Unfortunately the number of animals being taken to rescue centres is increasing every year. Why are pets being abandoned or relinquished?
The reasons for this are varied and include the owner experiencing financial or personal difficulties, moving into rented accommodation not allowing pets, changes in circumstance resulting in not enough time for the pet, the pet becoming ill or having behavioural problems, new children in the household, owners developing pet allergies, a new pet not getting on with existing pets.

Unfortunately, sometimes people just buy pets on a whim and then realise a few months later that they made a mistake and take the pet for re homing.

Pets being taken to rescue centres are often young and not neutered (de-sexed), usually having only been owned for 7-12months. Many of these pets are taken on from friends with unwanted animals, often they have never been to a vet and many of the dogs have never had any obedience training.
In my opinion, not training and neutering your pet is just irresponsible.

Rescue centres obviously make a huge effort to rehome these pets in a responsible fashion.
However the sad truth is that many are just on ‘death row’ and end up being euthanased. Often euthanasia boils down to inadequate funds to look after the animals rather then the animals having severe behavioural or veterinary problems.

If you want a pet, PLEASE go to a rescue centre and see if there is an animal to adopt that will suit YOUR circumstances.  Lets reduce the number of animals ending up euthanased for the wrong reasons.

Owning a so called ‘designer dog’ has become a new craze in the last year or so. ‘Designer dogs’ are in fact just a selectively bred cross-breed which you pay a lot of money to buy! I suppose that eventually they may become recognised breeds in their own rights. Why are these ‘designer dogs’ sought after and why have they come into existence in the first place?

Dogs have been selectively bred for hundreds of years to develop traits that were useful for hunting, herding or guarding. Now the emphasis is perhaps more on the look of the dog and increasingly the dog’s temperament and suitability as a companion. Originally people purposefully crossed pure-bred dogs in order to achieve a specific purpose, for example the ‘Labradoodle’ (Labrador cross poodle) was first bred as an attempt to develop guide dogs for visually impaired people with allergies. Unfortunately because these dogs are sought after and can be sold for considerable amounts of money, they have sometimes been bred by unscrupulous breeders. Also, because genetic inheritance is not straight forward it is difficult to predict if these ‘designer dog’ pups will actually have the desired traits.

Celebrities buying these ‘designer dogs’ have fuelled the craze. Jennifer Aniston has a ‘Labradoodle’. Jake Gyllenhaal and Uma Thurman have both been photographed walking their ‘puggles’, a cute cross between a pug and a beagle. Then there’s Jessica Simpson’s dainty ‘maltipoo’, a cross between a Maltese terrier and a toy poodle which is also sometimes called a ‘moodle’. This lack of consistency in names for ‘designer dogs,’ can cause confusion! I think the names of these cross breeds are part of the attraction because they sound so cute and fun!

The UK Kennel Club doesn’t recognise these cross-breeds but in America there is the American Canine Hybrid Club which does.

On a serious note, at a time when rescue centres across the UK are seeing increases in the number of abandoned animals, I think that if you want a cross bred dog you will find a perfectly adorable one in a rescue centre that is delighted to find a happy home. Why spend large amounts of money buying a cross-bred dog labelled as a ‘designer dog’? To be frank, one can easily find pure-bred dogs in rescue centres too.

It is my opinion that while the rescue centres are overflowing with abandoned animals, anyone able to provide the necessary commitment of caring for a dog, should definitely look at a rescue dog first.

Remember, dogs are a life-long commitment, not just a fancy accessory to have like a designer handbag as Paris Hilton and some other celebrities would have us believe! They certainly shouldn’t be carried around all day in handbags!’

Enjoy your lovely pooch, ‘designer’ or not!

Copyright ©Shanson Ltd 2008

This is an excerpt from my ebook ‘Puppy Power- everything you need to know BEFORE you buy a puppy’ concerning the docking of dogs’ tails-
Docking involves removing the whole or part of a puppy’s tail when it is only 3-5 days old without the use of anaesthetic. Contrary to popular opinion, a puppy CAN feel pain at this age and will generally react with whimpering, squealing, wriggling the tail stump or whole body and sometimes urination.

You may wonder why such a practice would ever be condoned and the answer is that historically it was performed as a ‘prophylactic measure’ – to prevent the risk of the dog injuring its tail during future work. In more recent times it has become merely the fashion for certain breeds, such as the Rottweiler.

In England and Wales there is now a complete ban on the docking of dogs’ tails with the only exception being for a few particular types of working dog which require specific certification, or for certain medical treatment.

In Scotland there is a complete ban on tail docking and it is not allowed for any reason whatsoever.

In Northern Ireland docking can still be performed on puppies but for truly prophylactic reasons only, and not merely on request or just because a dog is of a particular breed or type.

In those parts of the UK where tail docking is still legal under certain circumstances, it is ONLY a qualified veterinary surgeon that may perform the procedure: the challenge, however, is often finding one who is willing to, since over 90% of vets strongly object to the practice.

Any animal naturally born with a tail relies on it for a number of things, including:

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In my opinion there is no justifiable reason for performing tail docking as a prophylactic measure since the dog experiences evident disadvantages and no genuine benefit. I am especially saddened when I see dogs which have been docked for purely fashionable reasons. I think dogs are most beautiful and magnificent with their tails, as nature intended them and would encourage anyone considering this practice (within the legal framework) to please, think again.

Despite the legislation in place, I am still seeing puppies at work that are docked, often without the owner even realising. If YOU want to buy a puppy with a full length tail, please make it your business to ask questions about your future puppy and make sure he or she is NOT docked before you buy. You have the power to make sure that puppies keep their tails as nature intended!

copyright Shanson Ltd 2008