Okay I’m waiting patiently! Puppy ToTo about to have her breakfast.
You face Monday your way.
I’ll face it mine!
Here is Max about to be bathed.
Loving the complete makeover at (The Original) Posh Paws Dog Groomers, Merley, Nr Wimborne.
The grooming room looks amazing! Especially love the new bath. Perfect for all the dogs!
RSPCA (England & Wales), we’ve hit 50,000 signatures!
If you are one of the 50,000 people who have signed our petition to protect puppies in England – thank you so much for taking action. Together we can make a difference.
If you haven’t yet added your voice, you can do so here: rspca.org.uk/puppytrade. Thank you.
Dog walkers have been issued a warning after an oily substance that could harm their pets washed up on beaches in the New Forest.
Lepe Country Park said that it believed the substance was palm oil, which can be toxic to dogs and other animals.
New Forest District Council says it has had reports of the waxy mineral oil type substance, including at Lepe Country Park.
Council coastal teams have checked on beaches and removed around four black sacks worth of the material.
The council said: “If you are dog walking on the coast, the advice is to keep dogs on leads as it could be harmful to them if ingested.”
Lepe Country Park says it first got reports of the substance washed up on Thursday, which was suspected to be palm oil.
Investigations are continuing to find out what the white waxy substance is, but it says the beach remains open.
It is advising dog owners to keep dogs on a lead and if they see any of the substance report it to a ranger so they can dispose of it.
Rangers there are continuing to monitor the situation.
There have been multiple reports of oil washed up on Milford and Lepe beaches yesterday, according to the New Forest Dog Owners Group.
Anyone that spots anything is asked to email customer.services@nfdc.gov.uk.
Thorncombe Woods
This is a great place to walk your dog, on or off the lead, with all it’s different terrain it makes for an interesting walk.
The dogs will love exploring, finding new smells and running through the leaves.
Directions:
By road: from the east, turn off the A35 east of Dorchester at the Higher Bockhampton junction. From the west/Dorchester town centre, use Kingston Maurward College roundabout on A35 and first left after the College entrance.
Parking:
There is a small car park beyond the Visitor Centre. Please park in the marked bays. Disabled parking bays are available near the centre.
The Walk
This is a beautiful walk in the heart of novelist Thomas Hardy countryside. The site is adjacent to Hardy’s Cottage – Thomas Hardy’s birthplace. It has several paths, most of which are signposted.
The 26 hectare mixed ancient woodland and open heath site is home to a great diversity of trees including mature Oaks, Sweet Chestnut and Beech. The woodland gives way to Black Heath – made famous as Hardy’s Egdon Heath in his novel The Return of the Native. It is an area of birch, bracken and heath with its own herd of Dartmoor ponies.
In an idyllic spot, only a few hundred yards from Hardy’s Cottage is Rushy Pond, which is mentioned in The Weathered Arm. This is an area the young Thomas Hardy would have explored as a child.. In The Early Life, Hardy describes taking the family ‘big brass telescope’ to a hill on the heath behind the house to watch an execution nearly 3 miles distance; the roofs of the prison being then clearly visible: ‘The whole thing was so sudden that the glass nearly fell from Hardy’s hands. He seemed alone on the heath with the hanged man, and crept homeward wishing he had not been so curious’. The spot from which he watched the execution was here beside the pond; when there was an uninterrupted view towards Dorchester.
Near the pond is the Roman Road – this is an overgrown but well-preserved raised section of the road which ran from Dorchester (Durnovaria) to Salisbury and ultimately onto London.
The Roman Road is no longer a public right of way but rather a permissive route across the privately owned Duddle Heath. Nearby are bronze age Rainbarrows (burial spot).The Rainbarrows are three bowl barrows at the top of Duddle Heath on the edge of Puddletown Forest. They were partly excavated by Edward Cunnington in 1887 and the discovered urns containing cremations are now in the Dorset County Museum. Rainbarrows feature as locations in Hardy’s 1878 novel The Return of the Native and his poem The Sheep Boy.
Hardy’s Cottage
The cottage is open between late March and October and is well worth a visit but please note that dogs will not be allowed.
This “cob and thatch” cottage, was built in 1800 by Hardy’s great-grandfather. Forty years later Thomas Hardy was born in the middle bedroom.
Despite training as an architect, writing was Hardy’s first love, and it was from his bedroom that he wrote ‘Under the Greenwood Tree’ and ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’.
Inside the cottage you will discover a house that hasn’t changed much since it was built. It still has open hearths, small windows and stone floors. Hardy’s grandfather was involved in a small way with brandy smuggling and added a narrow opening in the porch to keep his eye open for the excisemen.
In September 2014 Hardy’ Visitor Centre opened which provides information, displays, family activities, a ranger workshop, café, shop and toilet facilities.
Set your own pace in Thorncombe Woods, and make it as easy or challenging as you like. Great for dogs who want to run about in the leaves and through the trails. Thorncombe Woods spans 26 hectares and is adjacent to Hardy’s Cottage, the birthplace of the Dorset novelist Thomas Hardy. There’s free parking and it’s only 3 miles from Dorchester.
Here are Ella and ToTo learning to share their toys! These soft dog toys are perfect for ToTo and Ella loves to play fetch with them! Puppies will chew a lot so a good selection of different toys/chews is important. I alternate so ToTo doesn’t get bored with them. Remember teething can be a painful time for your puppy so I leave a safe chew with ToTo all the time.
AS DORSET pet owners welcome in the New Year, one of the biggest shake-ups is set to transform dog ownership in the next few months.
Strict new laws introduced in April will make it compulsory for all dogs in England to be microchipped.
Owners failing to do so could be fined as part of the new rules, which have been broadly welcomed by animal welfare charities.
According to a Dog’s Trust survey in 2014, modern technologies like microchipping accounted for more than 10,000 dogs being reunited with their owners that year and it says that figure is growing.
However, its research last month found one in five owners are still unprepared for the upcoming legal change.
It also found that 45 per cent of them had not chipped their dogs, either because they didn’t know how or where to do so or simply did not know they had to.
All dogs must be chipped and registered with a recognised database by April 6.
From then on, if an animal is not microchipped its owners could face a fine of up to £500.
All breeders must microchip their puppies by eight-weeks-old and before they are transferred to a new keeper, who will be responsible for updating it with their details.
Dr Huw Stacey, director of clinical services at Vets4Pets, which has a clinic in Bournemouth, said the procedure is fast and painless.
He said: “If all owners microchip their pets it will make re-uniting lost pets and their owners a much easier process.
“But for the time being it’s important that dog owners are aware of the new legislation and have enough time to microchip their pet.
“A sterile microchip is inserted painlessly under the skin between the dog’s shoulder blades and takes seconds to complete, meaning a dog can be in and out of a practice within a few minutes.
“Dog rescue centres, dog wardens and vets scan every stray or unidentified dog that is presented to them. An owner’s details are kept on a central computer, resulting in a quick and happy reunion should a dog become lost.
“But owners must make sure that if they change their telephone number or move house that these details are updated on the central database; details of how to do this will be sent with the registration certificate.”
Dr Samantha Gaines, of the RSPCA’s companion animals department, said the new law was a step in the right direction. which would help re-unite stray or lost dogs with their owners more quickly. But she said the critical issue was ensuring people keep their details up to date. “This has been a real challenge in the past and we remain to be convinced this will improve significantly,” she said.
Road Traffic Accidents.
Avoid sudden movements/noise.
Gently reassure the dog verbally. Human safety is paramount.
Keep the dog as warm and dry as possible and transport to vets asap.
Here is Billy the Dog post-op.
When Billy, a stray Sprocker, arrived in our care it was immediately obvious that his eye needed serious medical attention.
Billy was suffering with “Cherry Eye”. In the corner of the eye in dogs and cats, there is a membrane called the third eyelid (nictitating membrane). It is like the windscreen wiper of the eye and it has a special gland behind it that is partially responsible for tear production.
“Cherry Eye” is when the gland of the third eyelid prolapses (swells and protrudes) out of its normal position and appears as a red mass in the corner of the eye. This prolapse occurs due to a weakness of the tissue which holds the gland in its normal position. Left untreated, tear production usually drops and a syndrome called “dry eye” often develops.
Sadly, it may have been because of the “Cherry Eye” that 10 month old Billy suddenly found himself homeless.
It was clear that Billy would need corrective surgery, so today Chris Warren of Westmoor Veterinary Hospital performed what they call ‘Morgan Pocket Technique’, where the gland is “buried” in a pocket on the inside of the third eyelid.
Just one of the many success stories at Margaret Green Animal Rescue and the great work they do here!
