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What is “Pet Sitting?

” Years ago when we were kids, if the family ever holiday, the dog would go to a kennel, and the neighbour would feed the cat, and hopefully water your plants. There weren’t many burglaries, then, so not much consideration was given to security. And not much went wrong. Buster occasionally brought home fleas plants were over - or under-watered, and Fluff ignored us for several days, but the system worked okay. After all, we didn’t leave home much in those days, and they were only plants and animals, anyway. No one ever heard of professional pet sitters!

Times have changed. British society, today, is much “higher tech.” People work longer and play harder. They leave home often, traveling tens, hundreds of thousands of miles on business and pleasure. Having values and goals different from those of past generations, young couples today often postpone or forego having families. They - and an increasing number of single adults - turn to pets for affection. But these aren’t back-yard dogs, barn cats or the often-ignored animals we called “pets” when we were kids. Instead, they’re highly pampered and well cared for, often treated like children. They’re a very important emotional part of their owners’ lives.

Changing Times

Traveler anxieties…The Professional Pet Sitter In today’s society, how are pets cared for when their owners travel? That can be a problem for a number of reasons:· We’re more aware than we used to be of trauma animals can experience when removed from their loving homes and familiar environs.

We’re more critical of the care quality our pets receive. With frightening increases in crime, another anxiety travellers have, beyond their pets’ welfare, is leaving the home an unattended target for burglary. One solution to both problems is to find someone to live in the home and care for the pets while owners are away, but live-ins can present problems, too. How about the neighbours?

Today, as the companies we work for move us around the country, we tend to live away from families and friends, and we rarely know the neighbours well enough to ask for or trust their care of our pets and home. And so enters The Professional Pet Sitter!

What is a “pet sitter?” Someone who, by agreement and for fee, goes to a traveller’s home, provides basic and specified pet care, basic home security and anything else which he/she and the client have agreed to. The pet sitter may define and offer any services he chooses: some provide garden care, others clean homes. Some care for all animals, others only cats, for example. Grandma would say it’s preposterous to pay someone to feed Buster and Fluff! But pet sitters do far more than that. They provide companionship, love and home care.

And Grandma, look at the home services people pay for, today, in order to squeeze a little leisure time into busy professional schedules: gardening, cleaning, ironing, window cleaning, indoor plant care - even catering of each night’s dinner! The professional pet sitter provides loving care and peace-of-mind. And busy people today, travelling for business or pleasure, are willing to pay commensurately for that important peace-of-mind.

How To Locate And Select A Pet Sitter

So, having established the roll of the pet sitter, how do you actually go about finding and choosing one? You should make best use of today’s modern resources such as the World Wide Web lists literally hundreds and thousands of pet care businesses and organisations including pet sitters. Also ask your vet and pet owning friends or neighbours if they have any recommendations. Pet sitting agencies have different procedures so contact them all and gather as much information as you need.

Remember, having someone stay at your home while you are away has more benefits than just allowing your pet to stay in his or her own home, your house will also be occupied, your mail can be collected, curtains opened and closed and in some cases housework and shopping can be done for you at extra cost.

Pet sitters, like all other animal care services should be selected carefully. Using a pet sitting agency (Pet Care Services.co.uk) you will be guaranteed a high level of service and a pet sitter that will have been police checked, trained and subjected to a high level of inspection in order to become a registered pet sitter with the agency in question. It is the reputation of the pet sitting agency that is at stake when they place someone in your home to care for your pets, 99.9% of agencies value this very highly and will therefore do all they can to take the risk out of your selection. All you should concern yourself with is selecting the right agency for you and your pet(s).

Don’t be afraid to ask as many questions as you wish. Questions such as how the potential sitter would handle problems such as a medical emergency or the escape of your pet or how they have dealt previously with pets in their care or in a difficult situation. Satisfy yourself thoroughly with an interview of the prospective sitter. Most pet sitters will request you leave them with an up to date copy of your pets vaccination card, your vet’s name and contact details as well as a routine feeding and exercise guide.

Pets can often cope a lot better with your absence if they are allowed to remain in their own environment and keep to their established routine. Some pets actually love going to boarding establishments but for others it is a double trauma with you not around and them being place in a completely alien environment with strange smells, lots of noise and a new routine. It is up to you to decide if your pet would benefit from the extra care and attention that can be administered by a pet sitter or if they are perfectly happy to go on a holiday of their own to a boarding kennel, cattery or pet hotel. Either way, we should appreciate the choices that are now available in today’s pet care industry.

Our pets are there during the most quiet, peaceful parts of our day. Pets love us even when others may not, and pets comfort and console us when we need it most. Because pets are such an important part of our lives, they leave an empty space when they pass away. If your dog has died, dealing with the grief that results is often difficult.

Many people do not understand the depth to which a person may feel the loss of a pet as they do when we have lost a human loved one. In some circumstances, we may be left to deal with the loss without human support and consolation.

Nothing can replace a beloved animal and the grief we feel when they pass away is often crushing. There are though, many ways in which we can help keep the memories alive and be comforted by them. You may wish to try one of the following as a means to help you cope and pay tribute to your dearly departed friend.

1. Keep a journal that describes the things that your dog did as a way of remembering the good times you had.

2. Create a photo album or photo montage of your dog.

3. Have a local artist paint a portrait of your dog.

4. If you are handy with crafts, needlepoint a picture of your dog with his birth and death dates.

5. Place a stone with your dog’s name in your garden.

6. Hold a memorial service for your dog that includes family and friends.

7. Plant a tree, bush, or flower in remembrance of your dog.

8. Make a donation to your favorite animal charity in your dog’s name. Inquire if they have special donation categories such as putting a dog’s name on a shelter cage or on a brick that becomes part of a new building.

9. Gather up your dog’s belongings and store them in a special container that you can retrieve when the pain heals.

10. Place your dog’s ashes in an urn to keep near.

11. If you prefer to bury your pet in a cemetery, check local ones for those that have special pet burial locations, or contact your local animal welfare organisation or shelter to see if they provide pet burial services. Put a memorial stone on his grave.

12. Contact your nearest animal welfare organisation to see if they have a support group in which people meet to share their experiences. Often, it helps us deal with the loss of a pet to talk about it with other pet people who understand what we are going through. The BlueCross are one such organisation who offer grief counseling for coping with the loss of a pet.

One of the best ways to ensure your indoor dog’s safety is to pet-proof your house. Like child proofing, pet-proofing is making a clean sweep of every room to which your dog has access and removing or concealing anything that presents a potential danger. Some items may be dangerous to one dog while not to another. For example, electrical cords may be dangerous to the dog that enjoys chewing, but for a dog that isn’t into sharpening his teeth on household objects, electrical cords may pose no threat. You may detect other hazards once you’ve discovered what activities turn your dog on.

1. Dogs, especially puppies, love to put things in their mouths just as small children do. Once swallowed, the object of their curiosity can become lodged anywhere along their digestive tract and cause damage. In some cases, surgery may be the only way to remove the offensive item. Keep items small enough to be swallowed out of reach. Such items include rubber bands, coins, paper clips, staples, nails and screws, pieces of string, yarn, thread, or dental floss, earrings and other small jewelry, bells, small balls, sewing needles, pins, and the eyes pets may pull off pet toys.

2. Chocolate contains the active ingredient theobromine, which can be toxic to dogs if enough is ingested. It is difficult to estimate how much is required to cause death to a dog because the concentration of theobromine varies with the formulation of the chocolate; milk chocolate will have less theobromine than baker’s chocolate, for example. To keep your dog completely safe, do not allow him to eat any chocolate.

3. To keep your dog’s tags from getting caught in a heating grate when he lies down, place them in a Pet Pocket, which attaches to his collar and lies flat rather than having his tags dangle from a collar.

4. To keep your dog from chewing electrical wires, buy plastic decorator shower rod covers and insert the wires inside the rod covers. Rod covers can be cut to size. An alternative for covering electrical wires is to purchase plastic strips designed to conceal wires running across floors, across baseboards, and up walls. Concealing strips are available in hardware or office supply stores. They come in a variety of colors and can be cut to size.

5. To protect the pet that likes to chew electrical wires, a newer product to come on the market is the “power strip with a brain” that detects insulation aging, damage, and penetration by such things as dogs’ teeth. If your dog tries to take a bite out of this type of cord, the cord will shut off and prevent serious shock. Check your local hardware or builder’s supply store.

6. If you use an automatic flushing toilet bowl cleaner, put the seat down to keep your dog from drinking the water. Sew a large pom-pom to your toilet seat cover to prevent the lid from staying up in case you forget to lower it.

7. Keep chemical cleaning products out of your dog’s reach. When possible, substitute nontoxic cleaners such as vinegar and water mixtures and baking soda.

Deciding to adopt a dog from an animal shelter is certainly a fantastic means of giving a life to un-wanted or mistreated pet and should also be whole heartedly rewarding for you and your family. Giving life to an animal that may be doomed to spending its life in kennels will bring many years of happiness to both you and the dog. Adopting a dog is not, however, without its drawbacks and potential problems.

Firstly, yourself and your family should make a decision on what type and age of dog you would like to bring in to your home. This is not a decision to be made lightly and should be taken under advisement from experienced dog owners or, indeed, the shelter where you are intending to acquire your dog from. Dog shelters, quite rightly vet prospective owners to make sure that they have all the suitable credentials and facilities to care for a dog.

By taking some advise from a friend or suitably qualified professional who has good experience of dog ownership and all that it entails will show the shelter that you are truly committed to caring for the animal you are about to take home. Very often rescue dogs spend a long time being re-homed and re-sheltered because their new owners did not plan properly for their arrival or did not look into the type of dog that was going to be suitable for their lifestyle.

Make a decision on the size of dog you are looking for. Larger dogs are often more energetic and require more exercise, they are sometimes easier to train and they obviously will take up more room in the household. Their feeding requirements are greater and they usually need plenty of early training to build a good bond between dog and owner and to prevent any potential behaviour problems such as pulling on the lead or aggression toward other dogs.

Smaller dogs are less costly to feed, don’t need as much physical stimulation and are less prone to pulling on a lead or running away from the household. There are obviously exceptions to the rules but generally you can make an educated decision on the size of dog that will fit in best with your lifestyles and household.

You will need to establish exactly why it is that you want a dog in the first place. The idea of bringing a new dog into the home is often more appealing than the reality. The novelty of owning a dog should NEVER EVER wear off in the same way that the novelty of a new born child should last forever. Your dog will never get to an age when it can care for itself, move out and start a family of its own.

You will be entirely responsible for the creature you are about to bring into your lives forever. The dog will depend on you for its every need - that is a very important responsibility. Make absolutely sure that you know why you want a dog and that you fully understand the importance of caring for it every single day of its life.

When you have established the size and character of the dog that will be best suited to you, contact a local shelter and explain your situation. Ask if it is possible to take a look at some of the dogs they have. It may be, that they tell you they have a perfect dog to suit your requirements once you have explained to them what you are looking for. Take the advice of the shelter staff.

They have the very best interests of the dog in mind. They need to make sure that the dog you take will stay with you forever and so they are therefore qualified to tell you if a dog is or isn’t going to fit in with you. On your first trip to a shelter it is always a good rule of thumb to make sure everyone who is going to see the dogs (especially children) is made fully aware that you will not be bringing a dog home that day. It may just be that there is not a particularly ideal dog available at that time and leaving all those other adorable dogs behind is often very hard for anyone. Remember, if you are getting a puppy, you must know what size and shape it will become in little over 12 months time.

What sort of character it will have and if possible if it is not a pedigree dog, what breeds have combined to produce the pup. Cross bred dogs are great! They are very often healthier and happier than some extremely well breed pedigree dogs but you must have some idea, if you are a novice dog owner, what you are letting yourself in for. An 8 week old Boxer cross Collie will look just as small and adorable next to an 8 week old Cavalier King Charles but when they get to eight months old they will become two VERY different dogs and will require very different care and handling.

Ensure that once you have found ‘The Right One’ that you are prepared to accept him or her into your home. Shelter staff may already pay a visit to your home and will always be on hand to assist you but do prepare for the arrival of an animal that will be slightly bewildered, possibly very nervous and certainly not their usual self. Many a dog is returned to a shelter within days of re-homing because its new owners simply haven’t catered for the dog behaving totally out of character in its new environment.

Your new dog may take a few days to settle in or even a few months but do make sure you give the animal a fair chance before making any quick decisions. This is a prime reason why a lot of older rescue dogs make great pets because they have usually lived in a house before, are house broken and are used to the very day hustle an bustle of a living household.

The sad fact is, a lot of these dogs never get the chance to be re-homed because they fall in favour to the cute, playful puppies. A puppy is ALWAYS an un-known quantity. Ask any top breeder and they will tell you they have a good idea how the pup will turn out but a lot depends on how it is cared for and how its character is developed by new owners. An older dog is much more of a ’safe bet’. What see is normally what you get.

‘The naming game’
Consider this, you have just got this cute little puppy, you are prepared, you have got a nice warm home for it, the dog basket is ready and waiting for action, the squeaky toys are on standby and your cupboard is stocked with food and drink for the little one.

The naming of your dog is one of the first steps in creating a long lasting bond with your dog, it is not a decision to be taken lightly, give the matter some thought, and whilst you are thinking, read these tips, they may help you, they may not.

If you are going to choose a ‘Fifi Trixibelle’ type name for your dog, try to make sure that the name can be shortened, preferably to no longer than two syllables. Make sure that you are comfortable with the shorter version, as you will probably find that you use it more. A shorter name is also easier for the dog to learn.

If you have other pets in the house, try to have a distinctive sounding name for your dog. We usually give meanings to names and it wont be easy for any of your pets if they all sound alike, if you call your cat ‘Fluffy’ and your dog ‘Toffee’, can you imagine the melee at dinner time. Dogs and cats do react differently to sound patterns.

Also remember that tiny puppy falling asleep in your arms may grow up to be a large brut of a dog and you may like the idea of your large adult dog being called ‘Tiny’, that’s your choice and as far as I am aware dogs don’t give a monkeys about their name. However, if you are looking for a name that will describe your dog’s personality in years to come, please bear in mind that as a puppy grows, its looks and personality will change.

If you have named your dog after a dear departed loved pet, don’t expect the dog to become an identical dog to it. Each dog is very different, even if they look the same; my guess is that they will probably turn out to be very different.

If you want to be creative with your name, then be creative. The naming of a dog is nothing like the naming of a child. If you call the dog ‘Twinkle Toes’ you will not cause him any psychological difficulties and as far as I am aware, the other dogs in the area will not make fun of your dog because of the name.

Breeders often give rather long names to their dogs. They are not normally suited for daily use, I would recommend that the name ‘Keiko Randolph Algernon Burridge’ not be in your thoughts when looking at your cute chocolate Labrador and wondering what you can call him.

Your dog will be more comfortable with names that contain vowels, such as A and O, like the classical ones, Toby and Bonnie. The name you are choosing should be easy to understand and mustn’t sound harsh. Although the meaning is probably important to you, it is the sound that is the most important thing for your dog.

There is no definitive right and wrong into naming your dog. However, wouldn’t it be wonderful if your dog’s name becomes a hint to his personality? Young dogs need lots of love and attention and finding a suitable name for your puppy and recent research suggests that the name of your dog may actually affect how lucky it may be later on in life.

Owners are now more likely to choose human names for their dogs rather than the more traditional choices like Patch or Duke.

A leading insurance company surveyed 125,000 dog owners and the results showed a strong preference towards human names with Ben being crowned favourite’s dog name. Sam and Max also proved to be very popular with over 2,000 dogs sharing these names. The research goes one step further to suggest that a dog’s name may affect the number of times it requires veterinary treatment during its life. Saskia, Hendrix and Mable were the luckiest dog names as they were unlikely to require any veterinary treatment, which would result in an insurance claim during their lives. However, Rafferty, Elke and Debbie seem to be the names to avoid if owners wish to keep their vet visits down to a minimum.

What about the name Lucky? Well, it proved to be the 56th most popular name and dogs called Lucky could expect to have 1.87 illnesses involving a claim (how anyone can have a .87 of a claim I am not sure?).

THE TOP TEN DOG NAMES (as surveyed by an insurance company)

BEN
SAM
MAX
TOBY
HOLLY
CHARLIE
LUCY
BARNEY
BONNIE
SOPHIE

THE TOP TEN LUCKIEST DOG NAMES

SASKIA
HENDRIX
MABLE
KIZZI
BABY
BECKS
KITA
BOOZER
PERRI
QUEST.

THE TOP TEN UNLUCKIEST DOG NAMES

RAFFERTY
ELKE
DEBBIE
CRUSOE
RIK
BJ
CHARLIE BROWN
BOOTSIE
KIERA
BARTY.

They say that there are lies, damn lies and statistics. If you take the top ten luckiest dog names, they appear to be pretty rare names so surely the rarer the name, then the less chance of a rare named dog going to the vet.

By strange coincidence another leading insurance company looked at the insurance histories of 100,000 dogs and cats with 587 names and concluded that the TOP TEN MOST ACCIDENT PRONE DOG NAMES were RUSH, FAGIN, HEINZ, BERTY, RUSKIN, JENA, CAGNEY, CAPTAIN, BROOK and RADAR.

So, not only do you have to think of a ‘lucky name’ to avoid regular trips to the vet, you also have to choose the correct insurance company for your pet insurance. The next time you request a quote from a company, ask them for their top ten unluckiest dog names, I dare you. If your dog’s name comes up then apologise and say that you will have to look elsewhere, I am sure that the person on the other end of the phone will be speechless and it may stop insurance companies from doing these surveys. We live in hope.

At some point in time somebody somewhere said; “Everybody loves dogs… Now how can we make money from that?”. This speculatory statement has spawned a legion of adorable, marketable and merchandisable cuddly canines who leapt, tails wagging and tongues lapping, from the popular media and through the pet flaps of our minds. They wolfed down the meaty chunks of our monetary food bowl and rolled over to have their tummies tickled by advertising executives before settling down for a nap in the basket of our affections.

Every dog, they say, has his day and some have endured for longer than others, indeed a select few have attained superstar status and become endemic in our popular culture. However hard nosed and cynical we may be or however aware we are of advertiser’s manipulation of our affinity for the wet nosed and cuddly, nobody can deny that our childhood memories all owe a great deal of affection to these larger than life canine characters.

Anyone here not giggle when an oblivious Odie stared over the precipice of a table while Garfield snuck up on him and gave him a crafty PUNT over the edge? Anybody not tickled when Droopy stated in his laconic drawl that he was “very very happy”? I thought as much! So why not rouse your childhood affections from their slumber, put a collar and lead on them and take them for walkies down memory lane.

Name- RIN TIN TIN
Appearing in- NUMEROUS WARNER BROS. FILMS
Things we loved- The official German Shepherd of the Millennium and his decedents have entertained the world for eighty years. The original Rin Tin Tin (1918-1932) served as a Red Cross dog in World War I with his owner Duncan before going on to make 26 films for Warner Bros. His popularity is even accredited with saving the company from bankruptcy. His descendants have gone on to make numerous films and television shows and most recently Rin Tin Tin has endorsed a charity called ARFKids (A Rinty For Kids) to provide service dogs for disabled children at no cost. Quite a legacy!
Things we didn’t- The original died years before most of us were born.

Name- BRAIN
Appearing in- INSPECTOR GADGET
Things we loved- If you’re a bumbling detective with good intentions but a right arm that doubles as a giant Swiss army knife then a plucky child prodigy and her lovable highly intelligent pet dog are instrumental if you ever hope to fight any crime. Brain was a fearless and intelligent (as well as largely bipedal) canine who, along with juvenile owner Penny was often accredited with thwarting the evil schemes of Doctor Claw while Gadget engaged in half an hour of slapstick tomfoolery.
Things we didn’t- Despite impeccable loyalty and good intentions Brain would often get hurt, trampled, set on fire, caught in a bomb blast while looking after his human counterparts. Sheer barbarity!

Name- K9
Appearing in- DOCTOR WHO
Things we loved- Britain’s answer to R2D2, Doctor Who’s all knowing robot companion had personality, humour, a funny voice, a tartan collar, the ability to detect sonic waves and even a laser blaster on his nose. What more could any time travelling adventurer demand from a companion?
Things we didn’t- He didn’t have enough screen time and spent most of it in the Tardis “holding the fort”.

Name- ERIC
Appearing in- WOOF
Things we loved- Possibly every eight year old in Britain has read the children’s classic by Allan Ahlberg which chronicled the adventures of Eric, a young boy who wakes up one morning having inexplicably metamorphosised into a Norfolk Terrier, and his comical sidekick, best friend Roy. However many are more likely to remember the hugely popular counterpart children’s television series which serialised and expanded upon the book providing .
Things we didn’t- The creators ended up with Harry Potter syndrome i.e. puberty hit the young stars of the series who then had to be replaced. Subsequently the characters got changed and the series went rubbish!

Name- SANTA’S LITTLE HELPER
Appearing in- THE SIMPSONS
Things we loved- This slow witted but loveable greyhound has been charming audiences the world over since the late 1980s and those of you who read the Greyhound article in the last issue of K9 will know we’re all big fans. His proudest achievements include earning a degree from a prestigious canine academy, enjoying a brief stint as an attack dog for miserly billionaire Monty Burns, and fathering 25 puppies. This quintessential cartoon dog is loyal, loving, friendly and mischievous but unfortunately has yet to learn to talk… We live in hope!
Things we didn’t- During the course of the long running series the poor greyhound has had his back legs broken by the evil Mr. Burns and been abandoned for a “better model” found in trained pedigree Laddie. Still Santa’s Little Helper has maintained an air of cheerful optimism.

Name- SNOWY
Appearing in- HERGE’S ADVENTURES OF TINTIN
Things we loved- The tiny, affable, brave and possibly super-intelligent canine sidekick of nosy Belgian reporter Tintin earns a well-deserved spot in this column. He has loyally followed his master from the mountains of Tibet to the bottom of the sea and has been instrumental in the incarceration of countless smugglers, pirates, terrorists etc. The plucky white terrier is the model of loyalty and bravery and his determined scowl ensure that generation after generation has fallen in love with this remarkable animal.
Things we didn’t- Nobody really cared how many times Tintin got captured, kidnapped, beaten, tortured etc. but if any enemy of the free world laid a hand on snowy juvenile hearts the world over were broken.

Name- LASSIE
Appearing in- THE BOOK “LASSIE COMES HOME” AND NUMEROUS FRANCHISES.
Things we loved- Along with Rin Tin Tin, Lassie shares the seat reserved for the most recognised dogs in popular culture. Images of the collie bounding through a field of green grass and marigolds are firmly embedded in the minds of dog lovers of all ages the world over. Currently in his ninth generation Lassie has been an irreplaceable part of dog lover’s culture for fifty years and chances are as long as dog lovers continue to own televisions, images of Lassie will endure for further generations.
Things we didn’t- Lassie’s success spawned legions of do-gooding animal imitators which in turn led to clichés of epic proportions…. What’s that boy? Bert’s trapped down the mine shaft?

Name- GROMIT
Appearing in- WALLACE AND GROMIT
Things we loved- Product of acclaimed animator Nick Park, this ponderous and resourceful plasticine dog is best remembered riding side saddle on a motorbike adorned with a ridiculous flight cap and goggles, or peering out of the port hole of a space rocket bound for the moon. Like most of the canine compatriots we remember he represents the more intelligent, thoughtful half of the dog/ human relationship as he regularly compensates (or is the brunt of) the ineptitude of his human counterpart, cheese-loving inventor Wallace. Considering his inability to talk and lack of facial features his expressions speak volumes and his deeds vary from selfless to heroic. Achievements include landing on the moon, thwarting a diamond robbery by an evil penguin and going toe to toe with a canine version of The Terminator.
Things we didn’t- Gromit’s simple but loveable image led to his becoming a merchandising phenomenon and every schoolgirl in the United Kingdom seemed to own a bag/ handbag/ pencil case/ lunchbox bearing his likeness, which somehow detracts from his charm.

Name- SNOOPY
Appearing in- PEANUTS
Things we loved- While owner Charlie Brown and his pre adolescent entourage revelled in their neuroses, battled with notions of love and morality and generally ran around getting stressed this cool little beagle maintained the quiet dignity and reserve to lie on the roof of his kennel and be philosophical. By his own admission he missed the golden age of Vaudeville, missed the golden age of radio, missed the golden age of television but refused to miss the golden age of sleeping. Brain- child of Charles M. Schulz, Snoopy refused to let the trappings of work and human relationships trouble his innocent but intelligently humorous outlook on life. The image of the black and white beagle soaking up the sun on top of his kennel with his ears dangling down the sides and a smug little smile on his face warms the heart of anyone who has ever glanced at the back end of a newspaper.

Name- SCOOBY DOO
Appearing in- SCOOBY DOO WHERE ARE YOU?
Things we loved- Certainly one of the world’s most enduring cartoon dogs ol’ Scoob has been jumping at his shadow before some of us learned to walk. The cowardly Great Dane ventured into his first haunted house in 1969 and his mode of transport The Mystery Machine has been breaking down outside one every day thereafter. Along with human companions Thelma (ugly), Daphne (fit), Fred (hey gang, I think we should split up) and (like) Shaggy, the intrepid canine has enjoyed numerous serials, a couple of films and accompaniment from guest stars ranging from Don Knotts to Batman. Jinkies!!
Things we didn’t- There is no excuse for the toe curlingly awful recent CGI Scooby Doo movie for which Warner Brothers should be burned to the ground.

Name- PLUTO
Appearing in- DISNEY CARTOONS.
Things we loved- Pluto is easily as widely recognised (and probably more affable) than his owner Mickey Mouse and everywhere that Mickey has gone in his generation- spanning adventures Pluto has been not too far behind. He made his debut in 1930, confusingly answering to the name Rover and owned by Minnie Mouse. Rather than Goofy who is more human than dog, Pluto displays the comedic innocence, naivety and often clumsiness that make the image of the cartoon dog such a loveable one.
Things we didn’t- Mickey Mouse’s highly recognised and adored pet shares his name with an alias for Satan. Which can only be disturbing.

Name- SPOT
Appearing in- CHILDREN’S LEARNING BOOKS AND CARTOONS
Things we loved- Anyone who has children or has ever looked after children must acknowledge this freckled puppy’s status as instrumental in introducing the very young to the virtues of dogs and dog ownership. In that sense Spot is possibly the most necessary and important character in children’s fiction. Vastly more loveable and informative than any Tweenie or Teletubbie.
Things we didn’t- Spot. Spot. The loveable spot. He’s soft and cuddly and he smiles a lot… A theme tune that would leave most three year olds feeling patronised.

Name- HOOCH
Appearing in- TURNER AND HOOCH (1989)
Things we loved- While the buddy cop genre and more specifically the cop and his dog film is a very tired category of Hollywood cinema Hooch represents a time when a light hearted commentary on the relationships between a compulsively neat and organised human and an untrained dog was original and funny. The film showed us just how special the relationship could be between a man and his dog despite their contrasting instincts and lifestyles.
Things we didn’t- Hooch died at the end.

“Are So-Called Designer Dogs The Future for Canine Kind?”

With the recent announcement that South Korea has created the world’s first cloned dog it had us wondering just exactly how did we arrive at Afghans, Airedales and Alaskan Malamutes when all we started with was the good, old fashioned Wolf? What precisely is a dog breed and how on earth do you ‘create’ one?

People most commonly use the word breed to describe a type of dog which has characteristics which are peculiar to its name. But people fail to realize that the concept of breed is more complex than simply applying a label to a dog which looks a certain way.

The ancestry of the dog can be traced back as far as sixty million years. A weasel like creature called the miatis is thought to have demonstrated the first characteristics of the carnivore with which we are familiar today. It is thought that this creature evolved into the early wolf.

All canine breeds are scavengers by nature, like the jackal and coyote, this was the case for the early wolf. He found easy pickings in the waste dumps near human settlements and the humans began to see characteristics in the wolf which they thought would be of great help to their development as a race.

Once the wolves and humans became comfortable in each other’s presence, the wolf began to accept his subdominant role within the partnership and the subsequent domestication began to take place.

Certain wolves would be selected for breeding in order to enhance certain behavioural and physical characteristics. This was happening at the same time all over the world, and this would have been the first time the canine world would have encountered the concept of selective breeding.

As this exercise became more and more widely practiced by humans, certain characteristics were developed to aid them. Dogs were bred for three main purposes, to hunt, guard and herd. As these functional breeds of dog were becoming more established, cross breeding was taking place in order to refine certain necessary attributes further.

This is how there are now so many different breeds of dog that range in character from the Yorkshire Terrier to the Bull Mastiff. As breeding continued the presence of the wolf was becoming more and more diluted, although some breeds still possess wolf-like characteristics. (Most notably the German Shepard) During this period the wolf was becoming detached from human contact and has since become a non-domesticated breed of dog.

Certain types of breed have evolved to perform certain functions for humans. Although nowadays dogs are more commonly kept as pets they do retain their original characteristics for which they were bred.

The hound group of dog with which we are familiar today consists of two sections. There are sight hounds and scent hounds. Sight hounds are one of the oldest types of dog still endemic today.

He is silent and graceful, he is bred to spot the prey, hunt the prey and kill the prey. Hounds which are commonly kept as pets today include Beagles and Bassett hounds.

Terriers evolved in Britain from the hound group. Terriers take their name from the Latin ‘to go to ground’, which is what they are bred to do. Terriers were originally used for hunting small quarry such as badgers, rats and rabbits. Like the hounds, Terriers should have a strong voice for working in the fields with their master.

The toy dog group of breeds is the only group to have breeds which were bred solely for the purpose of companionship. The Shih Tzu was favoured by Chinese emperors in the late nineteenth century as a companion in the palace and it was bred specifically for such purposes.

The concept of what a breed actually is frequently provokes confusion today, even amongst experts. What constitutes a separate breed if two dogs look the same and were bred for the same purpose? Why are Norwich and Norfolk Terriers classed as separate breeds now when before they were the same? Why do small cosmetic differences such as ear position result in a difference in breed, when something such as major size difference does not? How can purebreds resemble cross-breeds and cross-breeds be passed off as purebreds?

All of these frequently asked questions strengthen the argument that the concept of what a breed is is commonly misinterpreted.

A dog breed is probably best described as, “a grouping of descendants categorised using criteria relevant to its behavioural and physical qualities, desirable to those who refined the line of genetic descent”.