dogs Ireland

You want a piece of this ?

To say that us dog owners are a varied group of people is, to say the least a bit of an understatement. Take the emotive subject of greyhound racing for instance. I am sure there are plenty of owner trainers out there that care for their dogs every need, and there are dogs out there that are better fed and taken care of than the owners themselves. Then there are those that think that the whole industry is rotten to the core and there isn't a decent dog person within the greyhound game. But whatever side of the fence, or whatever area of involvement you are involved in with dogs, be it a rescue or occasional breeder, the one thing I think we can all agree on is that education is the key. I blogged about it recently in relation to events such as Pet Expo where we get an opportunity to try and educate members of the public in relation to responsible dog ownership, and that "Adults have become prejudiced towards certain breeds or just dogs and pedigree dogs in general, and…

Pedigree Dogs Featured Kennel – Dar Og Dogue de Bordeaux

I will never forget the first time I saw Hooch. He was just 8 weeks old and he oozed confidence. We had seen an advertisement in our local paper for Dogue de Bordeaux and with curiosity getting the better of us we just had to go and see this litter. We were fascinated by them and once I had met Hooch and his siblings that was it, I was hooked and it would start a passion which has spanned nearly a decade for me with this wonderful breed. Now I am the proud owner of six Dogue de Bordeaux, 4 of which are my own breeding. I was granted the prefix “Dar Og” about 7 years ago and was also a breeder of Bullmastiff and Japanese Spitz although now my main focus is the Dogue de Bordeaux. I am a huge lover of Isabella and it is a colour which will always be in my lines but sadly this colour is being lost in preference for darker dogs on this side of the world. All our Dogue de Bordeaux are hip and elbow scored with the B.V.A. I have bred 4 litters of Dogue de Bordeaux in the last 7…

Dog Vaccinations in Ireland are you Confused.com ?

Dogs and Annual Vaccinations I'm sure you will agree that there are certain ad's that run on TV that make you want to pull your hair out. Funnily enough some of them are probably for hair products that are meant to strengthen your hair as well as many other miraculous feats. Now apart for the guy with the frazzled moustache singing as badly as I do in the shower, about a price comparison website, another one that makes my split ends split even more is the confused.com one. Confused is being in a state where a person is unable to think clearly (bewildered) That brings me nicely onto today's topic for the blog. Annual Vaccinations Now there are quite a few things that confuse me, like why is there an expiry date on sour cream, or why do people point to their wrist when asking for the time, but don't point to their crotch when they ask where the bathroom is. Veterinarian's advising customers to Vaccinate every year But one thing that really confuses me is why d…

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…

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 …

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…

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

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…

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…

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 …

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…

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. …

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…

Pedigree Dogs.ie 1890

OKIDOKI....so there I was catching up on all that is new in Summer Bay when I nearly choked on my cheese sandwich.... What is it you might ask that made me nearly exit stage left from this life, with just less than half of my to do list completed....Well, two words, Done Deal. You see they have now have taken to advertising through our TV sets...On this occasion it came either side of Pat Shortt doing his 1890 routine for house insurance..... Not that we are overly worried or anything...As to us here at Pedigree Dogs there are 2 obvious things that differentiate between our own web site and DD. One is that we haven't amassed the huge amount of money that it must cost in order to broadcast an ad during prime time TV, and the other is the way we run the classified dog section. Now to be fair, maybe we are not comparing apples with apples here. If I am to be completely honest with you here, DD are at a slight disadvantage compared to us when it comes to running a…

Dogs: I think they are worth a second chance

What a sad and tragic episode of Mad Men that was last night ! I've mentioned a few times here before that I happen to be a fan of a Mr Don Draper, but last night he let me down, BIG TIME You see, he has been given lots of second chances in his life up to now, living under another mans name etc, but on last nights episode he came across an instance that he was not happy with, and instantly dismissed this person, which resulted in a dire and tragic ending. The thing is, I think we all deserve a second chance, even our dogs.... The fact is, that our dogs are always giving us second,third or far more chances to get our acts together. However most of us are quicker than Usain Bolt when it comes to coming down hard on our dogs, when they haven't obeyed the mixed signals or instructions that we send their way that are curvier than a curve ball. Add this to the fact that we don't rear our litters correctly, that are not the result of a carefully planned mating, socialis…

Pedigree Dogs – Want to be a part of it ?

We're not as popular as page 3 of The Sun, but we're heading there - 59'193 Visits and 185'515 pageviews on pedigreedogs.ie for the first 5 months of 2012....Nice !!!! Want to be a part of it ?? Send me on the link to your Kennels web site or Breed Club and for a return link you too can be seen by these visitors to our site. Pedigreedogs.ie - The registered web site for Dogs in Ireland

Pet Parents are NOT Moms

I love children, but I could never eat a whole one... It was Mothers Day in the USA recently, and a piece written about "Pet Parents are NOT Moms", caused quite a stir What's your take on it ? Do you think it's acceptable that we humans refer to our dogs as our kids or fur kids ? Do you talk to your dog and say things like "Mommy is getting your dinner ready now" or "Daddy is going to take you for a walk soon" Should we like some of the outdated dog behaviourists out there refrain from looking at our dogs as part of the family and simply see them as part of the pack, a member that is far inferior to us super human beings, that should submit to us, and only do things on our command or on our terms. Did we domesticate the wolves and wild dogs, just so we could be their master ? Myself and my wife have four dogs, the first came into our house, very shortly after we moved into a house and were sure that the back garden was dog proof. We never imagined that we w…