Test Your Pet

The Test Your Pet website allows you to uncover your pet's abilities and find out how your pet compares to the rest of the nation by putting it to the test.

You can also see the results of the biggest ever survey of the UK's pets and discover which pet was the cleverest, how much people spend on their animals, and how pets responded to Pet TV.

Pipsqueak

My friends John and Judith are helping a baby greyhound with a broken leg. You can read about Pipsqueak here.

Smiling dog

Tickle my tummy, please

Temptation

You would think that, if people cook this in my bedroom (which they call a kitchen), I would be given some of it to eat...... But you would be wrong!

A dog's life for priest with pup

Studies show that keeping a dog as a pet reduces stress and makes people feel good about themselves - unless you're a Roman Catholic priest, apparently. Last year, research from the University of Wales, Bangor, and Ulster University has revealed that dogs and dog collars are not a happy combination. In fact, academics have found that a pooch in the presbytery can increase the likelihood of professional burnout in the priesthood as the strains of walking, feeding and caring for a dog could prove the final straw for many priests. More research is planned on the clergy in other denominations, with male and female Anglican priests being surveyed.

Visit to Crossing Cottage

Paul and I went back to Crossing Cottage Greyhound Sanctuary today. I was a bit worried that he didn't want me any more and was taking me back! But we just visited to get more food for me.

It was lovely to see John and Judith again - particularly when they said that I should be given bigger dinners!

Canine translation programme

Do you struggle to know what your dog is saying to you? While I am always pleased if my communication is interpreted as a desire for food, it might be useful if humans could understand the canine language a bit better. So I'm pleased to find that Hungarian scientists have developed a computer programme that can discern the nuances of a dog's barks, howls, yaps and growls - see the article Yap-lication unlocks canine moods. The software analyses 6,000 barks and aims to determine when these mean that a dog wants a walk, has seen a ball, or it is fighting, playing, or meeting a stranger. You can also check out this audio clip BBC tests 'translator'.

Wag Podcast

I recently asked is a canine podcast called a barkcast or a woofcast? I've now discovered a weekly programme featuring stories from the world of dogs and cats: the Wag Podcast. You can tune in every week to hear the latest tips and trends affecting your canine and feline companions.

DoggySnaps

I have just discovered DoggySnaps, from the Dog's Trust. You can post pictures of your favourite dog on the site and chat with other dogs and their people.

The luxury of living a dog's life

The BBC website says that nowadays people spend more on pampering their pets than on themselves. Apparently spending on pets ranked 49th in the weekly expenditure list by UK households in 1957 whereas, fifty years later, it has risen to 37th, ahead of cosmetics, cakes and holidays in the UK.

Bathtime for Blondie

Sat-nav dog collar

In addition to enjoying hotel facilities, dogs attending Crufts have been able to preview a high-tech dog collar. This means that if dogs go missing, their people will be able to deploy sat-nav technology to track their dog down. The collar will be on sale from July and is made of anticut material to deter thieves. It will send a text to the owner’s mobile phone if the dog goes outside preset boundary limits. Using the sat-nav technology of the collar, the owner can then log on to a website to pinpoint the dog's location.

Sunbathing

Crufts dogs get hotel treatment

Crufts 2008 opens tomorrow. The hotel chain Travelodge has said it will make its own range of "pooch beds" available for dogs travelling with their owners to Crufts 2008. Travelodge says it expects more than 300 dogs to stay at its hotels during Crufts, especially around Birmingham where the competition is held. Apparently it will provide king-size beds complete with mattress, pillow and duvet. I must say that I approve!

New poll: dog toys

I'm running a new poll, to ask how many toys you have. By "you" I mean the dogs (and their people) who read this blog. I assume that you all have at least two toys.....

Toys

I have two toys: my friend Denis (whom I love to cuddle up with) and the Kong (which is a bit of a waste of space). However, there is room in my basket for more, but my people don't seem to realise this. So far I have retrieved and hidden in my basket: a doorstop shaped like my favourite snack, cheese); a pen; and some yellow rubber gloves (a bit soapy). But my people keep taking them away....

101 Dalmations

This is the first of my promised blogs on films featuring dogs: 101 Dalmations. The film is shortly to be released in a new edition.

Here's a summary: Full of boundless adventure and boisterous fun, Disney's 17th animated masterpiece is the original film classic starring 101 of the world's most lovable, huggable Dalmatians and their hilariously evil captor, Cruella De Vil! A charming London neighbourhood is home to Roger and Anita, whose beloved Dalmatians, Pongo and Perdita, have become the proud parents of 15 puppies. But when Cruella and her bumbling henchmen, Horace and Jasper, unexpectedly appear, the pups soon disappear along with every other Dalmatian puppy in town! Now Pongo and Perdita must rally their animal friends and use the power of the "Twilight Bark" to find Cruella's secret hideaway and free the puppies. 101 Dalmatians is one of the most cherished and sought-after Disney classics of all time and among the last films to bear the personal touch of Walt Disney.