Its been a while!

Well , slightly more than a while to be honest , over a year! . Let me explain whats been going on ... for a start we have had a baby! Max was born in November and is doing very well. He was a little bit small and early , but everythings fine. Polly my boxer loves him , so gentle. Polly became i'll in August last year , lame in both her rear legs. We took her to the vets and they diagnosed a heart problem - as you can imagine it shattered our world , I was so upset. The prognosis wasn't good , only three months to live. However , as I am sat here typing , nearly 7 months later -- shes fine! , no problems and you woudnt even know she had any health issues! Type more later today , nice to see everyone! Jim

British dog breeds on the comeback!

It was good to read today that British native dog breeds are on the rise again! . Its been a while since Ive seen an Old English Sheepdog around , however according to the BBC there's a 7% rise in their numbers. The english setter saw a rise of 34% in puppy registerations last year. All good figures. The BBC article is here. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21163388

Canned Fish ?

Further to my previous post , I now think that canned fish is really good for dogs - As soon as I put some in her food, she goes crazy for it! I've been feeding her fish now for a couple of weeks, and her coat is amazing and shiny - possibly the oils? Its got to be better than factory produced dog food - I mean , lets be honest - we have no real idea whats going into their processed food . I think we can be sure its not top quality cuts of meat! Any thoughts?

Fitness Training in parks

Im quite worried about the amount of group fitness classes that are starting up in our local parks , certainly in my park they now hos one on both a Saturday ans Sunday morning ... the time when most people want to take their dogs out. While I understand that there are lots of 'fitness' related drives around , and get people moving incentives , I also think that there should be a limit on the number of occasions a park is used for them. After all , the organisers aren't doing this for nothing , they are charging a reasonable about of money for their services - these are businesses that are moving into our parks. Whats your views? , Parks for recreation? or should we be more accepting of fitness classes and businesses using them? Here's an interesting article from the BBC regarding councils charging fitness instructors for the use of parks http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16656288

Boxer dogs forum!

A quick post about the boxer dog forum , just found this site and it looks pretty good - lots of information there. http://www.boxerdogforums.com/

From the BBC , re microchipping dogs

Hi Folks , an interesting read from the BBC website - Every dog owner in England will have to microchip their animal from 2016 under plans intended to cut a rise in strays. The microchips will be coded with owners' details, and owners who do not comply could face fines of up to £500. A legal loophole may also be closed, meaning owners could be prosecuted over an attack by their dog on private land. The RSPCA welcomed the proposals, but said it doubted that they alone would "make owners more responsible or ensure fewer dogs bite people". Government figures reveal that more than 100,000 dogs are dumped or lost each year, at a cost of £57m to the taxpayer and welfare charities. Ministers hope the change in the law will help reunite owners with lost or stolen pets and relieve some of the burden on animal charities and local authorities. Whats your views? Its good to know that every dog will be digitally linked to the owner , but that doesn't mean that the owner is going to 'care' for the dog . How about the idea of a pet licence? People have to go through a huge program to adopt a child , but anyone can go out and buy a dog .. food for thought!

Just a quick note...

We have listed out blog on Technorati ... what will it bring? Who knows! Im hoping that the people that have read the blog so far are enjoying it! NVKWX49FA5DP Thanks , keep coming back for more news! Jim