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Dog Breed Village at Pet Expo Punchestown

In relation to last years Breed Village I wrote the following "It was also great to see how all the dogs at the breed village reacted with children, as it is the younger generations where we can have the most affect. Adults have become prejudiced towards certain breeds or just dogs and pedigree dogs in general, and it is very difficult to try and change this persons mind once made up. Children on the other hand are open to the whole experience, and it was fantastic to see children in push chairs right up to teenagers engaging with all the breeds on display, and coming away with huge smiles on their faces." I think the above picture sums that up well,as my niece Emma was quite terrified of most dogs before she came to the event, but by the time she left, could not wait to get her hands on any dog she came across. She can't wait for school today to tell all her buddies about the great experience she had. Having said that, before she left, we did explain to her that al…

Our Puppies & The Playboy Mansion

The last week or so has seen the Pedigree Dogs web site hit the Thousands. On the 27th September the site received it's One Hundred Thousandth Visitor for the year and yesterday the Pedigree Dogs Facebook page notched up it's One Thousandth Like. Now of course we'd love to say that we have made One Hundred Thousand Euro's since we launched the site, but to be honest, that's not why we set the site up in the first place. Our aim at Pedigree Dogs is to provide people interested in owning a pedigree dog the platform and opportunity to contact people in their interested breed/s, with the possible outcome of eventually becoming a life long owner, and when you get text messages like the following, it proves that the site is working, and we wouldn't swap it for a night in the playboy mansion "Spoke with ...... and she is due a litter next week, and based on further checks will hold one for us. We're very grateful for your help, thank you sooo much. We're so happy" This …

Pampered Pooches & Frank Kane’s Hot Pants !

I like using old sayings when the need arises, and paper never refused ink sprung to mind when I read the following headline on the online version of a UK tabloid "Nation's biggest dog show sees 300 doggy divas in fancy dress and nail polish" I think the Kennel Club / Crufts might have something to say in regards to the statement re the Nation's biggest dog show, as with only 300 dogs in attendance, the event that the journalist is writing about, would just about match a good open show or even less than some individual breed club shows. Anyhow, the event that was been reported on wasn't a dog show that the majority of us would be used to, whereby anything up to 200 breeds are judged firstly by how they conform to the written breed standard, and then against each other, in breed classes, and later in groups , not too mention the agility and obedience classes. No, this particular dog show called Diva Dog Day was held in order to find Britain's most pampered pooch. …

Would you sell your pup to a Chav ?

Must have status In a recent report by Battersea Dogs & Cats Home there has been a 40 per cent increase in the number of Alaskan Malamutes and Siberian Huskies being abandoned at its doors. It seems that both of these breeds have become part of the must-have "status" dogs in inner city areas. Irresponsible Breeders Anybody that knows anything about both of these breeds know that both Huskies and Malamutes have the ability to run vast distances over very difficult conditions such as the artic tundra, but according to the above figures it looks like irresponsible breeders are selling dogs and pups to people who haven't carried out the necessary research before looking at these breeds with the view to becoming a lifelong owner. Thankfully in Ireland, we have some fantastic people involved in both breeds, and at the upcoming Pet Expo which is being held on the 06th & 07th October at the Events Centre, Punchestown, the following people will be on hand to ans…

Need help with our Labrador

This is the type of email correspondence that we get on a fairly regular basis here at the Pedigree Dogs web site. If we can't help ourselves, we can at least direct the person concerned in the right direction, which we have done in this case. Makes the site, with all the work that goes into running the same worthwhile ! Question: I'm not sure you will be able to help but I was searching for advice online and came across this site. I have a 2, almost 3 year old Labrador. We have had her from 8 weeks old. Very intelligent, obedient and affectionate dog. Recently though her behaviour around our 5 year old child has changed. She has growled and snapped at her, most recently today. As you seem to know a lot about dogs I head hoping you could give me advice on where to go or what action to take. We love the dog very much but can't risk our child being bitten. Any help or advice would be great, Reply: Thank you very much for checking out our site, we appreciate it.…

Time waits for no man, but what about your dog ?

"When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute" that snippet is part of a longer quote from a Mr Albert Einstein The Reason I posted this is that myself and my better half were discussing on Sunday last as to whether dogs have a sense of time. This all came about because as per my blog on Monday, we were out of the country last week on a little Holiday and had booked our 4 dogs into the fantastic boarding kennels that are McCarthy Kennels Josephine remarked when we dropped the dogs off as to whether the dogs had any sense of time, or did 1 night away seem like forever in the dogs eyes, or after 9 nights away, when we returned to pick them up, did it feel like we had just popped out to the shops (Probably to buy them chicken or veg for their BARF diet) and were now returning. Hard to Swallow Now, I know you are going to find the next bit of information a bit hard to swallow but, I am not an expert on all things dog....Shocking I know, but …

Pedigree Dogs on Holiday

In case anybody was wondering, I was out of the country last week, on what I considered to be a well deserved holiday. As the mind was on holiday mode, I decided to give my creative side a rest, and let the blog have a holiday as well. Today, I am playing catch up, and as Pet Expo is now under 3 weeks away, I am busy re same, and will make contact with all the Breed Village representatives in the next week or so to advise on final details re booth sizes etc. Getting back to my holiday, where I was staying, there were quite a few dogs roaming around. I'm not sure if you could exactly call them strays, but they were left to their own devices for the majority of most days. Having said that I didn't come across one dog with a bad temperament, and most were happy enough to lie in the sun and allow you to walk over them, and in the whole week I never seen 2 dogs go for each other. I think that goes to prove that in most cases of dog aggression / dog temperament problem…

You’ve 1 last day with your dog…how would you spend it ?

My post to the Pedigree Dogs Facebook Page yesterday seemed to hit home with quite a lot of people, as it was shared over 300 times...For those that missed it, here it is to the left... You see the thing is, as I've always maintained, no matter what dog related activity you are involved in, there wouldn't be any without the dog. Dogs should come first and foremost. Our dogs don't need us to stand up for them, they are quite capable of standing up for themselves. If there are any disagreements between one dog and another, they quickly sort it out and move on. Like most things that go disastrously wrong on this planet, it's us humans that are nearly always to blame. We've written here before that Dogs Lives Are Too Short so maybe we should live each day with them, not worrying about what other people are saying or not about your success in the Show Ring or whatever other activity you and your dog are involved in, and live each day like it's your last day togeth…

Puppies ferried to UK

I came across this post on my Facebook feed last week, and have been given the Ok by the author to post same on our blog. If you have any questions / suggestion etc, please post a comment, and I will forward same. "Can I ask for some real support and action to those of us who invest time energy and money into the well being of our dogs. I was at Dublin port yesterday and witnessed puppies being transferred from a southern Irish registered vehicle to a white box van, northern Irish registration. I then saw the white box van leaving the ferry at Holyhead. I informed the port authorities but was told 'This happens all the time, its an ongoing trade'!!! Oh right-that's ok then? The R.S.P.C.A. are aware apparently, but THEY criticise dachshunds for not being able to run. The KC tell me to eye test my dogs part of the Accredited Breeder scheme, Have they got their priorities right? I am tired of the authorities hiding behind rules and regulations. How many children have been ab…

Dog Breed Village – Pet Expo – Will you be there ?

Thank you very much to the Breed Clubs and Individuals hereunder that have signed and returned their Breed Village Booking Form and will now be representing their dog breeds at this years Pet Expo, which is being held on the 06th & 07th October at the Events Centre, Punchestown, Co. Kildare. For all the other invitees the closing date for receipt of completed forms is Saturday 08th September. Forms can be sent by mail, faxed to 00353-21-4636663 or emailed to [email protected] BULLMASTIFF JAPANESE SPITZ CLUB OF IRELAND GERMAN SHORT HAIRED POINTER TIBETAN TERRIER CLUB OF IRELAND CHIHUAHUA CLUB OF IRELAND SAMOYED NEAPOLITAN MASTIFF SIBERIAN HUSKY KEESHOND ST BERNARD PARSON RUSSELL TERRIER MINIATURE ENGLISH BULL TERRIER OLD ENGLISH SHEEPDOG IRISH TERRIER MASTIFF GORDON SETTER ROTTWEILER CLUB OF IRELAND RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK GERMAN SPITZ KLEIN CLUB GERMAN SPITZ MITTEL CLUB BELGIUM SHEPHERD DOG CLUB OF IRELAND So come on the rest of you, if you can't…

Blog Awards Ireland

OKIDOKI...Pedigreedogs has been nominated at The Blog Awards Ireland, for best blog post. Wouldn't it be great to see your favourite Dog Blog getting the reward that we for sure think we justly deserve !!! That's where you come in.... Could you head on over there and click (Vote) next to my Blog which is called "Gardaí called to Dog Show"... It's one vote per person per week....and to give you no excuse whatsoever, here's the LINK

What price are you willing to pay for that Green Star ?

Now that the Munster circuit is over for another year, it's probably a good time to take stock of how things are going for you and your kennel in the world of dog showing. Everybody has gone home with different feelings. Some were elated as they won Best Of Breed at all shows entered, and figured prominently in the groups. Others were happy that their home bred dog was graded excellent, and some just happy that their dogs showed well for them. Success Everybody has a different idea as to what success is. It's the same in all walks of life. Some people don't think they are successful until they own a large mansion on the hill, and have a choice of supercharged cars waiting in the drive to transport them to their company headquarters everyday. Other people are just happy to have a roof over their heads, and food in the fridge. Since the new Green Star system was introduced a few years ago, there have been plenty of supporters, as well as many opposers. People in nu…

Dogs: A Mans Best Friend ?

According to the Oxford English Dictionary "Friendship is a relationship between two people who hold mutual affection for each other" Social Media sites like Facebook, although in their rules try and have us stick to the above meaning of the word, most times fail, as according to them I have 1448 "Friends" on my personal account...That's a hell of a lot of Birthday & Christmas cards to be sending out. Virtual World: As you can see from the above, in this virtual world that most of us spend far to much time in, it's very easy to make friends, far more difficult than it is in the real world. Having said that though, it's also very easy to lose friends, and as the saying goes easy come - easy go, and with the click of a button you can call a halt to this relationship between two people that previously held mutual affection for each other. Like most things in life, friendships and relationships have to be worked on, and the same goes for the relationship and friends…

Dog Breeds: Why did your breed choose you ?

Recently I have seen good discussions on the social networks in relation to numbers of exhibits in particular breeds of dogs being shown at dog shows affiliated to The Irish Kennel Club. The breed of dog that I fell in love with many years ago, the Standard Smooth Dachshund, isn't a numerically strong breed in Ireland, and as I have said before, for the life of me I can't understand why. They are relatively small, hardy, smooth coated, can take as much exercise as you can give them, great property protectors, wont eat you out of a house and home, and you don't need a big car or trailer to transport them around in. Now when I was growing up, my family always had big hounds and lurchers, and I often ask myself how I ended up with one of the smallest hounds out there. Like most things, it came down to the circumstance I found myself in at the time. When we first got a house that had a fenced in back garden, we decided to get our first dog. We had moved to Cork from …

Who wants €150 to donate to an Irish Dog Charity ?

The good folks at Honeys Real Dog Food, have kindly sent me 20 copies of their Natural Feeding Handbook for dogs. The handbook is a short plain-English guide to feeding your dog what it is biologically designed to eat, and as there is absolutely no difference (apart from size) between the internal organs and digestive process of a Chihuahua and a Grey Wolf, they should both eat the same diet. This handbook explains why your dog will be better off on a natural diet and provides simple instructions on how to prepare your dogs food. As agreed with Jonathan, the author, we are going to sell these 20 copies though our website, with all proceeds going to a designated dog charity. That's where you come in. Obviously we are friendly with certain dog charities in Ireland, but we would like to hear from you, that if interested in the book what charity would you like to see the money going to. The books will be sold at € 9.00 which includes post and packaging of €1.50, …

The Storm…Who needs Fifty Shades Of Grey ??

They were together in the House. Just the two of them. It was a cold, dark, stormy night. The storm had come quickly and each time the thunder boomed he watched her jump. She looked across the room and admired his strong appearance...and wished that he would take her in his arms, comfort her and protect her from the storm. Suddenly, with a pop, the power went out..... She screamed... He raced to the sofa where she was cowering. He didn't hesitate to pull her into his arms. He knew this was a forbidden union and expected her to pull back. He was surprised when she didn't resist but instead clung to him. The storm raged on... They knew it was wrong... Their families would never understand... So consumed were they in their FEAR that they heard no opening of doors...just the faint click of a camera..... (more…)

Pet Expo 2012 – Punchestown Event Centre

I must say I am delighted with the response to date to the invitations sent out re The Breed Village for this years Pet Expo being held on the 06th & 07th October at The Event Centre Punchestown, Co. Kildare. The signed Booking Forms for the same are coming in thick and fast, and based on the responses to the invitations sent out, there should be about the same if not more breeds represented at this years event. If you know of any Dog Breed Club or Individual that would be interested in representing their breed at this event, which is FREE to all Breed Village Representatives, please ask them to get in touch. Obviously a lot of breeds are already covered, but please make contact and I'll advise if their is a vacancy in your breed. Wouldn't it be great to have all 9 Native Irish Breeds represented, as well as the dogs that have unfortunately been classed as "Dangerous" and banned if you are a tenant of Dublin City Council: American Pit Bull Terrier Bull Mas…

Puppy Contracts – Are they worth the paper they are written on ?

We got the following email through the site last week, and the sender asked for my opinion on a few issues. "Just wondering if you had any advice on a situation I have. I recently contacted the owners of a pup I sold last year just to wish the pup happy birthday and see how she is getting on. They sent me photos and said she was great (this was two weeks ago). This morning the owner rang me and said they were having problems with her being aggressive. She has bitten the postman before and more recently she has bitten the Tesco delivery man. When speaking to their neighbours they told them about her biting the Tesco man and the neighbour apparently said "well I didn't like to tell you but she has bitten my young son twice over the last few months" Now the person that sent this is a very responsible breeder, and as you can see has kept in contact with the family that was screened before they were passed as acceptable for a pending puppy. After deciding between them that …

Is Your Dog A Gold Medallist ?

Congratulations must go to Katie Taylor on making it to an Olympic Final at London 2012 It seems like this has been her goal since she was 11 years of age, and now after being guided by the correct people combined with her natural ability, she stands on the verge of fulfilling her dream. Now apart from being a fantastic athlete, Katie is a self confessed dog lover, and can sometimes be seen training with her dogs, all of which are called after famous boxers (No - strangely not the dog breed) , like her 10-year-old Bullmastiff called Marvin Hagler. Having been glued to the TV since the games began, the message that keeps coming though is that the medal ceremony is only the crowing moment for the medallist, and it is the years of sacrifice and hard work, proper training backed up with the correct nutrition, combined with overcoming disappointment and injuries that has got them to this pinnacle in their career. It sounds quite similar to how a responsible dog breeder o…

THE EMERALD ISLE NEWFOUNDLAND CLUB – Seminar

THE EMERALD ISLE NEWFOUNDLAND CLUB have taken us up on our open offer to publish details of a pending event. This particular event comes hot on the heels of them representing their beloved breed again, at this years Pet Expo. So it looks like the Newfoundland Breed is well and truely in safe hands on the Emerald Isle ! If you would like us to publish news regarding any event your breed club is holding, or would like to submit a piece regarding your particular breed, we'd be delighted to hear from you ( Still waiting on a few pieces that were promised already - No pressure !!! ) Anyway.... THE EMERALD ISLE NEWFOUNDLAND CLUB is hosting a BREED SPECIFIC SEMINAR & HANDS ON ASSESSMENTS DAY (KC) Seminar DATE - SUNDAY 14TH OCTOBER 2012 Time & Venue - Time 10am start - Gilnahirk Primary School, Belfast We have 3 Newfoundland Breed specialist judges (all award CC's) Kirsteen Farrar - Loraine Ratter - Sue Benyon Tickets now available... Seminar only £10.…

Lovely Puppies on Display !

It was back in October 2009 that I came up with the idea for the Pedigree Dogs web site. To be brutally honest, back then I didn't put an awful lot of thought into how much work it would entail. Then and even now, the popular general classified sites were not paying much attention to the online sales of animals, even though this area would rank in their top three busiest and therefore most profitable categories. Instead of being a tech type person (switch it off and on again) trying to cash in on this lucrative market, I was a dog person that thought it was time enough, and planned on having a go at creating and running a dog web site, so that reputable breeders had an outlet to advertise their planned litters, and prospective buyers could come to a site and hopefully find a pup from the breed that they had researched fully and now were able to give a forever home to. Everybody has their own idea of what success is, but for me and the site, it's when I get an email …

Everbody is welcome in my bed !

A conundrum I often ask myself is the following. Is it better to give a home to just 1 dog and feed it the best possible food you can, or keep say 5 or maybe 10 dogs and feed them the cheapest quality of dog food you can get your hands on. It's one that could keep you awake all night tossing and turning in your bed. Luckily for me then that nearly a year and a half ago we switched our 4 Standard Smooth Dachshunds over from what we considered, and were led to believe, was a very high quality processed food, to the BARF diet. (For those that don't know, BARF stands for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food, or an easier way of explaining it is Bones And Raw Food.) Back then it was like a light switch had suddenly been turned on in what I like to call my brain. I thought rather than feed a food that is supposed to contain all those lovely looking ingredients printed on the lovely packaging on the commercial dog food bag, why not just give it to them straig…

Don’t miss out on this …..

I have just sent messages on Facebook to last years Breed Village Rep's regarding this years Pet Expo which is being held on the 06th & 07th October at the new venue of Punchestown Event Centre, where there will be plenty of space for overnight camping, and exercise space for the dogs. The breeds / clubs covered on these messages are as follows. AIREDALE WELSH & SMOOTH FOX TERRIER AKITA ASSOCIATION OF IRL ALASKAN MALAMUTE CLUB OF IRELAND BORDER TERRIER CLUB OF IRELAND BRACCO ITALIANO BULLMASTIFF BULLDOG CAIRN TERRIER ASSOCIATION CHINESE SHARPEI CHOW CHOW DOBERMANN DOGUE DE BORDEAUX CLUB OF IRELAND GERMAN SHORT HAIR POINTER GERMAN SPITZ KLEIN CLUB GERMAN SPITZ MITTEL CLUB GREAT DANE GRIFFON BRUXELLOIS & PETIT BRABANCON HUNGARIAN VIZSLA CLUB OF IRELAND IRISH GUNDOG FIELD & SHOW SOCIETY IRISH STAFFORDSHIRE BULL TERRIER ASSOCIATION IRISH TERRIER ITALIAN SPINONE & IRISH WATER SPANIEL JACK RUSSELL & PARSON RUSSELL TERRIER CLUB …

Teacup Maltese Puppy

Question: Hello, My daughter would love a teacup maltese puppy for her 21st birthday in August . Do you know of anybody who breeds these dogs ? Thank you ....... Answer: Good morning ....... Thanks for checking out our site, we appreciate it. I can put you in touch with a reputable Maltese owner / breeder, but they would not recognise the term teacup, as basically it's only non reputable breeders that try and cash in on this latest fad of continually breeding the runts from each litter to try and make the resulting offspring smaller. Obviously this is not to be recommended. Also the term teacup is not recognised by any official kennel club. Let me know if we can be of any further assistance. Best regards Paul Barry http://www.pedigreedogs.ie

Happiness is Canis Lupus Familiaris

Or dogs to you and me. Growing up I was led to believe that happiness was a cigar called Hamlet, but now I am convinced that true happiness can only be achieved if you share your life with a dog. Apart from the vast amount of other things a dog brings into your life, the ability to bring constant happiness into your life, in my opinion ranks up there as one of their main attributes. We have covered topics about Dog Owners Being More Healthy etc, but the fact that your dog can bring a smile to your face instantly no matter what the circumstance, has to be a trait that dogs, and dogs only can claim. When our ancestors domesticated dogs it was for different reasons, hunting, herding guarding etc, but I am sure that even back then an added bonus , was the amount of happiness a dog brought into the family unit. My wife and I have just spent 4 days in West Cork with our pack of four, and had some fantastic beach walks in all types of different weather, that I am sure w…

MURPHY – 03/04/2005 – 04/07/2012

Murphy Let me start at the beginning. Murphy was a “rescued dog”. He was going to be used for a stud dog on farm where they planned to breed him for lots of Puppies. But the bitch he was to go with died and the folk decided not to proceed. So there was no use for the big guy anymore. He had spent his entire puppyhood locked in a shed. He had no training at all. No toys or blanket or collar or food bowl, no grooming brush or anything of his own and he had never been on a lead. All they wanted were puppies and nothing more. But Murphy was a puppy he was only 18 months old. So we brought him home and loved him. He bit DH when DH tried to get him out of the car. But we put it down to him being afraid and were determined to get on with things. He never ate for about 4 days but when we finally got him to eat he showed that he had terrible food aggression. This would never quite leave him but with much patience and love was considerably reduced. Murphy began to look a whole …

What Pedigree Dogs is all about

As we have mentioned on this blog and our FACEBOOK page in the past, we get quite a few emails and phone calls from visitors to the site, that might not find an ad for the breed of dog that they are interested in, but think the site is a good starting point on the road to becoming the owner of a pup that has come from a responsible dog breeder. Following is just one of these type emails, and next week I will post a blog dedicated to Murphy, written by Helen his now heartbroken owner. "We lost our Old English Sheepdog (OES) last Wed 4th July. Sadly it was a tumor in the chest and internal bleed putting pressure on the heart. Our vet thought it was heart issues and missed the bleed. Sad as the boy was only 7 yrs and a most lovely dog. We have a little schnauzer who is very lost without his big friend. We have always had OES dogs. Though our first was an OES x Wolfhound. She was massive and no one wanted her. We rescued her the day the council was going to put h…

Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all

One of my favourite sayings is "'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all" I'm sure all us genuine dog lovers can relate to this, and totally agree with the statement that Dogs Lives Are Too Short Their Only Fault Really Having said that, aren't we a lot better off for having them in our lives in the first place ? Thankfully I was lucky enough to grow up in a household where for the majority of the time, there was always a dog present. Our first family dog was Cindy, a cross between a Corgi and a Norwich Terrier, who was tragically killed in a road traffic accident at a very early age. Next came Tara, Skip, Ben and Tim with all of them keeping a special place in my heart and important life lessons learned with them all. I can't even begin to imagine what growing up without a dog would have been like. Thanks to my parents, it now looks like not only did all these dogs bring years of enjoyment, happiness, and at the end, lifes first encount…

Don’t be the hurler on the ditch !

Up until a few years ago, I was of the school that attended events put on by other people, and based on how the said event went, would either give it the thumbs up, or have my own rant to myself about never returning to any event ran by that organising team again. Sometimes I wish that I had stayed at that school. Somehow I have drifted to the dark side, and thrown myself head first into being the person that is centre stage, lapping up the accolades, or dodging the verbal or sometimes physical abuse, depending on how things go. My first venture into organising something rather than depending on somebody else to do something, was in fact this very web site. Like the hurler on the ditch it's easy to point the finger at the "other" web sites out there that we all knew were, and are still doing it wrong, ( trust me I did a lot of finger pointing ) with the old me being very content in doing this for ever and a day. Then somehow I got roped onto the committee of The…

yeah, and I hope your next …. is a Pineapple !

Now as I often say, it's the simple things in life that make you most happy. Things like, that sneaky kiss on the lips (Tongue and all) from your dog whilst sitting on your lap, watching TV Coming home from the supermarket and being greeted by your dog like you have been on a 1 year career break, and decided to travel the world. Going for a walk with your dog, and if they decide to poop, that when you scoop it up (Yes, that's what responsible dog owners are supposed to do) there is a bin specifically designed to take your bagged collection not more than 100 miles away from you. You can imagine then, that when I came across this recent instalment when out on a walk with one of our Dachshunds, I had a smile on my face that looked like I had slept with a coat hanger in my mouth. It's not just me though that thinks this instalment is the best thing to happen to Midleton, Co. Cork for quite some time, as it made the headlines, in East Cork Journal where they ran an ar…

Sorry, it’s members only !

As you already know, the team here at Pedigree Dogs are always looking at ways to improve our web site. By doing so we hope to continually get the message out there that, contrary to the message that some people are spewing out, not all Pedigree Dogs are diseased or will go on to develop certain ailments. Yes, that's correct, there are an awful lot of people breeding dogs in Ireland, doing it the right way. These people ensure that they have carried out the breed specific health tests laid down by International Health Councils for the breed, and only breed from pairings within the allowable results range. Breeders of any variety Miniature Dachshund for instance should have their dogs tested for Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA), and breeds like Labrador Retrievers should be hip and elbow scored. There is of course an open invite on our site for any person of any particular breed, to write a PIECE for our blog on their involvement in dogs, detailing some general i…

The Hound Association Of Ireland

Around this time last year I posted a blog about The Hound Association of Ireland, in relation to the APPOINTMENT of the judge judging my breed at their championship show in August 2011. I spoke to a few people at the time, and after the event, as well as receiving comments from people via the social networks about this blog, some advising that this was not the right way to go about addressing my concerns. So this year I was waiting with anticipation to get my hands on the appointed judges list for this championship dog show, which as I stated on last years blog, is the only chance of qualifying my breed, Standard Smooth Dachshunds for Crufts. Well never let it be said that I don't try to play this game fairly. Because this year, I must take my hat off to The Hound Association Of Ireland for inviting an extremely experienced and knowledgeable panel of judges to hand out their opinions of our dogs at this very important date in our dog show calendar. Presiding ove…

Never Judge a book by its cover !

My week end was spent cleaning and preparing for some friends coming to stay at Bridies Cottage with their dogs. In between all the hard work, I did manage to get a bit of chillaxing in, and on Saturday morning took the short spin into Clonakilty. One the way in I noticed a neighbour was out walking with a new dog. It was a young German Shepherd, which was off lead and was not wearing a muzzle. In the town I seen a man walking with a Staffordshire Bull Terrier on lead, and shortly afterwards this man was being stopped by a Guard who was out on foot patrol. When their "conversation" was finished I took it upon myself to ask this man the reason for being stopped, and as I suspected it was due to the fact that the dog was not wearing a muzzle in a public place. Now before I go any further, I should explain that the gent in question was not your mainstream everyday kind of guy. He had quite a few tattoo's which were matched in number by the various body piercings. …

No Specsavers needed here !

Sighthound Strolls is an initiative set up to enable owners of pet sighthounds in Ireland to meet up for regular walks and raise awareness of their breeds. We aim to raise awareness of the plight of particular breeds of sighthound in Ireland and to promote them all as the wonderful companions and pets they are. The 'Sighthound' group includes greyhounds, whippets, salukis, and Irish wolfhounds etc., as well as their breed mixes. We hope that by giving people the chance to meet the dogs and chat to sighthound owners that we are able to dispel some of the common myths that lead so many people to believe that they don't make suitable pets. We hold monthly walks as well as bi-monthly ‘playdates’ where the dogs get to play off lead in a secure area at Positive Dog Training in Sandyford. We have also held ‘Meet and Greets’ in Dublin where members of the public get to meet the various breeds up close and find out what they’re really like. Since we started in April 2011 we ha…

Dog Lovers in Ireland WANTED !

As per the BLOG we wrote around this time last year, there is an open invite* to individual dog owners, clubs, groups or societies to use this blog as a way for spreading their word / news to a wider audience. Some Dog Show Exhibitors have taken us up on the offer, and we'd be delighted to showcase your kennel if you'd like to submit a piece similar to THIS about your involvement in dogs, and what prospective owners of your breed of dog should be aware of before they start looking for a pup to join their home. The great people behind the Dogs Unleashed campaign, have taken us up on this offer before, and we are delighted to be able to assist them in their efforts to get the 'dog control' bye-laws of Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown (DLR) County amended. The following video sums up in 4.36 minutes, what it would take me all day to write, about the importance of being able to let your dog have free running cardio vascular exercise, so for once I'm going to shut up, and let the fil…