UK transport secretary Grant Shapps to return from Spain amid quarantine row – as it happened
27/07/2020 - Death toll rises by seven, lowest daily figure since March; disarray after Spain quarantine Expand
27/07/2020 - Death toll rises by seven, lowest daily figure since March; disarray after Spain quarantine imposed; pet cat first animal in UK to test positiveUK extends Spain non-essential travel advice to holiday islandsPet cat diagnosed with Covid-19 in first UK case of animal infectionNo 10 tells holidaymakers to claim universal credit for quarantineEarlier lockdown ‘would have saved lives of London bus drivers’Coronavirus: latest global updates 6.16pm BST Grant Shapps told the Sun: pic.twitter.com/PAlFTJb8AuAny kind of anonymous briefings and sniping is demoralising for people ... It’s not completely unique but it has definitely risen in the last few years.There’s nothing more destabilising for a senior cabinet minister to read a whole load of stuff in one of the newspapers about whether or not the skids are under them because of something that’s happened. Related: Coronavirus live news: Belgium PM warns country could go into second 'complete lockdown' 5.54pm BST From the Daily Mail’s Jason Collapse
My pandemic epiphany: realizing the hole in my life was cat-shaped
24/07/2020 - Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett never thought she’d have stability, but during lockdown an unexpected Expand
24/07/2020 - Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett never thought she’d have stability, but during lockdown an unexpected opportunity arrivedI’ve lived in the same place for nine years, but it’s always felt like a temporary arrangement. For much of that time my name was never on the lease, and with the exception of a brief, blissful period that directly preceded the landlords increasing the rent by 40% overnight, my first flatmate, then boyfriend, now husband and I always shared with other people. When the pandemic happened, we were in the process of looking for someone new to move into the flat’s second bedroom. But then we entered lockdown, and instead of a roommate, we ended up with a cat. Related: My pandemic epiphany: I'll always spend all of my money on takeout Continue reading... Collapse
Celebrity Snoop Dogs review – canine Through The Keyhole is a dog's dinner
17/07/2020 - This insipid show, in which C-list celebrities strap bodycams to their pooches and send them Expand
17/07/2020 - This insipid show, in which C-list celebrities strap bodycams to their pooches and send them sniffing round the house, has finally, gladly come to and endAt the beginning of lockdown, 43 years ago, it was announced that Channel 4 had come up with the countervailing-est ruse of countervailing ruses to ensure that its portion of the entertainment on which we have come to depend could continue to pour untrammelled into our homes through the small screen. Its plan? They would affix cameras to the backs of dogs owned by celebrities and send them off to wander round said celebrities’ homes. We would then try to guess, assuming we had not gouged our eyes out by this point, who owned the houses and, by extension, the dogs. Or vice versa. The Ruse – which may yet be capitalised in a footnote to a particularly extensive history of the arts during corona times – was greeted with derision. But Channel 4 hung tough, and hung its cameras on various dogs owned by people who, by stretching the word Collapse
Every human year not equivalent to seven dog years, scientists find
02/07/2020 - Study of DNA changes in labradors suggests puppies age much faster than older dogsDogs do not Expand
02/07/2020 - Study of DNA changes in labradors suggests puppies age much faster than older dogsDogs do not simply age at seven times the rate of humans, scientists have found in a study that reveals young dogs might be “older” than previously thought.The findings suggest a one-year-old puppy is actually about 30 in “human years” – an age when humans, at least, might be expected to have stopped running riot with the toilet paper. Continue reading... Collapse
Winning by a nose: the dogs being trained to detect signs of Covid-19
21/06/2020 - In the battle against the virus, we have an unlikely ally. Already used to detect drugs and Expand
21/06/2020 - In the battle against the virus, we have an unlikely ally. Already used to detect drugs and weapons, dogs are now being trained to sniff out when humans have the virus. Tim Lewis meets the trainers and their houndsAsher was a problem dog. A hyperactive and unruly chocolate-brown cocker spaniel with ears like pittas and a Rudi Völler frizzy shag, he was shunted from owner to owner, maybe as many as seven by the age of three. He was taken on by the charity Medical Detection Dogs, which was looking for working dogs to train up, but even after being placed with a seasoned “socialiser”, Asher still wouldn’t sleep and kept trying to escape. He was set to be returned to a rescue centre until Medical Detection Dogs’s co-founder Dr Claire Guest gave him a final chance.“We work a lot with spaniels and labradors that people have bought as pets, but they end up in rescue because they’re just bouncing off the walls,” explains Guest on a video call from her home near Milton Keynes, before breaking Collapse
Four legs good: furniture fit for high-class hounds – in pictures
13/06/2020 - Why shouldn’t dogs enjoy minimalist furniture in natural shades? Continue reading...
Model behaviour: Luna the lockdown dog - in pictures
06/06/2020 - “The inspiration came from the toilet-roll stockpiling in this country,” says Alex Grace of her Expand
06/06/2020 - “The inspiration came from the toilet-roll stockpiling in this country,” says Alex Grace of her lockdown photography project involving Luna, the dog she fostered at the start of lockdown. As well as poking fun at loo roll hoarders, Grace uses cleaning cloths to dress Luna up as a nurse and captioned a picture of Luna wearing a rubber glove with the government’s “Stay alert” message. “That is as ridiculous as me putting Marigolds on a dog’s head,” she says, “but at least I know I’m ridiculous.” See more at alexgracephoto.com Continue reading... Collapse
The emotional rollercoaster of adolescent dogs – podcast
21/05/2020 - It’s an experience many dog owners have been through – their adolescent pooches appear to be more Expand
21/05/2020 - It’s an experience many dog owners have been through – their adolescent pooches appear to be more moody and rebellious. Now researchers have shown that dogs really do mimic human teenagers’ behaviour, becoming less responsive to instructions from their carer. To find out more about the difficult teenage doggy-years, Nicola Davis talks to Dr Lucy Asher about the study Continue reading... Collapse
Keep pet cats indoors, say researchers who found they kill 230m native Australian animals each year
15/05/2020 - Australia’s 3.7m domestic cats wreak environmental havoc and should be contained, authors of new Expand
15/05/2020 - Australia’s 3.7m domestic cats wreak environmental havoc and should be contained, authors of new study sayDomestic cats are killing an estimated 230m native Australian birds, reptiles and mammals every year, according to new research that quantifies the pet’s national toll on native animals for the first time.Researchers said owners of Australia’s 3.7m domestic cats needed to make sure their pets were indoors or contained to reduce their impact on native species. Related: Parasitic disease spread by feral cats likely to be killing native wildlife Related: Australian government stops listing major threats to species under environment laws Continue reading... Collapse
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Cat diagnosed with coronavirus in first UK case of animal infection
27/07/2020 - People advised not to kiss their pets after Siamese cat is thought to have caught virus from its Expand
27/07/2020 - People advised not to kiss their pets after Siamese cat is thought to have caught virus from its ownersCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageA female Siamese cat has become the first animal in the UK to catch coronavirus, prompting a warning to owners not to kiss their pets or share food with them.The cat from southern England is believed to have caught the virus from their owner in May. It was initially diagnosed by a private vet with feline herpes. But samples from the cat tested positive for Sars-Cov-2 in June as part of a coronavirus screening programme for hundreds of cats at Glasgow Centre for Virus Research. Continue reading... Collapse
Not such a mystery for dog owners? | Brief letters
21/07/2020 - Rishi Sunak’s mask | Yorkshire Times satirist | Mystery object identified? | For the love of Expand
21/07/2020 - Rishi Sunak’s mask | Yorkshire Times satirist | Mystery object identified? | For the love of Brahms | Hand-washing tunes | Living in the United QueendomYou describe Rishi Sunak’s mask as handsome and worthy of a likely GQ Man of the Year nomination (Face mask fashion: politicians step out in statement masks, 17 July), but he’s wearing one with a valve, the purpose of which is to protect the wearer, not those around him. Exactly right for a member of this corrupt Tory government, but not to be admired.Julie KemmyFramingham Earl, Norfolk• “Domocracy” (Letters, 17 July) was coined by Roger Winterbottom, the very funny and sharp political satirist who writes in the Yorkshire Times. Among other terms he has invented is one to describe Johnson and his cronies – a “liararchy”.Kaye McGannStandlake, Oxfordshire Continue reading... Collapse
I applied to foster a dog, but a month into lockdown the entire nation had the same idea | Brigid Delaney
16/07/2020 - Suddenly everyone on my social media feeds was showing off their new puppiesOne dream dies, but in Expand
16/07/2020 - Suddenly everyone on my social media feeds was showing off their new puppiesOne dream dies, but in the empty space another has room to flourish.When the borders closed in March and I realised I would no longer be working as a travel journalist, I saw the silver lining. I had long wanted to be a dog foster parent but, as I was only ever home for a few days at a time (sleep off jet lag, wash clothes, go again), it was not the right environment for a pet – even for a borrowed one. Related: Dogs working from home during coronavirus crisis? There's an Instagram account for that Related: Pets of the pandemic! True stories of how animals are 'helping' in self-isolation | First Dog on the Moon Related: How pets are helping us through the coronavirus crisis Continue reading... Collapse
TV tonight: Supervet Noel Fitzpatrick returns with a puppy special
02/07/2020 - Channel 4’s well-loved vet starts a new series looking back on six years of saving the nation’s Expand
02/07/2020 - Channel 4’s well-loved vet starts a new series looking back on six years of saving the nation’s pets. Plus: the last of The School That Tried to End Racism. Here’s what to watch this evening Continue reading... Collapse
Street Cat Named Bob: pet who inspired books and film dies aged 14
16/06/2020 - James Bowen, who met Bob during his battle with drug addiction, says pet ‘saved his life’The pet Expand
16/06/2020 - James Bowen, who met Bob during his battle with drug addiction, says pet ‘saved his life’The pet that inspired the book series and film A Street Cat Named Bob has died aged 14.James Bowen met Bob in 2007 during his battle with drug addiction when he found the cat abandoned and injured and decided to look after him. Related: James Bowen and Bob the cat: 'He's named after the killer in Twin Peaks' Continue reading... Collapse
Country diary: magpies are not to be seen in black and white terms
13/06/2020 - Harlech, Gwynedd: Green, bronze, purple, touches of azure, red, iridescence – all these colours Expand
13/06/2020 - Harlech, Gwynedd: Green, bronze, purple, touches of azure, red, iridescence – all these colours are there in their feathersThe ivy bush by my window affords endless pleasure. It’s huge. The outer reaches host an evening roost of house sparrows. In the league of creatures who make a racket entirely disproportionate to their size, house sparrows are up there with wrens and shrews. But they are more sociable and don’t sound so cross. For several years, the ivy’s inner reaches have been home to a pair of magpies, whose calls one eminent ornithologist unkindly compared to the sound of machine-gun fire. They have a greater range than that. Their chirrupings and chucklings are amiably tuneful.I’m at a loss to understand why magpies are so widely disliked. For me, they are among the most beautiful of birds. Whoever held the palette when creating their plumage was one of the great artists. If you think of them merely as noisy monochrome crows, look again. Green, bronze, purple, touches of Collapse
Rio animal shelter delivers pets to Brazilians in lockdown – in pictures
29/05/2020 - To meet rising demand for animal companions in lockdown, Public Animal Shelter in Rio de Janeiro Expand
29/05/2020 - To meet rising demand for animal companions in lockdown, Public Animal Shelter in Rio de Janeiro allows people to check the profiles of available cats and dogs via social media. It then delivers the chosen pet to their new homeCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage Continue reading... Collapse
Best friends: why is the love we have for our dogs so special?
16/05/2020 - Monty Don’s grief for the loss of his retriever, Nigel, was a reminder that in a time of Expand
16/05/2020 - Monty Don’s grief for the loss of his retriever, Nigel, was a reminder that in a time of uncertainty, people are drawn to simple innocenceAt the beginning of the coronavirus lockdown we were confronted with a painful decision. Our West Highland terrier, Ziggy, who had travelled the world with us, was rapidly declining.She’d beaten the odds three times following the discovery of a mass on her bladder which was finally confirmed as cancer. But in the space of a few months she’d gone from accompanying us on 10km runs to struggling to walk, unable to pee and poo easily, her quality of life rapidly declining.'Friendship’ appears to be the most suitable word to describe close human-pet relationships Continue reading... Collapse
Dogs endure emotional difficulties in puberty like humans, says study
12/05/2020 - Research finds animals are less responsive to instructions from their carer during Expand
12/05/2020 - Research finds animals are less responsive to instructions from their carer during adolescenceMoody, unpredictable and with an striking disregard for the rules, teenagers can be hard to handle. Now it turns out the same is true for adolescent dogs.Researchers say they have found that pooches become less responsive to instructions from their carer during adolescence. Continue reading... Collapse
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St Bernard dog rescued after collapsing on Scafell Pike
26/07/2020 - Team of 16 volunteers carried Daisy off mountain on a stretcher during five-hour operation A Expand
26/07/2020 - Team of 16 volunteers carried Daisy off mountain on a stretcher during five-hour operation A mountain rescue team has said its members “didn’t need to think twice” when they were called to help a 121lb (55kg) St Bernard that had collapsed while descending England’s highest peak.Sixteen volunteers from Wasdale mountain rescue team spent nearly five hours rescuing Daisy from Scafell Pike after receiving a call from Cumbria police. Continue reading... Collapse
How has your dog helped you through lockdown?
21/07/2020 - We’d like to hear from readers about how their canine friends have helped them cope during the Expand
21/07/2020 - We’d like to hear from readers about how their canine friends have helped them cope during the pandemic As lockdown descended, people across the UK sought comfort and distraction from the coronavirus pandemic from their pets – old and new. Demand – and prices – for puppies soared, and the Dogs Trust was inundated with interest from those wishing to adopt, while reports of thefts of popular breeds also increased.We’d like to hear from people about how their canine friends have helped them cope in lockdown, particularly if you live – or have been shielding – alone. Continue reading... Collapse
The deadly plague that could devastate the US rabbit population
15/07/2020 - Scientists aren’t sure they can mitigate the spread of the virus, which causes fevers, internal Expand
15/07/2020 - Scientists aren’t sure they can mitigate the spread of the virus, which causes fevers, internal bleeding and liver failureIn early March, Gary Roemer was walking in the hills of New Mexico with his dog, Duke. Usually Duke would chase rabbits, but never catch them. This time, though, he brought back a jackrabbit.Roemer, a wildlife biologist with the University of New Mexico in Las Cruces, initially thought the rabbit was just feeble. But the next day he found a fresh carcass with grisly conditions: it was bleeding from the nose and the anus. “That’s when I thought: this is pretty unusual,” Roemer says. Related: Increase in invasive species poses dramatic threat to biodiversity – report We don’t have any tools to mitigate the spread or stop it once it’s out in free-ranging populations Continue reading... Collapse
Strong arguments for giving up meat for good | Letters
22/06/2020 - Readers respond to an article that debunked the usual criticisms of veganism and vegetarianism Expand
22/06/2020 - Readers respond to an article that debunked the usual criticisms of veganism and vegetarianism Thank you for debunking so many ludicrous yet oft-repeated myths surrounding vegetarianism and veganism (Why you should go animal-free: 18 arguments for eating meat debunked, 19 June). No doubt the powerful meat and dairy industries will continue to pump out their poisonous methane on the matter – but the more truth on meat-free lifestyles available in the public domain, the better.People deserve to be educated, and not met with a wall of well-funded propaganda. I’m glad the Guardian is seeking to promote facts and, by extension, rubbish untruths.Sebastian MonblatSutton, London Continue reading... Collapse
My chickens are always pleased to see me!' Life with the hen rescuers
14/06/2020 - Every year, tens of thousands of egg-laying chickens are rescued from slaughter and found loving Expand
14/06/2020 - Every year, tens of thousands of egg-laying chickens are rescued from slaughter and found loving homes. According to their new owners, they make affectionate and intelligent petsIn a garden at the back of a house in the North Yorkshire village of Cridling Stubbs, soft clucks fill the air. Three hens scratch and snooze in the dirt, while another two peck at the grass, sporadically wandering up to the door to try to spot their owner. Originally destined for the slaughterhouse after laying intensively at commercial egg farms, Penny, Hattie, Daisy, Annie and Polly are enjoying an idyllic retirement. Charlotte Pacey, 32, who designs play areas for children, says the hens look very different from when they arrived at her home in November 2018. “Penny, Hattie and another hen we called Fleur were so poorly when we collected them,” she recalls. “They were missing feathers, trembling with fear, had pale-looking combs and looked quite sick.” Fleur died after two days, but Penny and Hattie Collapse
In 18 months, we've had 30 cats – and it's been wonderful | Tom Hawking
07/06/2020 - From nursing mothers to senior catizens, you see it all as a foster carerNearly three years ago my Expand
07/06/2020 - From nursing mothers to senior catizens, you see it all as a foster carerNearly three years ago my wife and I had to move from New York – where we met, where I had lived for almost eight years, and where we had made a home – back to my home town of Melbourne. We missed (and continue to miss) many things about New York: our friends, our favourite bar, our neighbourhood, the fact that one can actually make a living there as a writer.But most of all, we missed our cat, who stayed in NYC with a friend. It’s hard to say why, exactly – she’s a singular creature. She used to amuse herself by trying to trip my wife during the night, as she navigated the weird spiral staircase in our Brooklyn apartment – but we missed her nonetheless. Related: ‘Hundreds and hundreds of kittens’: the volunteers saving strays as Covid-19 closes shelters It can be difficult and frustrating ... but the frustration is worth it Continue reading... Collapse
Battersea dog and cat foster carers – photo essay
22/05/2020 - Photographer Jill Mead has been meeting the staff, volunteers and foster carers of Battersea Dogs Expand
22/05/2020 - Photographer Jill Mead has been meeting the staff, volunteers and foster carers of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, who have taken in animals during the coronavirus crisis while they are found permanent homesBattersea Dogs and Cats Home has a network of more than 1,000 volunteers and foster carers to call on when necessary. In normal circumstances, an average stay is 34 days for dogs and 25 days for cats.The home has had lots of generous offers from people willing to open their homes to its animals during the past couple of months, but had to suspend new fostering applications in order to prioritise working with existing staff and volunteers to provide ongoing care for the dogs and cats during the coronavirus pandemic.Battersea rehomed more than 4,000 animals last year - an average of six dogs and six cats per dayThe kittens, over ZoomUsual work/lifestyle doesn’t allow me to have a dog, so this is the dream compromiseNed has had some medical issues, but despite this he is Collapse
I've Zoomed and I've dog groomed and I still don't know how to stay alert | John Crace
15/05/2020 - The confusion sown by Boris Johnson has spread to Covid-19 testing and beyondCoronavirus – latest Expand
15/05/2020 - The confusion sown by Boris Johnson has spread to Covid-19 testing and beyondCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageMany people I know are using lockdown creatively either to develop existing talents or to discover new ones. I appear to be the exception, unless you count working out how to do a Zoom call and worrying even more than usual as lifelong learning. The only skill I can vaguely claim to have acquired is how to cut the dog’s hair. Badly. A week ago, Herbert Hound was in a miserable state as his fur hadn’t been cut since Christmas, apart the odd trim with scissors around his eyes so he could see out. So I went on Amazon to investigate buying a pair of dog hair clippers, only to find that they are identical to the ones I use to shave my own head – excess hair is one of the few things not to have presented a problem for me so far – except the dog ones had a nice picture of a dog paw on the handle. So my wife and I got out my own clippers and took Herbie out Collapse
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