds have sprung from this rather unsavoury practice,  as has the CDB.

If exemptions are allowed there is no doubt that a lot of people will seek to claim that their dogs are 'working' dogs and therefore exempt, not for tax avoidance this time but simply from a personal conviction that a docked dog looks better than a dog with a tail. When are we humans going to accept that although we can control animals simply because we have physical, mental or technical advantages over them we don't have the right to bully and mutilate them.

Sad world that we have to force people to act like civilised humans by legislation.

CDB Suggest RSPCA Accept Democracy

The Council of Docked Breeds is concerned by the emotive and undemocratic statement made by the RSPCA regarding the exemption for working dogs from the tail docking ban included in the Animal Welfare Act.

The new regulations, part of the Animal Welfare Act, are outlined on DEFRA’s website as part of the Statutory Instruments covered by the Act and are set to become law in England on 6 April 2007, allow a vet to dock the tail of a working dog if its owner meets certain criteria and the dog is of a certain breed or type. The docking of dogs' tails purely for showing purposes has been banned.

An RSPCA press release issued earlier this week said: ‘The world's oldest animal welfare charity is dismayed at the ill-informed drafting of the exemption, which does not even require a stringent paper trail to ensure the regulations are not routinely breached. There are no plans in England to centrally hold the certification issued when exempt dogs are docked.’

Story Source - Politics.co.uk

First welfare improvement notice served

15 February, 2007

The Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has served the first improvement notice to a horse owner in Ayrshire under the Animal Welfare Act.

For the first time in the UK, an improvement notice has been served on a member of the public. An improvement notice is a means by which welfare inspectors can make owners take action to improve their animal's well-being. Failure to comply leads to prosecution.

Owner Gordon McPhail, of Torrenyard, Ayrshire, was served with an improvement notice by a Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals inspector on 24 January, after his six mares and three foals were found in a poor condition in a field strewn with debris.

International League for the Protection of Horses (ILPH) field officer Adam Fleming was present when the notice was served.

"It gave the owner a real shock," he said. "He was given five days in which to rectify their situation and, when we revisited him after two days, there was a massive improvement in care."

The Animal Welfare Act came into being in Scotland last October — it comes into effect in England on 6 April.

Story Source - Horse and Hound

Hampshire Urban Search and Rescue dog looks for people trapped in East London building collapse

A SPECIALIST search and rescue dog from Hampshire is helping efforts to uncover people trapped in a collapsed building in East London.

Border collie Byron has been at the scene in Whitechapel since 8.45pm last night (Tuesday), aiding firefighters combing the rubble.

London fire brigade were called to Commercial Road at 4.39pm yesterday after the four storey property collapsed during refurbishment.
They later called-in 23-month-old Byron and his handler Station Manager Robin Furniss to assist.

Byron, part of Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service's Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team, has been specially trained to search collapsed buildings and is being used alongside specialist listening equipment to locate anyone trapped in the debris.

Ten adults and one child have been treated at the scene for shock but it is not yet clear whether anyone remains inside.

Byron trained for 14 months for his role in Hampshire's USAR, which is one of the first fully-operational units able to attend major incidents and catastrophies including terrorist attacks and natural disasters.

Story Source - Newbury Today

257 dogs found in horrific conditions at a breeder and dealers establishment in Osaka, Japan. Osaka canine welfare group struggles to cope with caring for these dogs as they have all been impounded by the Osaka Prefectures Department on public health grounds  - 9 Border Collie involved

Please click here to read the archived story and appeal.

Posted - February 1st 2007

A petition has been registered urging the Prime Minister to introduce legislation to ban puppy farming in the UK so if you want to see and end to this offensive means of 'cash cropping' mans best friend then you should use the link below -

Channel 5 News produced a feature on our own Nicki Oliver for their New Year series called 'Local Hero'.

Below - Saturday 16th September 2006 - now 17 days old - Average weight just over 1KG

All seem very content and secure - exploring, eating and sleeping................. lots of sleeping.

on and Sweep. - Girls : Jill, Jen, Gyp and Trim.

Above -  21st September

Now just a day over three weeks old, they are steady on their feet and wandering all around the room they occupy. They still spend a lot of the day asleep, but when they are awake they are exploring their surroundings, playing and generally making a fair bit of noise! We keep them under close observation using CCTV which feeds several sets around the centre. An interesting aspect of human behavior has become apparent - puppy watching is compulsive and addictive. Volunteers and visitors alike are glued to the screen in the kitchen. No-one can pass through without stopping and watching for a few seconds. Tea breaks are now spent standing in the kitchen watching the pups - even if they are asleep and not moving we all line up and stare at the screen.

Above - 27th September 2006

It is with great regret and heavy hearts that we report the sad demise of Mr. Tod on Saturday 8th April 2006 at 9.05 pm BST.

He died peacefully in the arms of those who he cared for, and who cared for him, throughout his life.

Mr. Tod has been the Border Collie Rescue Mascot and Ambassador for all his life. Rescued as a puppy, he showed outstanding qualities of patience, tolerance, kindness and trust to all dogs and humans he came into contact with. These qualities have allowed him to work with less fortunate dogs coming into rescue and demonstrate to them that they need have no fears. He showed them that trust in humans, good manners and tolerance of other dogs has its rewards.

He has guided hundreds of dogs and young pups through the complex maze of socialisation by his example and his ability to relate. Many socially damaged dogs have a future and live on because he was with us, helping our work and helping them to become whole and recover from the damage life had done to them. He has been able to do this by adopting the role of 'Alpha male' within our organisations canine order. This he has achieved, not by assertive dominance but by respect.

This respect has been generated by dogs and humans he has come into contact with, he never demanded it, it was freely given. He never abused it and applied it in a way that showed more wisdom and care than many humans do. He will live on though all the dogs he has helped and though the work that we, in Border Collie Rescue, will do in the future.

He has shown us a way to help others and we will continue his work in his name. He has inspired us and we resolve to continue and share that inspiration. With his passing we all feel a great loss. The loss of a good friend, a companion and a colleague. There is an ache in our hearts that will be slow to pass. A pain that will ebb only gradually.

Tears have, and will, flow - but there are 16 years of happy memories to recall.

Dog owners in Oxford could be fined under a new ruling for walking too many of their four-legged friends at the same time.

Under the Government's Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act, which comes into force next week, councils can hand out £75 fines for littering offences.

These include dog fouling, fly-tipping and dropping rubbish, chewing gum or cigarette butts in the street. Failure to pay the fines could mean prosecution.

Anyone caught walking a large number of dogs in a prohibited area, such as a park, could also be fined.

Defra spokesman David Burrows was unable to specify how many dogs the rule applies to. However, it is believed to be aimed at some professional dog walkers who do not exercise proper control of their animals or clean up after them.

He said: "Some try to walk seven or eight dogs at the same time and we've got a problem there with trying to clean up their poo. Secondly, if they're walking that many, they can't have control of their dogs.

"But it's entirely up to the local authority to enforce this."

Oxford City Council spokesman Louisa Dean said it had not yet decided whether enforcing fines on dog walkers would be necessary.

She added: "We are considering all the new powers and will use them to deal with local problems on a priority basis."

Jo Driver, of Pinnocks Way, Botley, owns four Chihuahuas, one mini-Dachshund, a German Shepherd and a Border Collie. She said it was unfair for dog walkers to be targeted because of the irresponsible behaviour of a minority.

She said: "I think if you've got a bunch of unruly dogs, I could consider that a bit of a problem. It does bring to light the issue of dog fouling on footpaths, which I find disgusting.

"But I don't feel it's right to put this across the board as there are a lot of responsible dog walkers out there who look after them, get them trained and are good citizens.

"It's the one or two that give the rest of us a bad name and make this kind of thing necessary."

Two full-time environmental enforcement officers will be recruited to enforce the penalties. They will patrol the city centre, where CCTV cameras will also be used to catch offenders.

Sharon Cosgrove, the council's strategic director for physical environment, said: "The city council invests significant sums in cleaning up and these new powers will help deal with this poor behaviour.

"The recent strike day showed how much litter my team has to clear up each day and ultimately this means an unnecessary cost for Oxford's tax payers. It is not enough that we continue to clear up this mess, we need to educate people and take action against persistent offenders."

The council is expected to approve the new powers at the meeting of its executive board on Monday.

Amendments To Animal Welfare Act

23:42pm Friday 31st March 2006

Reports calling for changes in irresponsible pedigree dog breeding from Advocates for Animals.

Charity launches World’s first pet rat beauty pageant

Pet rat owners across the country are invited to enter a Ratless Rat Show in celebration of World Rat Day on 4^th April.

The Ratless Rat Show is being run by Cavy Rescue – the UK ’s first dedicated rat rescue charity – and participants stand a chance of winning some fabulous ratty goodies for their four legged furry friends.

A special prize of a luxury new rat home worth £80 (courtesy of pet accessory manufacturer Savic and leading pet store Pets At Home) will also be awarded to the Rescue Rat of the Year.

A CAMPAIGN supported by Watford Labour MP Claire Ward to protect animal rights has passed another legislative hurdle in the House of Commons.

The Animal Welfare Bill which received its second reading on Tuesday proposes to prevent thousands of animals from suffering ongoing neglect and to strengthen requirements made of pet owners.

Last year, Ms Ward collected nearly 3,000 signatures in a petition urging the Government to press ahead with new legislation.

2005

Dog Flue virus in the USA

An article that will be of interest to all dog owners appeared in yesterdays (22/9/2005) newspaper - The New York Times - written by journalists Donald G. McNeil Jr. and Carin Rubenstein. The article refers to a new, and sometimes deadly, dog flu virus that has been detected in seven states in America and quotes Dr. Cynda Crawford, who is an immunologist at the University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Crawford has been investigating the deaths of Greyhounds at a track in Jacksonville where fatalities in dogs who contracted the virus have been as high as 33%. The full article can be accessed using the link below.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/22/national/22canine.html

Border Collie Rescue has opened a Border Collie & Sheepdog Assessment & Rehabilitation Centre

8/6/2005

A County Durham man has been arrested after nearly 40 dead animals were found at a stables in Trimdon.

The bodies of around 20 horses, some dogs, several chickens and other animals were discovered at Bank Top Stables in Trimdon, County Durham, by RSPCA inspectors after being alerted by a concerned member of the public.

It has been difficult to precisely identify all the bodies because of the extent of decomposition and the estimated death toll is expected to rise as the premises are cleared and the remains examined in detail.

Three dogs were found alive -  two Border Collies and a Rottweieler. It is believed they may have survived on the carcasses of the other animals and some sacks of stored food.

The RSPCA is now cleaning out the property and preparing a case for prosecution.

Article on Missouri Puppy Mills from Mo-Kan Border Collie Rescue - USA

Fundraising at an Art Exhibition - Our thanks to the British Society of Painters

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