Your Dog April 2023

Going on holiday with your dog could be the best thing you do this year, so if you haven’t started making plans yet, now is the time! New places and activities to experience and explore, lots of fresh air, fun, and healthy exercise, and one-to-one time with your canine best friend all add up to a memorable break — a time when you can build the bonds between you and return home feeling relaxed and invigorated! This issue, we have lots to help make the task of holiday planning easier. For starters, if you’d really like to get back in touch with nature, have you considered camping, glamping, or caravanning? Check out six dog-friendly sites we’ve discovered around the country on page 16. Our ‘Holiday homework’ feature (page 43) focuses…

Aged an amazing 30 years and 266 days, as of February 1, Bobi from Portugal has been named the world’s oldest dog by Guinness World Records. The Rafeiro do Alentejo, a Portuguese guarding breed, has not only broken the record as the oldest living dog, but is the oldest ever. Bobi’s age has been verified by his local vet’s and a pet database authorised by the Portuguese Government and a national veterinary body. Owner Leonel Costa was eight years old when Bobi was born on May 11, 1992, on the family farm in the village of Conqueiros. According to Leonel, his calm and sociable dog loves being petted and enjoys playing with the four cats he lives with. The family believes the secret to Bobi’s long life is the fact…

The team at a West African-based animal charity pulled out all the stops to save a brave and friendly little dog with an injury so horrific, they feared she wouldn’t survive. Sniper was rushed into The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust’s veterinary centre suffering from a serious machete wound, which had displaced a huge fragment of her skull, causing bleeding into her eye. With the injury just above and between her eyes and so close to her brain, it really was touch and go whether she would pull through. To make matters worse, Sniper was also extremely dehydrated and lethargic — and heavily pregnant. “We honestly didn’t know if we would be able to save her life, but we did everything we could to try,” explained Emily Elgar, a long-term…

A retired US Marine Corps dog has been awarded the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross for his bravery and life-saving devotion to duty in Afghanistan. Multi-purpose canine Bass, who lives in San Antonio, Texas, with his former handler, Staff Sergeant Alex Schnell, was presented with the prestigious PDSA Dickin Medal — the highest honour available to animals — following his six-year service in the US Marine Special Operation Command (MARSOC). During his career, the 10-year-old Belgian Malinois conducted more than 350 explosive sweeps and 46 high-value missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia. In May 2019, he prevented additional loss of life by identifying five explosive devices during a night-time, air-borne raid targeting a Taliban bomb-maker in Helmand Province. “Bass’s life-saving actions on that night make him a truly deserving…

CANINE CHARITIES TO BENEFIT FROM GENEROUS DONATION The Dorwest Herbs Foundation has donated £6,000 to a further five animal charities. Launched in 2018, the foundation helps dogs and cats in need of care, health, and quality of life improvement, as well as trained assistance, rescue, and medical support dogs. The herbal pet-care experts donate 10 per cent of profit from every sale of their special Foundation products, Keeper’s Mix and Keeper’s Mix Sensitive. This year, the charities that will benefit are Dorset Search Dogs (pictured), Lucky’s Legacy Rescue, Dogs On The Streets (DOTS), Forever Hounds Trust, and The Cinnamon Trust. ● For more information on the Dorwest Foundation, visit www.dorwest.com/foundation NEW CLUB FOR OLDER CANINES A club has been launched to support dogs in their twilight years by tackling the…

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has renewed its calls for greater enforcement around irresponsible dog breeding, a clamp down on unregulated canine fertility clinics, and a ban on importing dogs with cropped ears, following two shocking TV documentaries. The hard-hitting BBC ‘Panorama’ and ‘Disclosure’ investigations revealed the links between organised crime and the breeding of dogs with extreme features. BVA senior vice president Justine Shotton said: “This investigation is a wake up call to government to take urgent action.” The BVA is urging people to report concerns arounds dogs with cropped ears and unregulated fertility clinics to their local government authority, while a template letter imploring the government to ensure the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill progresses through parliament, can be downloaded at www.bva.co.uk/take-action/kept-animals-bill and sent to your MP.…