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COMEBACK CORGIS
UNITED KINGDOM
May 15, 2012

'Jubilation' as endangered Corgi breeds surge in popularity

 A newly born litter of Pembroke Welsh Corgis, bred by a Kennel Club Assured Breeder in Wales, which are distantly related to Her Majesty the Queen’s own line. They have been named Charles, William and Elizabeth (left to right).

Two Corgi breeds and Kate’s Cocker Spaniel breed get royal boost

The popularity of the endangered Cardigan Welsh Corgi and the Pembroke Welsh Corgi, whose popularity has plummeted in recent years, has soared in the Queen’s Jubilee year - leading the Kennel Club to be hopeful about the future of the Corgi breeds.

The Kennel Club’s Find A Puppy website statistics, which have just been released by the Kennel Club, show that the number of people searching for Pembroke Welsh Corgi puppies, the Queen’s favourite breed, has increased by 37 percent in the first four months of 2012, compared to the last four months of 2011. In total 5783 people have searched for Pembroke Welsh Corgi puppies between January and April 2012.

There has also been a ten percent rise in Pembroke Welsh Corgi puppy registrations in the first quarter of this year, compared to the comparable period in 2011.This follows a decade of decline for the breed, which the Kennel Club has been monitoring closely for fear that it could soon become vulnerable. There were 371 pups within the breed registered in 2011.

Puppy searches for the endangered Cardigan Welsh Corgi breed – cousins to the Queen’s Pembroke Welsh Corgis - have also soared by 59 percent in the first four months of 2012, compared to the previous four months. In total 2231 have searched for puppies within the breed between January and April 2012.

Puppy registrations for the breed have also increased by 70 percent, with 17 puppies being registered in the first quarter of this year, compared to just ten in the comparable period in 2011. This marks a continued upward trend for the breed, which has been struggling with less than 100 annual registrations for the past ten years. It topped the 100 mark for the first time in more than a decade last year, seeing 108 registrations - a 134 percent increase on registrations in 2010.

The Cardigan Welsh Corgi is one of 29 breeds on the Kennel Club’s list of Native Vulnerable Breeds, which the organisation deems to be at risk of extinction because they number less than 300 puppy registrations per year. A further four breeds are on the At Watch list for numbering less than 450 registrations.

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary, said: “Sadly dog breeds go in and out of fashion, so after a long period of worrying decline for the Corgi breeds it is reassuring to see an increase in numbers.

“It is a wonderful tribute to the Queen that the popularity of her chosen breed and its cousin, the Cardigan Welsh Corgi, has increased in her Diamond Jubilee year, which will have raised people’s awareness of the breeds. The internet is also playing an important role by helping people to research suitable dogs for them and to find less obvious breeds that might be a perfect fit for their lifestyle.”

Karen Hewitt, Chairman of the Cardigan Welsh Corgi Association, said: “Whilst we must not be complacent we are very happy to see an increased interest in our wonderful breed. The Diamond Jubilee and the fact that a Cardigan Welsh Corgi recently won its Group at Crufts are both factors that are increasing people’s awareness of the Corgi breeds.”

Despite the increasing popularity of the Royal breeds there are many native breeds whose numbers are continuing to decline to dangerously low levels. The English Setter, which became endangered for the first time in 2011, continued to decline by 30 percent, with just 54 registrations in the first quarter of this year.

There is also concern for two of the three rarest breeds in this country, the Foxhound and the Otterhound, which failed to register any puppies in the first quarter of this year. In 2011 there were just nine and 38 puppies born within these breeds, respectively. The Cesky Terrier, which was the second most endangered breed in 2011 saw a 100 percent increase in registrations in the first quarter of this year, from six to twelve.

At the other end of the scale interest in the Cocker Spaniel, which is in the top three most popular breeds in the UK, has increased since it was bought by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the end of last year. The number of searches for Cocker Spaniels on the Kennel Club’s Find a Puppy service has increased by almost 32 percent in the first four months of 2011, compared to the previous four months.

To find a puppy visit the Kennel Club’s Find A Puppy service or find a rescue dog at the Kennel Club’s Find A Rescue Dog service.

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TELEPHONE DOG
KENT
ENGLAND
May 3, 2012

PHONE-FETCH PET’S A HERO

A dog saved his owner’s life after he fell off a roof – by fetching him a phone
Saturday April 28,2012

A DOG saved his owner’s life after he fell off a roof – by fetching him a phone.

Ex-policeman James Epps, 40, broke his hip, pelvis and elbow when he plunged 10 feet on to concrete as he hung an England flag at his home in Gillingham, Kent.

He dragged himself indoors but collapsed.

But Italian spinone gun dog Basso had been trained to fetch slippers and James sent him for the phone to call help.

His mother Dianey said: “James is so grateful.”

He is still recovering in hospital.

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SHOT TERRIER RECOVERING
CALIFORNIA
USA
May 15, 2012

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Animal advocates may never know why a Boston Terrier was left with what some believe is a gaping gunshot wound, but that doesn't stop them from trying to find him a good home.

 

For now the little terrier is being cared for in an undisclosed location and his caretakers are hoping social media can get him some help.

"I like to give Boston Terriers human names because they have very strong personalities they're very outgoing they're very sweet, fun dogs," foster parent Whitney Mayeda said.

Mayeda is talking about Douglas, or at least that's what she's calling him these days. She's taking care of the little guy but she doesn't know much about him - only that someone found him in the country on the west side. Supposedly he was running from bullets.

"He is a found dog. He does not have a microchip and we are sort of looking for his home. Hoping someone lost him, maybe he got into some trouble," Mayeda said.

That Good Samaritan rushed him to the vet, who patched him up, at least medically.

"The doctor took care of everything, put in a drain, he did have a large abscess, when they flushed the wound a small piece of bone came out, we're not sure where that came from," Mayeda said.

The doctor also thinks it's possible he was attacked by another animal.

"Unless someone comes forward with information we will probably never know what happened to him," Mayeda said.

And since he's obviously not talking, they've gotten creative, put his picture on Facebook and even matched him with lost dogs on CraigsList.

But so far no one knows who he is or where he came from. He'll respond to clapping and while medicated and in pain he's pretty sweet.

"Well he's very docile, compliant, lets you do whatever you want to him. Even the vet said they were able to start working on him and he didn't object," Mayeda said.

While he's recovering he's gone through literally every t-shirt in his foster home. If you'd like to donate you can do so at the Animal Compassion Team's website.

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A PUPPY FOR A PRIZE
UNITED KINGDOM
May 3, 2012

Kennel Club response to puppy being given as prize on Keith Lemon's Lemonaid

The Kennel Club is disappointed and shocked that a puppy was given as a prize on a prime-time ITV show and is writing to the television producers and to Ofcom to outline its concerns.

The Kennel Club’s Code of Ethics prohibits breeders from giving puppies as prizes, stating that breeders: ‘Will not sell any dog to commercial dog wholesalers, retail pet dealers or directly or indirectly allow dogs to be given as a prize or donation in a competition of any kind.’

Selling puppies as prizes is also illegal in Scotland. The Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2000 states that a person commits an offence if ‘the person offers or gives an animal to another person as a prize.’ The Kennel Club advised television researchers last week that a puppy should never be given away as a prize.

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary, said: “We are extremely disappointed to see ITV giving a puppy away as a prize. This is strictly against the Kennel Club Code of Ethics and sends out completely the wrong message about puppy ownership to both breeders and puppy buyers.

“The golden rule for buying a puppy, which the Kennel Club highlights during its Puppy Awareness Week in September and throughout the year, is that people should always see the puppy with its mother and in its home environment, before they buy.

“Puppies are not commodities but are a lifelong commitment, and the Kennel Club campaigns to ensure that people buy puppies responsibly and that breeders advertise and sell responsibly. Anyone involved in dog breeding should understand that proper informed research by a potential puppy owner is essential before taking on the responsibility of dog ownership, and that a breeder should be directly involved in some form of vetting to ensure the suitability of the puppy buyer.”

The Kennel Club is a member of the Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG) which is made up of animal welfare organisations and media publishing companies who have come together to work on improving and promoting the standards of responsible pet advertising (http://paag.org.uk). The Kennel Club is also lobbying to see tighter regulations governing the way dogs are sold.

The Kennel Club educates the public on how to buy a puppy responsibly and holds a Puppy Awareness Week in September highlighting these issues. Read more about our Puppy Farming campaign here www.thekennelclub.org.uk/paw

 



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MERSEYSIDE MAN'S AWARD
LIVERPOOL
ENGLAND
May 15, 2012

Merseyside man receives honorary achievement

Steve and Izzy

As the Kennel Club prepares to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its Good Citizen Dog Training Scheme (GCDS), the UK’s largest dog training programme, Steve Morgan and his dog Izzy are making their own celebrations.

Steve from Merseyside, and Izzy, his 14-month old Shih Tzu cross recently passed the scheme’s gold award. They are also the schemes 400,000th pass, which they achieved after attending weekly classes at the Oldfield Dog Training Club in Wirral.

The GCDS scheme has four levels of achievement, starting with the introductory Puppy Foundation classes through to the gold award. It promotes socially acceptable dogs and teaches owners how to train their dog for daily situations like walking on a lead, toilet training, grooming, sending a dog to bed and stopping the dog in an emergency. Tens of thousands of proud owners across the UK and even overseas have taken part in the scheme and watched their dogs transform into a well behaved companion.

Steve joined the GCDS Puppy Foundation course when Izzy was 12 weeks old and since then has attended weekly classes, developing his and Izzy’s training skills. This has enabled them to pass the Puppy Foundation course, and to go on to receive pass certificates at the bronze, silver and now gold award levels.

Steve said: “I am so proud of Izzy and all she has achieved. To be the 400,000th dog to receive a Good Citizen Award during the 20th anniversary year of the scheme makes it even more of a celebration. If that wasn’t enough, Izzy was also the 100th dog to receive a gold award pass at Oldfield Dog Training Club where she has been training.

“Izzy is now very well behaved on the lead, and I am an even better dog owner for it. I’ve met lots of other dog owners through training and will continue training with Izzy - I’m even looking at starting agility training. As my dog training instructor always says, there is no such thing as a bad dog, just bad owners. The training classes were supportive and I always felt motivated, especially with some friendly competition from the other dog owners.”

Heidi Lawrence, Education Manager at the Kennel Club said, “Steve and Izzy are great examples of the scheme’s success and since it started 20 years ago it has grown well beyond expectations. The more interaction and exposure a dog has within a variety of everyday life situations, the more confident it becomes. We encourage all dog owners to teach their dogs good manners both inside and outside the home. Owners should never let their dog become a nuisance to other people or other dogs, and Good Citizen Dog Training Scheme classes can help achieve this.”

Last year alone over 38,000 certificates were awarded to trained dogs through the GCDS, with almost 2,000 dog training clubs throughout the UK.

The GCDS was introduced in June 1992. It created a standard for domestic dog obedience, and combated the growing anti-dog feeling after a spate of highly publicised dog attacks. The scheme works with both dog and owner, teaching people how to understand a dog’s behaviour and how to train a dog using simple training techniques.

To find out more about GCDS training classes in your area, visit www.gcds.org.uk or call 020 7518 1011.


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MAN DROWNS WITH DOG
HAMPSHIRE
ENGLAND
May 3, 2012

FLOOD TRAGEDY AS MAN AND DOG DROWN AS 'FAST-FLOWING WATER' SUBMERGES CAR

A man has died after his car got submerged in fast-flowing water at a Ford

BRITAIN'S floods have brought with it tragedy today after a man and his dog died after being caught in fast-flowing water as they drove across a ford.

The man, 52, with his wife and dog were travelling along Thornfield Road in Hampshire when their Toyota Yaris became completely submerged by "5ft fast-flowing water".

The man's wife was able to escape from the car but he had to be recovered and was pronounced dead at the scene along with his dog, according to fire crews who attended.

Inspector Jon Snook, from Hampshire police's roads policing unit, said: "We believe the car drove into the ford from the Hampshire side where it appears as though it was swept downstream and became submerged.

"On arrival, we co-ordinated a rescue operation with the fire service to try and free the man. Unfortunately, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

"We know that the ford was flooded and we are now conducting an investigation to establish the exact circumstances of this incident and will be preparing a file for the coroner."

A Hampshire Police spokesman added: "Police were called at 9.12am this morning to reports that a vehicle was stuck in a ford at Thornford Road, near Compton Wood.

"A woman was able to get out of the vehicle but a man was recovered from it. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

"The woman was taken to Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, where she is being treated for shock."

A Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said fire crews from Hampshire and Berkshire attended the scene after being alerted at 9.07am.

She said: "They quickly located the car, which was completely submerged under 5ft of fast-flowing water.
"The woman from the car had already managed to swim free of the vehicle and reach the bank.

"Newbury firefighters, who had been joined by a crew from Kingsclere, then mounted a rescue operation using ladders from both sides of the banks of the ford to reach the vehicle.

"They broke the window of the vehicle and pulled a man free."

Station manager Mark White said: "On reaching the scene, fire crews made a dynamic assessment and quickly mounted a rescue operation to free the man from the vehicle.

"Once the man had been pulled free from the vehicle, crews from South Central Ambulance who were standing by carried out CPR."

A Hampshire Police spokeswoman said the conditions on the road, including the impact of recent rainfall on water levels at the ford, would form part of the force's investigation into the death.

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