News HOUND-UP
FOOTBALL CLUB AND PET FOOD BRAND TEAM UP
The ‘world’s greenest football club’, Gloucestershire-based Forest Green
Rovers, has signed up with award-winning, plant-based vegan pet food brand HOWND.
“Our partnership to be their official vegan pet food partner is an exciting achievement and we look forward to the wealth of opportunities it will bring,” said Mark Hirschel, commercial director and co-founder of HOWND. “Let’s just call this a ‘matchday’ made in heaven.”
GRRR-EAT TO MEET YOU!
Analysis from pet brand Good Boy has discovered dogs are learning new words and commands, such as ‘Zoom’, ‘Teams’, ‘meeting’, ‘internet’ and even ‘boss’, from listening in to their owners’ work video calls — so much so that 58 per cent of respondents’ dogs can recognise many of their colleagues.
The study suggested having a pet appear on-screen may even boost workers’ career prospects, with 41 per cent saying it made them like the person more, while 34 per cent thought it showed the owner was confident.
‘MISSING’ DOG FOUND SAFE AND WELL DOWN OLD MINE
A Border Collie has been reunited with her owner after getting stuck down a disused mine for two days.
Eddy Beard was gathering sheep on the Lake District fells near Braithwaite when his dog, Sam, disappeared.
After searching for hours with no success, 29-year-old Eddy returned to his Buttermere home and contacted Cockermouth Mountain Rescue, who alerted Cumbria Ore Mines Rescue Unit.
The team finally found Sam stuck on a ledge 20 metres down an open stope on the top of Coledale Hawes, and managed to pull her out unscathed.
STUDY REVEALS DOGS MORE FEARFUL OF HOUSEHOLD NOISES THAN HUMANS BELIEVE
A study by America’s University of California, Davis (UC Davis) has found dogs are more stressed by household noises, such as smoke alarms, vacuum cleaners, and microwaves, than owners realise.
Published in ‘Frontiers in veterinary science’, the survey of 386 owners revealed many underestimate their dogs’ anxiety when exposed to sounds — particularly very loud or high-frequency ones
— around the home.
“We hope this study gets people to think about the sources of sound that might be causing their dog stress, so they can take steps to minimise their dog’s exposure to it,” explained lead author Emma Grigg.
BREED KNOWLEDGE MADE MORE ACCESSIBLE
Seven new breed resources, featuring the Bedlington Terrier, Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Lagotto Romagnolo, Afghan
Hound, Polish Lowland Sheepdog, Australian Shepherd, and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, have been added to the Kennel Club Academy.
Now covering 37 breeds, these free-to-access films and presentations provide information on dog health, breeding, training, and judge education in a range of disciplines.
Users can learn about the breed standard, history, a ‘nose to tail’ overview, and show ring movement.
Developed by breed experts in collaboration with The Kennel Club, this is the leading online facility for those looking to improve their canine knowledge.
Find out more at www.thekennelclub. org.uk
SWEET SIXTEEN!
Congratulations to first-time mum, three-year-old German Shepherd Unity, who has given birth to the largest ever Guide Dogs litter.
The 16 puppies were sired by the charity’s most prolific stud dog, six-year-old Golden Retriever Trigger, who has now fathered 239 dogs. It’s hoped the pups will combine the friendliness and confidence of a Golden Retriever with a German Shepherd’s drive and loyalty.
After receiving their health checks at the charity’s Leamington Spa base, the pups will be placed with volunteer puppy raisers as they start their journey to hopefully becoming life-changing guide dogs for people with sight loss.