Tag Archive: Pug


Lockdown Puppy Prices

In issue 21 of Edition Dog (June 2020), I take a look at the rapid rise in puppy prices since the start of the pandemic.

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THE RISE OF SLACTIVISM

Phew! Well, last month’s article (and Dog World Blog post) certainly provoked a reaction from both sides of the brachycephalic debate. Obviously a very vociferous element of the veterinary profession didn’t react too well to the criticism aimed at them which was understandable and expected however what wasn’t expected was the level to which some of that reaction (from such esteemed professionals) stooped.

One vet, Dr Judy Puddifoot (what a charming surname, almost Beatrix Potteresque) in reference to my article put this up on Facebook on 17th March.

We all took an oath to protect animal welfare. People yelled, ‘why aren’t vets speaking up for the brachycephalics?’ And yet when we do we get lambasted for it by unqualified lay people who think they know better! #DogWorldD*ckhead’ Continue reading

A CRITICAL FRIEND

What would we do without vets? I know, it’s something most of us prefer not to think about. Of course we all have the odd grumble about the profession (and as a bird keeper/breeder I’ve had more than my fair share of negative experiences with vets who clearly hadn’t got a clue in this admittedly specialist field of expertise) but on the whole, in our hour of need, it’s certainly reassuring to have a good vet nearby.

However, I am increasingly alarmed by the rise of a certain degree of militancy within the veterinarian field. For some reason this thinking is more prevalent among the younger vets in our towns and cities although I certainly haven’t encountered it in our excellent local rural practice, which, contradicting what I have just written, is solely staffed by young vets! Continue reading

THE KC GROWS SOME KAHUNES

Something that has got a lot of you talking (if my inbox is anything to go by) was Jemima Harrison’s recent threat to sabotage Crufts in all manner of inventive ways, from people dressed as French Bulldogs handing out leaflets, a projection of 40ft French Bulldog nostrils onto the NEC and even a plane flying over the building trailing her CRUFFA (Campaign for the Responsible Use of Flat Faced Animals) message.

Many were quite understandably worried about these shenanigans (especially the threat to disrupt the BIS with “an extra special surprise”) but worry not as Ms Harrison recently announced on her Facebook group that these announcements (in the manner of the infamous Bobby Ewin shower scene which was meant to delete a whole previous series from everyone’s mind) were…well, not quite a dream exactly…but simply all an elaborate “late night joke”. Continue reading

From my ‘Crossing the headlines’ column in Dog World (27th November 2015) about the misrepresentations in the national press on rescue charity intake statistics.

An interesting headline caught my eye in the Telegraph last week, ‘Pedigree dog owners abandoning their pets in alarming numbers’.

The article written by Patrick Sawyer went on to say that, “Welfare groups have warned that owners of pedigree dogs are abandoning their pets in alarming numbers after finding that they cannot cope with health problems caused by ‘irresponsible’ breeding.” Continue reading

From my ‘Crossing the headlines’ column in Dog World (8th October 2014).

One of the joys of living in this country is being able to walk into a store like WH Smith or any one of our large supermarkets and being able to flick through the vast array of glossy magazines on offer on a mind-boggling amount of subjects. I find it incredible that subjects like model trains or stitchcraft, etc, can support three or four dedicated, high quality magazines – but somehow they do. Continue reading