A nation of dog lovers?

Issue 40 of Edition Dog (January 2022) features my article that highlights the awful treatment of dogs in the name of medical research.

The cat killers

In issue 2 of Edition Cat (November 2020) I highlight the serious issue of cat killings and why we need to get tougher on those who are cruel to cats and other animals.

CANINE DOUBLE STANDARDS

It was fantastic to recently read about the removal of the Basset Hound from the category three ‘high-profile’ list. This breed is (for obvious reasons, given my passion for Dachshunds) yet another of my ‘favourites’ and one I find myself instantly drawn to at shows and I have over the past few years noticed that a number of the winning dogs (like the Bulldog) have been more athletically built, have ‘more light underneath them’ and have good clean, tight eyes – in other words they have all the requirements of a working hound. For once, it’s good to see justice done and the sterling work of breed clubs, breeders and a dedicated health co-ordinator being fully recognised.

DOGS IN THE MEDIA: 2015 FEATURE

A feature article written for Dog World (14th April 2015) looking at how the media portrays dogs and dog ownership.

Years ago, when still at college, I briefly toyed with the idea of becoming a journalist. Then, in the autumn of 1991, by a series of strange coincidences, I met a lady that would completely turn that idea on its head.

She was an American soul singing megastar and we were to be friends for the next ten or so years. Whenever she came to the UK I would hang out with her, go backstage at her shows, go to dinner, to rehearsals and travel to swanky hotels in the shiniest of stretch limousines. A pretty fantastic experience for an impressionable youth and from the outside it did indeed look like the perfect lifestyle however one only had to dig not too very far beneath the beautiful veneer to uncover a world rife with paranoia and the irritant of constantly being watched, the bane of this woman’s life were journalists and the media – especially the British media who, back then, were notoriously brutal. 

THE CHANGING FACE OF THE RSPCA AND PETA

From my ‘Crossing the headlines’ column in Dog World (8th April 2015).

I recently wrote a blog on how our thoughts and ideas change over the years. Things we were passionate about as teens are probably not as relevant when we are in our 40s and 50s (which is probably no bad thing if you were a New Kids on The Block fan) but reading some recent press releases made me think about how such changes aren’t just limited to people they also occur in the groups and societies we may have once supported.