Silence about my race kept my family apart. Could a rescue dog bring us together?
1 DAY AGO - I craved unconditional love. Then I met Jasper, a nervous greyhound with a habit of running Expand
1 DAY AGO - I craved unconditional love. Then I met Jasper, a nervous greyhound with a habit of running awayEveryone told me that adopting a dog was a bad idea. I was an avid traveller; a freelance writer, and no great respecter of routine. My longest commitment to anything remains the direct debit for my phone network provider. But in March 2020, just as the world began to change, I headed to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home in London to meet an anxious greyhound called Jasper.I had told no one but my housemates of my plans to adopt. They had courteously agreed to cohabit with a canine and we had perused a site filled with drooling pit bulls and champagne puppies. Privately I dreamed of a dachshund. Then I met Jasper.I often wonder how my dad felt when I was born. Is this the baby I want? Is she really mine?Parts of my past – my heritage and biological parentage – remain shrouded in mystery. It’s something I share with Jasper Related: Who’s a good boy? The unbreakable bond between humans and dogs Collapse
Rings of steel: dog owners buy metal collars to deter thieves
7 DAYS AGO - Spate of audacious and often violent robberies leads to boom in sales of high-security animal Expand
7 DAYS AGO - Spate of audacious and often violent robberies leads to boom in sales of high-security animal accessories A spate of dognapping in recent months has led to growing numbers of owners buying lockable, steel-core collars and leads that cannot be severed by bolt cutters as they walk their pets.Dog theft has risen as animals available to buy have become scarcer since the pandemic began. The average cost of a puppy doubled to nearly £1,900 last year, and some breeds are worth more than £6,000. Continue reading... Collapse
Don’t deny us the joy of cheap flowers | Brief letters
26/02/2021 - Blooms for the poor | Catholic church | Hidden messages | Crossword | David Cameron | Pet namesI’m Expand
26/02/2021 - Blooms for the poor | Catholic church | Hidden messages | Crossword | David Cameron | Pet namesI’m sure cheap flowers do have a high environmental cost (Letters, 25 February). However, there seems to be a lack of empathy here for those who can’t afford a beautiful bunch of “field-grown” British flowers, but can enjoy the beauty of their vase of £1 daffodils. If we aren’t careful, saving the planet will become a class issue. Most of us do what we can, recycling etc, but don’t deny us the joy of a bunch of flowers.Diane WoodleyWestgate-on-Sea, Kent• With respect to the plan to exhume the remains of Venerable Mother Cornelia Connelly (Plan to move Sussex nun’s bones to US faces local opposition, 23 February), it would be a miracle if the Catholic hierarchy paid any attention to the desires of the local laity. Would that count towards her canonisation?Eric BarberImpington, Cambridgeshire Continue reading... Collapse
Seven weeks in, what have I learned from my new life as a dog person? | Adrian Chiles
24/02/2021 - Our new puppy refuses to walk, has a joke name and won’t be toilet trained. I can’t imagine life Expand
24/02/2021 - Our new puppy refuses to walk, has a joke name and won’t be toilet trained. I can’t imagine life without himHow easy it is to turn into the person you didn’t want to be. Though I’ve always loved dogs, I never wanted to be a dog person. And I never got much out of reading what people wrote about their pooches. So, if this bores you, please know I sympathise.Anyway, we got him at seven weeks when he weighed 3kg. He’s now twice as old and nearly four times as heavy. He has been with us for half his life, which feels as good a time as any to reflect on what I know now about having a dog in your life that I didn’t seven weeks ago. It feels an awful lot longer than seven weeks; this despite, or perhaps because of, the dizzying pace of change in him. It’s like raising a baby then toddler then child on fast forward. Our human young move forward at what feels at the time, if not in retrospect, a glacial tempo. With my daughters now at the leaving-home stage I wish I had cherished their Collapse
‘My soupmaker is so quick!’ 15 lockdown buys that helped Guardian readers
19/02/2021 - From a treadmill and a puppy to 19th-century curtains, here are the purchases that have helped Expand
19/02/2021 - From a treadmill and a puppy to 19th-century curtains, here are the purchases that have helped cheer people up in the past yearNot only has my new treadmill seen me through lockdown, it’s also keeping me on an even keel, as I live in a crowded area and don’t really enjoy running outside any more. I use it almost every day, along with an app called Zombies, run! or while listening to podcasts. It has become a comfort. The only downside is that I need to put it back under my bed after each use. Mar, journalist, Barcelona, Spain Continue reading... Collapse
Tell us: how has your pet helped you through lockdown?
11/02/2021 - We would like to hear from you if you have found your pet or pets to be an emotional support Expand
11/02/2021 - We would like to hear from you if you have found your pet or pets to be an emotional support during the lockdownsOur pets have always been a source of comfort: as companions, reasons to go out and exercise, a friendly face to come home to. But in the pandemic, pets have come to mean more to us than ever.We would like to hear from you if you have found your pet or pets to be an emotional support during the lockdowns. Continue reading... Collapse
Miserable, anxious, depressed: how guide dogs are faring in the pandemic
02/02/2021 - Amid lockdowns, their daily activities have been put on hold – and their owners fear they won’t Expand
02/02/2021 - Amid lockdowns, their daily activities have been put on hold – and their owners fear they won’t recover from itThe daily life of a working guide dog is filled with dynamic combinations of people, smells, sights and sounds. Their job – to navigate this cacophony on behalf of their visually impaired handlers – is intense and important. When Covid-19 hit, these dogs couldn’t open up a laptop and continue working from home. Now, their owners are grappling with the pandemic’s long-term effects on their guides and guardians.“One of my very first thoughts when I heard that my city was shutting down was ‘OK, what am I going to do with my dog?’” says Marie Villaneda, 19, of Bloomington, Indiana. She got her guide, a five-year-old Bernese mountain dog and black lab mix named Milot, at 15. Pre-pandemic, the duo walked 10 miles a day, so “it became clear very, very quickly that Milot was bored”. For guide dogs, “guiding is like writing a doctorate dissertation. It takes a lot of the dog’s brain Collapse
Dog attacks on livestock increased in lockdown, say farmers
29/01/2021 - Incidents such as killing of 50 pregnant ewes caused by owners unaware of threat posed by Expand
29/01/2021 - Incidents such as killing of 50 pregnant ewes caused by owners unaware of threat posed by petsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageA series of horrific attacks by dogs on livestock is a consequence of lockdown and more people walking in the countryside who are oblivious to the threat posed by out-of-control pets, according to farmers.Earlier this month, 50 pregnant ewes and their unborn lambs were killed in Monmouthshire when a dog forced them into a corner against a stone wall, where the panicking animals suffocated and died. Continue reading... Collapse
Sheridan Smith on Pooch Perfect: 'Stanley my cross-breed co-star is a one-take wonder!
26/01/2021 - The actor is in ‘doggy and musical heaven’ – hosting a primetime grooming show on TV and returning Expand
26/01/2021 - The actor is in ‘doggy and musical heaven’ – hosting a primetime grooming show on TV and returning to the stage for a showtune extravaganza. So who’s got the best topknot: her or the shih tzus?When teenage Sheridan Smith played Annie in am-dram in Doncaster, her own stray was cast alongside her as the orphan’s canine companion. It was the start of a glittering career combining musicals and mutts. Starring as Annie once more in Sheffield, for her first professional role, she brought her dog on stage again. Then, in West End smash Legally Blonde, she and a chihuahua named Bruiser wore matching hot pink sweaters. “If they couldn’t find me they’d know I was in the dogs’ dressing room,” she laughs. Now, Smith is again in “doggy and musical heaven” as she fronts primetime grooming contest Pooch Perfect and hosts a celebration of showtunes at the Palladium.Pooch Perfect, her first presenting gig, gives her a catchphrase (“Dog squad, release the hounds!”) and an adorable cross-breed co-star, Collapse
|
Our rescue cat rescued us': how pets provided unconditional love in lockdown
4 DAYS AGO - As the pandemic enters its second year, Guardian readers celebrate the animals that helped them Expand
4 DAYS AGO - As the pandemic enters its second year, Guardian readers celebrate the animals that helped them navigate a difficult 12 months – from dogs to guinea pigs to cows Continue reading... Collapse
What’s worse than discovering a mouse problem? Half a mouse problem
27/02/2021 - I imagine a thriving mouse community going about its business behind the plaster, with an Expand
27/02/2021 - I imagine a thriving mouse community going about its business behind the plaster, with an occasional member stopping to say, ‘I think I hear someone typing out there’The oldest one is complaining about a mouse that he says lives in his bedroom.“It scrabbles about under the floorboards,” he says. “It sounds big.” Related: Tim Dowling: I’ve got a secret plan to level out the back garden using only coffee grounds Continue reading... Collapse
Beware of social media: warning for UK dog owners as thefts rise
26/02/2021 - Police say people should be wary of posting pictures of pets online that could reveal their Expand
26/02/2021 - Police say people should be wary of posting pictures of pets online that could reveal their locationDog owners should be wary of posting pictures of their pet on social media and leaving them unattended outside shops, police have warned, amid a rising number of dog thefts in the UK.Last year, there was a boom in what were labelled “pandemic puppies” as people stuck at home during lockdown acquired pets to lift their spirits. But DogLost, a UK charity that helps victims of dog theft, recorded a 170% increase in the crime, from 172 dogs in 2019 to 465 dogs in 2020. And it is not just the UK – Lady Gaga had two French bulldogs stolen on Wednesday night and her dog walker was shot during the robbery in Los Angeles. Continue reading... Collapse
Rebuild the spire but spare the trees | Brief letters
19/02/2021 - Notre Dame | Dogs | Cats | Big mistakes | Royal awardA thousand ancient trees are to be felled to Expand
19/02/2021 - Notre Dame | Dogs | Cats | Big mistakes | Royal awardA thousand ancient trees are to be felled to replace la forêt in the roof of Notre Dame (Report, 16 February). Why use pristine oak? No one will ever see these timbers. Surely this is an excellent opportunity to use glulam beams, which are stronger, highly sustainable, and do not require the felling of ancient trees. The cathedral’s original builders used the best and latest technologies. Why don’t we? Robin Prior Stroud, Gloucestershire• There’s no need for a robotic dog if you’re not keen on picking up their waste (Mindfulness, laughter and robot dogs may relieve lockdown loneliness – study, 17 February). Just get yourself a dog like Dilyn, as I’ve never seen either of his owners swinging a full poo bag around. Ian Grieve Gordon Bennett, Llangollen canal Continue reading... Collapse
I’ve developed influencer envy – and the influencer is a dog | Emma Beddington
16/02/2021 - He has a nicer life than me, scuttling from deli to deli and snuffling through gifts from brands. Expand
16/02/2021 - He has a nicer life than me, scuttling from deli to deli and snuffling through gifts from brands. And yet still I followThe ecosystem connecting influencer and influenced is a fragile one, particularly now. A business model built on selling dreams and aspirations when our wildest aspiration is “a pleasant evening”, to quote the name of a friend’s jigsaw of a beer garden, is a tough ask. We need to envy the influencers, but not so much that it becomes unbearable.This became abundantly clear in January when heavily hashtagged pics of reality TV stars on “essential work trips” to Dubai caused the celebs to leak followers, field angry comments from erstwhile fans and face the fact that hard graft down the content coal mines does not earn you a Thursday clap. Continue reading... Collapse
Meaty meals and play stop cats killing wildlife, study finds
11/02/2021 - Millions of pet cats are estimated to kill billions of animals a year but grain-free food can Expand
11/02/2021 - Millions of pet cats are estimated to kill billions of animals a year but grain-free food can change cat behaviourFeeding pet cats meaty food and playing with them to simulate hunting stops them killing wildlife, according to a study.Eating grain-free food led to the cats depositing a third fewer mouse and bird corpses on doorsteps, while just five to 10 minutes of play with a toy mouse cut the killing by a quarter. Related: Britain's endangered willow tit needs vast area to thrive, research finds Continue reading... Collapse
From the archive: are we a nation of cat people?
31/01/2021 - From women’s lib to working owners, the Observer Magazine in 1982 wondered how cats became such Expand
31/01/2021 - From women’s lib to working owners, the Observer Magazine in 1982 wondered how cats became such popular pets in BritainPet ownership has taken off during lockdown and there was a similar boom in the 1980s. For the Observer Magazine of 20 June 1982, Eva Kendall found out why cats in particular were on the verge of becoming Britain’s most popular pets (‘The Cult of the Cat’).In 1981, the number of cats had surged by 300,000 to reach an estimated 5,200,000 – only half a million behind dogs. ‘The long-haired cat or Persian is the most popular breed today, having just overtaken the Siamese,’ wrote Kendall. Could such interest be because of ‘women’s lib’? ‘Cats are symbolically identified with the female principle and their ascendancy coincides with a psychological shift from the macho attitudes represented by dogs.’ Continue reading... Collapse
A brilliant way to get humans to behave': the shelter where volunteers read to farm animals
28/01/2021 - It might be difficult to choose literature for a sheep, but as James Shackell discovers, the Expand
28/01/2021 - It might be difficult to choose literature for a sheep, but as James Shackell discovers, the experience can benefit both partiesChoosing a book for a sheep is no easy task. I’m sitting on the floor in front of my bookshelf, assessing the options. Joyce and Melville seem a bit highbrow and esoteric for the average sheep. Maybe The Shepherd’s Life by James Rebanks? A little on-the-nose. Le Carré? Too many trench coats. Inspiration suddenly strikes. I reach for Orwell.“Not Animal Farm,” says my wife, without looking up. “It’s too obvious.”Resident pigs at Edgar’s Mission in LancefieldPam Ahern, founder and director of Edgar’s MissionWe can treat their physical wounds, but psychological damage is much harder to fixSanctuary hand Jayce Thewlis moves a flock of sheep from one paddock to anotherNicky Peters, a volunteer reader for the animals at Edgar’s MissionI get so much joy from being around the animals, feeling their warmth and affection in some small wayAnastasia, a recently rescued Collapse
You can teach an old dog new words, researchers find
26/01/2021 - Canines in Hungarian study appear to pick up unfamiliar terms through playWhether you can teach an Expand
26/01/2021 - Canines in Hungarian study appear to pick up unfamiliar terms through playWhether you can teach an old dog new tricks might be a moot point, but it seems some canines can rapidly learn new words, and do so through play.While young children are known to quickly pick up the names of new objects, the skill appears to be rare in animals. Continue reading... Collapse
|
Looking for a flamingo?': bird trafficking in Iraq – in pictures
6 DAYS AGO - When flamingos migrate to the southern Iraqi marshes in the winter months, the poachers are Expand
6 DAYS AGO - When flamingos migrate to the southern Iraqi marshes in the winter months, the poachers are waiting – and so are the customers who want them to decorate their gardensPhotographs by Chloe Sharrock. Words by Quentin Müller and Sylvain Mercadier“Is it flamingos you’re looking for? Come to my place after 1pm,” whispers Mustafa Ahmed Ali from inside his small shop, which is buzzing with bird sounds of all kinds. He has been selling birds – wild and bred – at the bird market in Amara, in Iraq’s Maysan province, for more than 30 years.A pet flamingo that lives on Ali Abou Hussein’s farm outside AmaraHussein says the flamingos he keeps are free to wander the farm and that they have never flown offFlamingos belonging to Mustafa Ahmed Ali. He sells up to 10 birds a month. A ring found on one of Hussein’s birds, which he is seen clutching, shows it came from IranAhmed Saleh and Ali Abou Hussein show off their flamingosThe bird market in Amara where flamingos are often sold dead for meatAli Abou Collapse
Happy 'farmily': portraits of people and their animals – in pictures
26/02/2021 - Photographer Tasha Hall creates what she calls ‘farmily’ portraits – featuring families and their Expand
26/02/2021 - Photographer Tasha Hall creates what she calls ‘farmily’ portraits – featuring families and their animals. Hall, from British Columbia in Canada, says she got the idea after wanting to include all her furry friends in a family portrait. She now travels the world capturing other families with their livestock and pets Continue reading... Collapse
Lady Gaga’s dog walker shot as two of her french bulldogs stolen
25/02/2021 - Dog walker is ‘recovering well’ while musician is offering a $500,000 reward for the return of her Expand
25/02/2021 - Dog walker is ‘recovering well’ while musician is offering a $500,000 reward for the return of her dogs Koji and GustavA man walking Lady Gaga’s dogs for her was shot in Los Angeles on Wednesday night, and two of her dogs were stolen, prompting the pop star to offer a $500,000 reward for their return.The victim, identified in US media reports as Ryan Fischer, is expected to survive his injuries. Continue reading... Collapse
Max the Miracle Dog is first pet to receive 'animal OBE
19/02/2021 - Therapy dog from Cumbria awarded PDSA order of merit, previously bestowed only on service animalsA Expand
19/02/2021 - Therapy dog from Cumbria awarded PDSA order of merit, previously bestowed only on service animalsA springer spaniel with a huge social media following has become the first pet to win what has been described as the animal equivalent of an OBE for “providing comfort and support to thousands of people worldwide”.Thirteen-year-old therapy dog Max, who is joined daily on his Lake District walks and swims by thousands via Facebook Live, has been awarded the PDSA order of merit, which recognises animals that “display outstanding devotion to their owner or wider society, above and beyond companionship.” Continue reading... Collapse
Let’s satnav our way out of lockdown | Brief letters
15/02/2021 - Roadmaps | Brexit | Dilyn the dog | GhostessWill someone please tell Boris Johnson that hardly Expand
15/02/2021 - Roadmaps | Brexit | Dilyn the dog | GhostessWill someone please tell Boris Johnson that hardly anyone uses a roadmap any more (Tory MPs tell Johnson to commit to lifting Covid restrictions by end of April, 13 February). Surely it would be better to say he is going to satnav us out of lockdown, then we would know what he means. Chris HopwoodRichmond, North Yorkshire• Would Dominic Raab’s Brexit campaign have persuaded the over-50s if he had told them that they would be arriving in the promised sunny uplands not the day they cast off the shackles of the EU, but when they were well into their 60s, 70s and 80s – after four years of negotiation and then 10 years of misery in which nothing worked as foretold (Raab shrugs off Brexit troubles, urging people to take ‘10-year view’, 14 February)? Graham Webb Saint-Mandé, France Continue reading... Collapse
Thrill of the hunt leaves a bitter taste | Brief letters
02/02/2021 - Country diary | Loneliness | Bankers | George Osborne | Dog poo tipEach day, at breakfast, I turn Expand
02/02/2021 - Country diary | Loneliness | Bankers | George Osborne | Dog poo tipEach day, at breakfast, I turn first to your wonderful country diary column to provide cheerful sustenance against the unremitting gloom to follow elsewhere. Sadly, Nic Wilson’s dramatic account (1 February) of the kingfisher being taken by a sparrowhawk, following its own hunt, had just the opposite effect. Friends of the three-spined stickleback may feel that justice was done, but I’m still choking on my cornflakes and coffee.Paul ClarkeHorsham, West Sussex• Alice O’Keeffe makes no mention of people like me who live alone, when she mused on the loss of her social life (I feared the social isolation of lockdown most – but I’m tougher than I thought, 1 February). A partner and two sons would help considerably to mitigate the feeling of social isolation. Yes, it would be challenging being cooped up with just family for a long period, but I’d happily swap with her.Sharman FinlayPortrush, County Antrim, Northern Ireland Collapse
Excremental growth: UK sniffs a pandemic puppy poo problem
30/01/2021 - A rise in dog ownership and pressure on council services mean Britons are having to watch their Expand
30/01/2021 - A rise in dog ownership and pressure on council services mean Britons are having to watch their stepIt is not a problem to be sniffed at.A year into the coronavirus crisis, local media, council newsletters, social network users and disgruntled environmental health experts across the UK are warning that the country is in the grip of a dog mess emergency – and that new puppy owners are shirking their responsibilities to clean up after their lockdown pets. Continue reading... Collapse
Dog’s Best Friend by Simon Garfield – our canine fascination
27/01/2021 - Woof, he’s off again ... a lolloping romp through our obsession with dogs, written with more Expand
27/01/2021 - Woof, he’s off again ... a lolloping romp through our obsession with dogs, written with more enthusiasm than organisationSimon Garfield is a popularising writer with a light touch and a wide range of interests. His big hit was a charming and erudite book about fonts called Just My Type, but he has also written book-length studies of, among many other things, the Mini, stamp-collecting, wartime diaries, competitive wrestling, tiny things and the colour mauve.Now it is the turn of dogs. This book is just as amiable as you’d expect from Garfield, but it’s also a bit too whimsical and wearyingly disorganised. You could write it off as a rush job done as a publishing proposition – dogs sell – except it’s odder and less cynical than that. Garfield clearly really does love dogs. Here, he writes like one. He woofs and bounds around the subject and frequently vanishes into the undergrowth in pursuit of phantom rabbits. You find yourself wishing he wore one of those collars, probably illegal, Collapse
|
