Renting with dogs

I was thrilled with how my recent piece for Edition Dog (on the minefield that is renting with dogs) came out. I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who shared their opinions and experiences.

As we have discovered, renting with one dog is hard enough; renting with four is almost impossible. We actually got to the stage where we thought we would simply have to split our household – Marc and I going one way with the boys and Mum going her own way with the two girls.

No pets!

In issue 30 of Edition Dog (March 2021) I reflect on my experience of looking for a rental property and consider the implications of the proposal to ban the ‘no pets’ clause.

The Good Shepherds

I’ve long been a keen advocate of our rare and vulnerable native breeds and have written numerous articles about them and possible ways to boost their dwindling numbers over the years. Usually, I have gone along the lines of how to redeploy these beautiful dogs into brand new 21st century vocations – given that many of the jobs they were originally bred to do – now longer exist or no longer require them.

However, for my recent two-parter in Country Smallholding Magazine I tried a completely different approach, I wanted to showcase examples of some of the “at risk” terriers and herding breeds doing the job they were initially bred for and their possible usefulness for the modern-day smallholder/hobby farmer.

Is it the dogs or the people that have changed?

I recently wrote a piece about the suitability of several of our terrier breeds for the smallholder. I particularly wanted to focus on their ability to control rats and mice – the bane of any livestock keeper.

I am keen that, to significantly raise their numbers (and interest in them) more of our rare/vulnerable native breeds need to get back to work.

A ghostly ferreting expedition

I kept a number of ferrets in my youth; they are absolutely fascinating animals and make wonderful pets. My brother worked them, something I wasn’t too keen on – memories of Watership Down seriously affected my view of rabbiting. Instead of hunting, I far preferred the day-to-day care and breeding of my mustelid pets.

Recently, I wrote a piece on keeping ferrets and ferreting for Country Smallholding Magazine, and it reawakened memories of one particularly spooky ferreting expedition many years ago.

A Mini Dachshund Mystery

I recently wrote a piece on the extraordinary rise of the Miniature Dachshund for American dog magazine, Canine Chronicle.

Whilst researching it I came across a fascinating photograph of a girl with what looks like a very respectable looking Miniature Wirehaired Dachshund.

What’s so odd about that you may ask?

Fantastic Mr Ferret

The March 2021 issue of Country Smallholding included two of my features, including this one on ferrets and pest control.

Terrific terriers

In the March 2021 issue of Country Smallholding I raised the profile of three rare terrier breeds – the Bedlington, Manchester and Sealyham – and demonstrated their potential to fill the role of a pest controller.

The four-legged shepherd

In the Spring 2021 issue of Country Smallholding, I raised the profile of some vulnerable native dog breeds to highlight their usefulness on the farm.