Stop the Badger Cull!

Image Source: Care for the Wild

Tuesday saw the Badger Trust fail at the court of appeal in an attempt to stop the two pilot badger culls in West Gloucestershire and West Somerset.  The Trust say that killing badgers will not make a significant contribution to tackling TB in cattle and claims that it could lead to 40,000 animals being pointlessly killed over the next four years.

The appeal was unanimously rejected by Lord Justice Law, Lord Justice Rimer and Lord Justice Sullivan.

Patricia Hayden, VC of the Badger Trust told The Guardian "We are very disappointed.  We don't know what the next step is, but we will not give up."

The Trust is now deciding whether to take their legal action to the supreme court.

In Wales, a badger vaccination programme is replacing the planned cull which was abandoned following legal challenges and the election of a new political administration.  National Trust in Devon and the Wildlife Trust in Gloucestershire is testing the vaccination programme, this is despite the previous Labour government saying an oral badger vaccine would be ready by 2015 and the coalition cancelling five of the six planned trails and declaring a viable oral vaccine as being "years away".

It was reported in the Guardian on Wednesday that activists are threatening to disrupt the badger cull which is due to start this autumn.  Volunteers are planning to patrol the cull zones and do their utmost to make it impossible for the trial culls to take place.  Other proposals include raves and other music events that will focus attention on the cull thus making it more difficult to carry out.  A national rally against the cull was held in Bristol on Tuesday where animal rights activists turned out in force, animal rights campaigner Brain May (guitarist from Queen) spoke at the rally and said: "I think we are all hoping that David Cameron is looking at the possibility of reorganising and delaying the cull while they look more carefully at vaccination. You could kill all the badgers in Britain and it would not stop the problem of bovine TB in cows." 

The RSPCA, League Against Cruel Sports, Humane Society International/UK, Save Me and a host of local campaign groups have formed #TeamBadger

Please sign this petition and also join the Stop the Cull Facebook Community.  You are also able to quickly e-mail your MP and Tweet David Cameron at the click of a button using!

Brian May and Care for the Wild have set up this e-petition that will just take you a moment to sign please.

Puppy Awareness Week!

Source: The Kennel Club.

My apologies for the late notice but for those of you who don't already know we are half way through The Kennel Club's National Puppy Awareness Week!

PAW is running from 8th to 15 September and aims to help ensure that a dog is for life.  Dogs all over the country are ending up in rescue homes due to the fact that people are buying the wrong dog for their lifestyle from the wrong breeder.  The Kennel Club states that there are 210 breeds of dog as well as many crossbreeds, all have very different needs.  Pedigree dogs are bred to have predictable traits and characteristics and by doing some simple research it is easy to find a dog that is best suited to your lifestyle.

Thinking of getting a dog?  Find out which breed is best suited to you.

KC research has shown that in 2011 as many as one in four people could potentially have bought their puppy from a puppy farm without even knowing.  As you already know if you are a regular reader of this blog, puppies on puppy farms are born to overused and abused dogs that are kept in horrendous conditions.  Puppy farmers place health and welfare beneath their greed, as far as they are concerned: more puppies = more money.

Beware of puppies advertised in free ads (Gumtree for example), sold over the internet or in pet shops and are collected by buyers from neutral locations such as service stations, or delivered direct.  Always ask Where's Mum? 

KC encourages people to always go to a member of the Kennel Club Assured Breeder Scheme, members of this scheme are the only breeders in the country who agree to follow high standards for caring for the health and welfare of their pups and who agree to allow a KC inspector access to their premises.  If you are looking for a rescue dog, use the Kennel Club Rescue Dog Directory to find a Breed Rescue or another rescue home.

Other recommended rescues include:

Battersea Dogs & Cats Home

RSPCA

Dogs Trust

Mayhew Animal Home

The Kennel Club is asking people to:

Show your support for Puppy Awareness Week here by printing off posters, leaflets and stickers and spreading the word.

Pup Aid 2012: The Event

After months of waiting, the day of Pup Aid had arrived and the weather couldn't have been better, the sun shone down on the fantastic location of Primrose Hill in North West London. 

  

Not long after we arrived we stumbled upon a great doggy paddling pool which dogs were quickly taking advantage of to cool down.  Suki preferred to observe, rather than partake!  There was much bottom sniffing and tail wagging as Pup Aid provided the perfect opportunity for our four legged friends to interact whilst us owners compared notes.

 

We visited stalls such as Lush, Four Paws, Dogs Trust, The Mayhew Animal Home... and had a go at various competitions as well as signing petitions for worthy causes such as animal testing.  Myself and my sister treated ourselves to some special Lush Pup Aid soap, it is so pretty to look at I am not sure I want to use it just yet.  I was even asked to record a clip for Four Paws' You Tube campaign on Animal Testing, it wasn't as easy as I thought to talk to the camera!

I am proud to announce that Suki came third in the Scruffts Prettiest Bitch competition, the winner of which was a gorgeous little dog that had actually been rescued from a Puppy Farm which was very fitting. 

Suki showing the judge her party trick.

Suki showing the judge her best angle!

Going to collect Suki's Third Place Rosette,
Suki looks back to check that Daddy is coming too!

Well done gorgeous!

Along with the creator of Pup Aid, TV Vet Marc Abraham, many celebrities turned out to offer their support for the cause; Singer Brian May, Actor and Comedian Ricky Gervais popped in, Pup Aid was opened by Designer Meg Matthews and her daughter Anais, Singer and Actress Sarah Harding, Singer Liam Gallagher and wife Nicole Appleton also attended among others.

Image via Cow PR

Image via Cow PR

Image via Cow PR

There was a fantastic response and the celebrity presence has meant that Pup Aid has been covered by national newspapers which has raised even more awareness!

If you didn't get chance to attend Pup Aid you can still do your bit and help raise awareness by telling everyone you know about Pup Aid and the Where's Mum campaign.  Check out the site here and I will do my best to update you.

Follow Pup Aid on Twitter

Follow Marc the Vet on Twitter

Pup Aid on Facebook

Marc the Vet on Facebook

Born to Suffer - Last Push

Source: RSPCA.

More than 16,000 people have signed RSPCA's petition calling for the breed standards for pedigree dogs to be reviewed in order to prioritise health and welfare above looks (The Animal News 10th January 2012).  RSPCA plan to present the final petition numbers to the Kennel Club demonstrating the scale of public support for the breed standards to be reviewed.  

Check out the RSPCA's excellent guide to some of the health and welfare problems of 15 popular dog breeds most at risk due to their conformational issues. 

If you haven't already, please click here and spare a few moments to add your name to the petition and please ask your friends and family to do the same.

Fluffy Friday #66

It's been quite a while, I'm sorry for my long absence and lack of Friday fun. I hope the following memorable fluffies make up for the delay :) Happy Friday!

Source: 

Labelling Matters

The RSPCA believe that all animal products should be labelled based on how they were produced so that consumers can make an informed choice about what they buy therefore they are calling for action at EU level for better labelling for food produce.  Many products imply that food is high welfare by the use of certain words ("farm fresh," "natural" or "high quality") or pictures (free range animals, sunshine) however, the small print shows otherwise.  The word "farm fresh" alongside an image of a gazing cow couldn't be further from the truth.

Next time you are out shopping if you sport an example of a misleading label and have a smart phone, take a photo of the label, including the bar code and send it to campaigns@rspca.org.uk along with the date the photo was taken, shop, town and country you saw the product.  Also include your name, country of residence and daytime phone number if you are happy for RSPCA to contact you with any queries.

RSPCA are particularly looking for:

Chicken meat labels: Pre-packed whole chicken, chicken breasts, chicken drumsticks e.t.c.

Pig meat labels - Pre-packed sausages, ham, pork e.t.c.

Cow' milk labels - bottled milk, cheese, yoghurt e.t.c.

Look out for words like "farm fresh", "natural" or "high quality" and for images of free range animals, sunshine, trees, fields or attractive rural scenes.  Remember that if a product really is higher welfare it will be part of a certification scheme such as RSPCA Freedom Food, Soil Association (in the UK) or Label Rouge (in France)

If you do find other examples of misleading labels please send them as well.

Photos will be used to put pressure on policy makers to enforce existing rules and to introduce better legislation so that labels make it clear how food is produced.

As well as labels found on products sold in the UK, the RSPCA are also keen to see labels from other EU countries.

Please submit all photos of labels no later than 30 September 2012.

Pup Aid 2012

Just a reminder that Pup Aid is taking place on Saturday at Primrose Hill in London.  In case you weren't already aware, Pup Aid is a celebrity judged fun dog show that aims to raise awareness of the horrific practice of puppy farming.  Now in it's third year Pup Aid is back bigger and better promising a fun packed day with trade stalls, fresh food, music and fun dog shows.

The Pup Aid website has been updated with the programme for the day and some useful travel advice, check it out.

We will be attending and Suki is going to be competing in the dog show for Prettiest Bitch, wish us luck and hope to see you there!

Pup Aid Website.

Pup Aid on Facebook.

Pup Aid on Twitter.

Paul O'Grady: For The Love Of Dogs

Finally a reason to look forward to Mondays!

I was blown away by the first episode of Paul O’Grady: For the Love of Dogs shown last night at 8pm on ITV 1.  Much loved comedian, television presenter, actor, writer, radio DJ and passionate dog lover Paul was absolutely fantastic as he investigated just what it takes to look after the thousands of dogs travelling through Battersea Dogs and Cats Home every year.

ITV are finally showing a responsible prime time animal programme in this seven part series showing Paul O’Grady getting to know both the dogs and the staff at Battersea.  Each episode is 30 minutes long and the series promises to be humorous, emotional and inspiring as Paul gets involved with everything from cleaning kennels to rehoming dogs.  Last night’s episode hilariously saw him grilling Radio DJ Neil Fox who wanted to adopt a puppy even going so far as to ask him if there was any chance the family could be expecting a baby!

Heartbreaking scenes in last nights episode featured a young Staffordshire Bull Terrier, christened “Sparkles” by staff, who was thankfully rescued after being deliberately starved and abandoned in a London park.  Paul quite rightly exclaimed “And they call us a nation of animal lovers!”  After miraculously surviving her first night at Battersea and being fed little and often, Sparkles was on the road to recovery.  I am sure that the little beauty won many hearts last night, her beautiful eyes glistened with love, trust and hope despite the horrific treatment she had received.  Her tail didn’t stop wagging and she soon transformed from an emasculated downtrodden pup to a happy, healthy and boisterous Staffie who was swiftly rehomed as soon as she was given a clean bill of health.

Paul spent just over two months at our London centre and got to know everyone here at Battersea. He says: “This has been one of the nicest jobs I've ever had. Everybody knows Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, it’s one of the jewels in London’s crown and it’s a joy to be there; I feel so at home. I’m hoping that people will watch this programme and see what a happy, professional environment it is. There is humour, sadness, pathos, genuine concern – it’s going to be different to everything else that’s on the telly.”

(Source)

Catch up with this weeks show on ITV Player and catch all subsequent episodes each Monday at 8pm on ITV 1.

Follow Battersea Dogs and Cats Home on Twitter @BDCH and become a fan on Facebook.

What did you think of the show?

Ask the DRDC to consider non-animal training methods



Source.



A recent PETA study has found that the U.S and Canada are among six NATO countries that continue to use animals in military medical training exercises.

Last year the U.S Army replaced its use of animals in a chemical warfare training program with advanced simulators but unfortunately this cruel practice continues in Canada.  During "live agent training" drill at the Defence Research and Development Canada live pigs are exposed to toxic chemical weapons and subsequently suffer from seizures, irregular heartbeats, breathing difficulties and bleeding.  Sometimes they die. 

The U.S Army have demonstrated that modern non-animal training methods can replace DRDC's use of animals in these exercises.

Please click here in order to urge Canadian military officials to stop using animals in these cruel modernize training methods. (Warning: The aforementioned link leads to a site with an image you may find disturbing).

Lunch Time Links #25

It's been a few weeks since the last Lunch Time Links so I hope you enjoyed a nice rest and are ready to get clicking!

Ban Fur Farms in Ireland

Reduce Animal Testing in the UK