Episode 40 - Hero dogs, puppy scams, shocking truths and more

The Dog News Show

In the podcast where dogs meet news, Debbie Connolly and Julie Hill discuss their pick of the dog related news stories from the last week. You can download the podcast or listen online, and if you'd like to comment on anything you hear, or suggest stories for inclusion in the next show, email the show or contact us on the Facebook or Twitter page. There is also a video version of this episode.

Debbie opens proceedings with a story from New Zealand where a woman's dog fought off her attacker. The woman had already scratched her assailant, but it wasn't until her dog bit him that he ran off. Police are now looking for the attacker, but the really good news is that under New Zealand law, the dog is not at risk of punishment or consequence for his actions. Do you think our dogs should have the freedom to defend us from attack in this way, or should people always have greater legal protection than dogs?

We're often told to beware of unscrupulous breeders, but Julie has a story of a breeder who should have been more wary of her customers. When Doreen Dawson took her two Pekingese puppies to her potential customers' car, they asked for paperwork and then drove off with the puppies. However there are further issues, as the puppies are considered to be a viable form of income by Doreen, which raises questions about why breeders should breed pups. If anyone has information about this crime, which took place in Warsop, they can contact police on the non-emergency number 101, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Debbie has a story that carries implications for all dog owners in the UK. Julie Lindley Bull Mastiff dogs attacked three young girls on the street in an incident that hit the headlines. Obviously, our sympathies go to the children involved, but the case raises extremely worrying and important issues. Despite the dogs being well trained and soicialised, and one of them having a long-standing history of being temperamentally sound, of traveling to dog shows around the world, and of being handled by children, for some reason the attack happened - and as a result their owner had to plead guilty under the Dangerous Dogs Act. This is surprising since it wasn't her fault the dogs were out - it appears someone removed a fence panel from the dogs' secure enclosure. Could this happen to you and your dog?

Julie has Debbie's favourite thing - research! This time it's a study from The University of California, where a team have been looking into the medical records of over 700 Golden Retrievers and the affect neutering has had on their health with relation to two joint diseases and three cancers. Their findings were that neutered dogs were at more risk of these diseases. This sparked debate between the show's hosts, although both agree on the need for more research into this area. The full research can be found at this link -Neutering Dogs: Effects on Joint Disorders and Cancers in Golden Retrievers.

How do you fancy a doggy "lucky bag" arriving on your doorstep once a month? Pooch Pack offers to provide you with a different selection of dog related products each month, and in this show Debbie presents Julie with a typical pack to explore. The contents is undoubtedly high quality goods, but is the pricing right, and will it suit all dogs?

And to round things off with a story to send you away with a smile we have Schmaltz Corner. This week Julie has the story of a 5 year old Italian Greyhound who is retiring from his successful show career to concentrate on his therapy work. He lives alongside a variety of other dogs, and can clearly function very well in the real world - so does this story get a stomping or not?