Here is Four Paws Dog Max after a great dog walk at Eye Bridge, along the River Stour, Wimborne.
This is one of Max’s favourite positions once he has had his walk and lots of TLC, he likes nothing better than to stretch out on the sofa in the conservatory at his home (he is allowed!).
Finally managed to get a photo of you. Thank you Max!
You look adorable!
Dog Picture to make you smile. You win Monday!
Have a great day!
Four Paws Dogs Ella and ToTo! Just about to get their leads on for their morning walk.
Going down to the River Stour this morning.
Happy Sunday! Enjoy your day with your pets!
Hengistbury Head.
Four Paws Dogs love it here! The beaches are dog friendly and so is the Cafe!
An easy coastal loop with much to see.
Distance 3.3 miles (5.3km)
Minimum time 2hrs
Dog friendliness. Keep to paths to avoid destroying habitat and disturbing ground-nesting birds
Parking Car park (fee) at end of road, signed ‘Hengistbury Head’.
Public toilets Beside car park.
1 From the corner of the car park take the grassy path towards the sea, with the fenced-off lines of the Double Dikes to your left. At the sea-edge you can see for miles each way: to the towers of Bournemouth, the chalky Foreland and Durlston Head to the west, Christchurch Bay and the Isle of Wight to the east.
2 Turn left and follow the road along the cliffs. The Priory Church in Christchurch dominates the view inland across the harbour, with St Catherine’s Hill behind. Follow the road up the hill. Pause to admire the boggy pond on your right, home to the rare natterjack toad. The road narrows; climb up some steps, passing a numbered post marking the Stour Valley Way. As you climb the steep path, the views back along the coast are fabulous, and there are views across the shallows of Christchurch Harbour, usually buzzing with windsurfers and sailing dinghies.
3 On the heathy top of Warren Hill a viewing platform tells you that you’re 75 miles (120km) from Cherbourg and 105 miles (168km) from Jersey. Keep right along the path, passing a deserted coastguard station and following the top of the cliffs. Descend into a deep hollow, where the sea appears to be breaking through. Keep straight on, following the curve of the head, with views across to the Needles. At the end the path turns down through some trees; descend the steps. Walk along the sparkling, white sand on the sea side of the beach huts to the point. Stone groynes form little bays.
4 At the end of the spit you’re only a stone’s throw from the opposite shore (a ferry runs across to the pub from the end of a pier, passed further on). Turn round the end of the point, passing the old Black House, and walk up the inner side of the spit, overlooking the harbour.
5 If you’ve had enough beach and breeze, you can catch the land train back to the car park from here (times vary seasonally). Otherwise, join the metalled road which curves round to the right past the freshwater marsh and lagoon.
6 At a post marked ’19’ turn right on to the sandy path and follow it briefly through the woods, crossing a small ditch, to emerge back on the road. Turn right, passing extensive reedbeds on the right and a bird sanctuary on the left. Continue past the thatched barn and follow the road to the café, ranger station building and car park.
Come and support our shop. This one is in Turbary Road, Ferndown.
We also have one in Ashley Road, Parkstone, Dorset.
You can purchase a wide variety of goods inc furniture doggy items and lots more.
Five weeks ago, a 1-year-old German shepherd-husky mix with startling blue eyes fell off a fishing boat in the Pacific Ocean north of San Diego. The dog, named Luna, was miles from land.
She was reported missing on Feb. 10 by her owner, fisherman Nick Haworth, who told authorities that Luna was a strong swimmer and would head toward land. But the nearest shoreline was San Clemente Island, home to a U.S. naval facility and about 2 miles from where the dog fell into the water.
Sandy DeMunnik, public affairs officer for the base, said staff helped Haworth search the island for the dog, but with no luck.
“He stayed in the area for two more days to look for her, and after a week, we considered her lost at sea and presumed dead,” DeMunnik said, according to ABC News.
Crushed, Haworth made peace with Luna’s death, posting on Facebook, “RIP Luna, you will be greatly missed.”
Then, on Tuesday morning, she reappeared.
Luna turned up near the naval installation on the island as crew members were arriving for work.
“They saw Luna just sitting on the side of the road wagging her tail,” DeMunnik said, according to ABC. “Keep in mind, there are no domesticated animals on the island, so it was a stunning sight.”
The officers may have been surprised to see a dog, but Luna wasn’t fazed to see the officers.
“They literally opened up the car door, whistled, and she jumped right in,” Navy wildlife biologist Melissa Booker told The San Diego Union-Tribune. The newspaper writes:
“The determined dog had apparently swam to shore and survived on her own for five weeks. She was found to be a bit malnourished but otherwise healthy and uninjured. It appeared she’d eaten small rodents to survive, Booker said.”
DeMunnik’s evaluation was the same. She told ABC that Luna was undernourished but in good health, adding that the dog had likely been “surviving of mice for the past few weeks.”
Haworth’s friend picked up Luna on Wednesday, and she is scheduled to be reunited with Haworth, a 20-year-old San Diego State student, when he returns from a trip on Thursday.
Haworth posted on Facebook, “Beyond stoked to have Luna back. I always knew she was a warrior.”
RSPCA (England & Wales) Non-profit Organisation
Hoseasons offer pet friendly holidays, so you can enjoy your well deserved time away with your furry friends too. Book by 4th April and ‘pets go free’! For every holiday booked you will receive a 5% discount and 5% will be donated to help support our work. Go to page via Links.
Dog owners in the UK are being warned about an outbreak of an animal disease that is carried by ticks.
It is the first time that experts have established an outbreak of babesiosis in the country.
In Essex, two dogs have died and three others needed blood transfusions after contracting the disease.
Experts say that it will be impossible to stop the spread of the disease, which is caused by a single-celled parasite.
The ticks carrying the Babesia canis parasite have been found in fields in Harlow, Essex. The local council has put up a sign with a map defining the area and advising dog walkers not to enter.
Two government agencies are now investigating the outbreak: the Animal and Plant Health Agency and Public Health England.
Read live updates on this story
Clive Swainsbury is a vet at the Forest Veterinary Centre in Harlow. He has been treating some of infected dogs, including the one that died.
“The parasite enters the bloodstream, enters the cells, and in the process of trying to kill the parasite the dog will actually destroy its own blood cells. So they become very anaemic.”
The expectation is that it will spread throughout the country.
Easy to miss
“At present we have a very well defined area. The problem in the future is that every female tick will lay a couple of thousand eggs and all those offspring from that disease will also carry the disease.
“As mammals move around they will start spreading the disease. Although you can advise dog walkers not to go there, it’s possible that foxes and other animals will transport these ticks.”
The symptoms of babesiosis within dogs include weakness, lethargy, pale gums, red urine and fever. A serious problem is that Babesia can be mistaken for other less dangerous diseases.
“It’s easy to miss it. And because it’s a new disease to this country, we as a profession aren’t used to looking for this disease on a regular basis.”
TickImage copyrightOther
The tick acts as a vector. In the same way that a mosquito transmits malaria by sucking the blood from a person, the tick does the same to an animal. It also sucks blood and in the process of feeding the disease will transmit from the tick to the dog. It’s not contagious between dogs themselves.
The Pet Food Manufacturer’s Association estimates that there are more than nine million dogs in the UK – almost a quarter of households.
It’s dogs that spend a lot of time outdoors, especially in rough and wooded areas, that are most at risk.
Tip of the iceberg?
“The only solution is to kill the ticks quickly,” says Mr Swainsbury. “Some of the tick products available will kill the tick quick enough to prevent the tick spreading the disease to the dog, because the tick needs to be feeding for 24 hours at least before it transmits the disease.
“But not all tick products do that and you need to seek advice from your vet.”
The tick found in the UK carrying the Babesia canis strain is called Dermacentor reticulatus.
Prof Richard Wall is professor of zoology at the University of Bristol. He is helping to conduct the largest every veterinary study of ticks and tick-borne diseases, called the Big Tick Project.
“People who work on ticks and tick-borne diseases are concerned about this outbreak. It could be the tip of the iceberg. If it spreads quickly throughout the UK then it is going to be a very significant problem, but we don’t have enough info at this stage to make a prediction about how quickly this will happen.
“It’s highly unlikely that the problem will now disappear, we have the vectors, we have the pathogens established in the UK.”
TV naturalist Chris Packham says: “The population of ticks is getting bigger year on, year on. That’s because there is better over winter survival of the adults – it’s warm and mild through our winters and that means they can breed more quickly in the spring and there are a lot more of them.
“These animals are very good at what they do, and they need to find hosts to suck its blood to reproduce, and they do it brilliantly. So if you walk in an area where there are ticks, with a dog, they will get on to your dog.”
There are several species of Babesia and some of them affect humans. In parts of the world including the United States, human babesiosis is transmitted by the same tick that carries Lyme Disease, caused by Borrelia bacteria.
“The first thing that dog owners can do to protect their animals is to be aware of the problem. Your dog could become very seriously ill or die, and if you get Lyme disease then the same could be the case for you.”
How to prevent a traffic accident.
Even a well behaved dog should be kept on a lead when walking anywhere near a road.
