HOORAY! POWER OF THE INTERNET.

The Dog Reporter© is happy to report that the two labs shown below found a new home two weeks ago.
Here is the reply that was passed back to me.

"I contacted the owner about a week ago, and the dogs have already found a new home (together). Yay! Interestingly, the owner said her e-mail message took on a life of its own, so to speak, and she received over 3,500 responses from people all over the country wanting to adopt or help her dogs! So great."

Now please keep in mind that just because these two lovely dogs found a happy home doesn't mean that there aren't many other dogs in need of temporary or permanent homes due to the recession. People are losing their homes and sadly their dogs.

Please support rescue where possible. It can be as simple as forwarding an email (like below), posting a link on your facebook, donating a few dollars or pounds, offering to foster a dog or two or donating your time at a local rescue.

Thank you!

The Dog Reporter©

Lovely article about this woman named Kate Ward from Camberley, Surrey (England) who rescued dogs her whole life and now the town wants to celebrate her life with a plaque. It is a very sweet story that BBC Southern Counties reported on and thanks to Daniela who shared it with me.

These are the positive dog stories I am talking about!

Please help recognise those that help dogs today and those of yesteryear.

The Dog Reporter©

TWO BEAUTIFUL LABS NEED A NEW HOME ASAP!

Please pass along to all family, friends, coworkers - spread the word andhelp find these two adorable labs a home.
Two females, both have chips implanted and are very well cared for. Their family is losing their home and they are desperate to find a loving home.

Already housebroken, trained, love kids, spayed, up to date onshots....what more could you ask for. But must stay together. These are life long friends.

Contact: Katherine at:
kjmorris74@yahoo.com

Thanks for your help spreading the word.This family has lost their home and the apartment does not allow dogs.They are looking for a home for the two Labs.

The story...As many of you know, we are moving in just 2 weeks. Unfortunately, I have still not been able to find a good home for Cookie and Coco .We're not able to take our beloved doggies with us and I've been desperately trying to find a home for both of them 'together'. They were raised together and pine without each other. The Lab rescue has alreadysaid that they would probably separate them, so this is my last resort.
Recently I tried to take Coco out in my car alone and she TOTALLY refused to even get into the car without Cookie.....!!!! She absolutely pulled back on her haunches until Cookie was by her side. Both doggiesare in great health, have been spayed and have ID chips implanted underthe skin.
Cookie turned 3 December 10th and Coco will be 3 April 1st. Cookie ismy mellow-yellow, and just loves her tummy rubbed. Coco is adorablyfunny and lives for her "ball". She also loves the water..... Cookie loves lots of attention. Both doggies are loyal and love to walk. Theyhave been raised with my 3 kids running around all over the place, andhave survived Sammy's constant hugging and love of 'dress-up', sothey are fantastic family dogs. This is by far one of the most difficult decisions I have ever had to make, but under the circumstances I have no choice.

Please, Please forward these pics to all you know and help me find agreat home for these fabulous doggies. They are just adorable and it's heartbreaking to let them go. In a perfect world, I hope that we couldfind someone local so that we can still keep in touch and visit them.I pray that someone, somewhere can help us keep Cookie and Coco together, and love them just as much as we do. Thank you all from thebottom of my heart.
 
Contact: Katherine at:
kjmorris74@yahoo.com
 

Blogs behind!

So I update on YouTube, Flickr, Blogger and most importantly the Dog Reporter© tweets! (or I should say barks really)
I am very excited to be the official - unofficial tweeter at Crufts 2009. I will be filming "behind the scenes" at the world's largest and greatest canine celebration and I will be tweeting like crazy. I am not paid to do this nor I am an employee of the Kennel Club (although I do freelance my photography and filming services when needed) I have been given an all access Crufts pass to film great dog stories behind the scenes for the KC YouTube channel. I have a natural knack of finding the warm, fuzzy, uplifting, positive, want-to-tell-your-mom-about-it dog stories.
I am all about the positive and finding all the good that is out there in our world around dogs.

I am the Dog Reporter© hear me woof!

I am very lucky to be receiving filming assistance from my friend Daniela Tranquada, The Kennel Gazette Editor and Kennel magazine goddess extraordinaire, with filming and tweeting throughout Crufts. We both are passionate about dogs (in particular Weimaraners) and we are going to try and bring some amazing, funny and brilliant behind the scenes stories to you live from Crufts.

Here is my shameless plug on Daniela who has the best Weimaraner website!
www.castanhoweimaraners.com

You will be able to see all our "behind the scenes at Crufts" YouTube clips on the official Crufts YouTube channel the following week (allow me some time to edit please)

www.youtube.com/crufts

www.crufts.org.uk

Keep up to date with all my postings on all the usual social networking sites. I am brilliant at at multi-tasking in writing, taking pictures, blogging, uploading, filming and overall gushing over gorgeous, gregarious and glorious dogs of all nature (pedigree and crossbreed).

I am very excited that there will be lots of breed rescues at this year's Crufts. As some of you may know my lovely dog, Josie, who was the most special being in the world to me was a Weimaraner breed rescue. I had adopted Josie from Friends for Pets sporting dog rescue in Los Angeles many years ago. She was the best dog ever and I will always be eternally grateful to Diane at Friends for Pets for introducing me to such a special dog. It has now been a few years since Josie's passing but I still visit FFP when I go back to LA and drop off dog biscuits or a small donation.

www.friendsforpets.org

They are still a breed rescue that I wholly support in whatever way I can. Breed rescues do amazing work and like all other hardworking and tireless shelters and rescues, they too help inform people about specific breed characteristics and attributes insuring people get the right dog for their lifestyle.

I will be spending loads of time around Discover Dogs and the Breed Rescue stand (near the Kennel Club Charitable Trust stand) throughout Crufts as I want to meet and interview as many rescue dogs as I can.

I will always promote adoption and rescue whenever and wherever as I know there are so many dogs out there in the world in need of homes. It gives me great joy to support through my work and creativity all people who are saving and rehoming dogs.

The Dog Reporter©

"How to" Crufts

Well many things to share with you today.

I filmed Marc the Vet, the UK's most popular vet and a real sweetie he is.
I started to film some "How to" videos for the Kennel Club starring Marc the Vet and Molly the Wonder Dog. Something I have always wanted to get going for the KC so hopefully we can do a few more before and after Crufts.

I would like to do one at Crufts on "How to do Crufts!" hmmm there's an idea. www.crufts.org.uk
Crufts if you don't know is the largest dog show in the world and the oldest dog show in Britain. It was started by an old guy named Crufts hence the name. It truly is a British dog show yet so international! If you are coming than you need to pace yourself as it is sensory overload. Think Las Vegas with dogs except no one is walking around half naked. Oh scratch that as there are the Chinese Crested ... Over 28,000 (yes thousand) DOGS in four days. It is quite overwhelming and if you think I bark a lot than you haven't heard anything until you watch fly ball. By the way I should remember to bring some ear plugs for when I film fly ball and agility.

Adrenalin fills the blood and the head and all you can see are dogs everywhere. It truly is barking mad. There is always so much to see and with the event spread over in three massive halls plus a big show arena it's all a bit daunting. My dog reporter secrets for keeping energy through Crufts? Lots of tea and biscuits (no, not the canine kind silly). I heard there will be a Ben & Jerry's there this year - hmmm dangerous stuff. I wonder which dogs I will stand in the B&J queue with for Chunky Monkey. Actually I try and pack loads of fruit and healthy snacks so that would be me over in the press office corner eating my banana or orange.

So I must get back to my downloading and editing. I want to get these new YouTube clips up and running on the KC channel before Crufts which is now days and hours away.

I am very excited they finally announced that Crufts will be live online for the first time in Crufts history (actually I gave them this idea a while ago and glad that someone besides the little dog that sits on my desk listens to me from time to time)

www.cruftslive.tv

Thank you to Marc, Anna and especially Molly the wonderful Miniature Bull Terrier aka "Molly the Wonder Dog" in my book.
Molly was the star dog in my filming today and she was really so well behaved. I learned all kinds of things while filming but the most fascinating was how and why vets clean anal glands in dogs. Ew. I have never seen that done so close.

Enjoy my pics of Molly. She is one clever dog!

The Dog Reporter©

Hooray for Slumdog Millionaire!

Well it is somewhat dog related ;) Slumdog Millionaire swept the Oscars last night and well done. It was such a great movie filled with hope and love. India is known for not only its slumdogs - the poor children growing up in poverty but also for its tremendous problem with real slum dogs of the four-legged kind.
I googled Mumbai dog rescues and there are loads of people working towards rescue, spay and neuter and of course adoption of the mongrels they find on the street. I just want to take the time to mention that everywhere around the world there are little dog rescues, dog sanctuaries, dog humane societies creating hope and love out of nothing. I loved the fact that this film won so many awards and yet it wasn't too long ago when nobody wanted to touch this film with a ten foot barge pole. It was a real struggle for Film4 to produce and distribute and thankfully Fox Searchlight had the vision to see it through. It is more than refreshing for me to hear about this small success story - it's almost a miracle!

My ethos is always going to be about hope and in particular hope for dogs.

Slumdog Millionaire is a big sign of hope to me. People want to hear positive stories, they want happy endings and they want entertainment and content that fills them with the same aspiration and hope.

Here is a directory to some of the dog and animal charities that can be found in Mumbai. I hope to visit some of these dog rescues in India and lift their stories in my own little Danny Boyle way.

www.karmayog.com/lists/dogs.htm

The Dog Reporter©

Hoping for the underdog - The Wrestler

Well tonight is the big night in Hollywood. All the media in the world are surrounding the Kodak theatre in Hollywood to see the latest dresses and all the stars at the Academy Awards©. As some of you know I used to work in the film industry (marketing side of the studio) and I have always enjoyed watching the show with friends at a party or someone's Awards potluck.

www.academyawards.com

www.oscars.com

I just wanted to take this moment and say that I am hoping Mickey Rourke wins. I love underdog stories and if there ever was an underdog story of someone hitting bottom (and truly bottom he did hit) it was Mickey. I am also empathetic towards his recent loss of two of his Chihuahuas over the past two weeks. "Loki" was his most famous chihuahua, as this little dog (bless his heart) was the one that Mickey carried everywhere around the world. Loki was often seen on the red carpet or on Mickey's lap in every pap photo. And even the most fickle and jaded of Hollywood were moved to tears when Mickey accepted his Golden Globe last month and finished his acceptance speech by thanking his dogs.

If you don't know Mickey's story I'll just recap a bit here:

Mickey revealed that while he was on the verge of becoming suicidal, he realized that he had to live for his loving dogs, the only ones, who stood by him.

"I think I hadn't left the house for four or five months, and I was sitting in the closet, sleeping in the closet for some reason, and I was in a bad place, and I just remember I was thinking, 'Oh, man, if I do this, And then I looked at my dog, Lowjack, and he made a sound, like a little almost human sound. I don't have kids, the dogs became everything to me. The dog was looking at me going, 'Who's going to take care of me?'” Mickey said.

Mickey is someone who hit bottom yet picked himself up through the love and support of people and his dogs who believed in him when he didn't believe in himself.

The Dog Reporter©

Fellow Dog Bloggers

Hi Everyone,
Well starting to feel much better after some antibiotics to get rid of my sinus infection. Thank god for the NHS and good doctors! Speaking of doctors, I wanted to let you know that there are some wonderful fellow dog-bloggers out there. I of course am not the only one blogging about all the amazing things dogs do! One of my favourite bloggers and fellow dog enthusiasts is Marc the Vet (www.marcthevet.com) Mark is veterinary advisor to the Kennel Club of Great Britain and a very nice friend. Marc does so much for dogs I would have to blog pages after pages to what he has accomplished and all the dog causes he supports! Just check out Marc's website to find out more but also check out his lovely blog that he does daily here:

www.crufts.org.uk/interact/blogs/marc-vets-blog

I started taking pictures of Marc last year at one of the many National Microchipping Events that he attends in the UK. I was proud that he had chosen one of my photos for his website! Marc is not only a good looking vet ;) but all the dogs are usually very sweet on him too! I was so happy he chose that photo that I took at the National Microchipping Month Event in Battersea Park of the dog licking his face as it really shows how much Marc truly loves dogs. He is more than a vet and he is more than just an average dog campaigner - he is a real friend of the dog. I know Marc will be at Crufts promoting microchipping at the Petlog and all the various campaigns he promotes (Open for Dogs being another one of my favourites).

So I will be rushing off now as I still have loads of editing to do before Crufts www.crufts.org.uk

It's nice to know that there are other people out there putting out positive stories about dogs and helping dogs in general.

The Dog Reporter©

Golden Retrievers

Although my sinuses have been full and in general not feeling too great, I managed to make it into the Kennel Club to get a bit more work done today such as my editing and photos. I had promised some of the Friends for Life nominees that I would be making CDs of their photos (which I did) and posted out today. Hooray for me.

Luisa, the Kennel Club art gallery manager, has done a fab job of the recent exhibit on Golden Retrievers. I think Luisa always does a great job with all the dog exhibits (certainly one of my most favourite bits at the Kennel Club) and sometimes I don't think she gets a lot of credit for her very hard work so...

The gallery is more than just a few paintings themed around a particular breed. There is a lot of time consuming research, begging, borrowing (no stealing though as far as I know ;)to display the history of the breed but also show how the dog breed has been portrayed in contemporary art as well. Some of the artwork Luisa gets on loan are from private estates and homes where the artwork has never before been shown public! I don't know how show does it but she always manages to find enough gorgeous dog artwork to hang in the KC gallery. I really believe this is a one of kind dog gallery as it displays not just oil paintings and drawings but sculptures, bronzes, models and decorative collectibles.
I know the Golden Retriever is certainly one of the most popular breeds in the UK (and US) as well as being one of the most popular breeds shown at Crufts www.crufts.org.uk. One of my favourite demonstrations at Crufts is the Golden Retriever synchronised obedience show. It's like watching a brilliant marching band during Macy's Day Parade except with dogs!
There's a heck of a lot of synchronised cross overs between dogs and owners. Goldens are beautiful and clever -it's what makes them truly golden.

So if you live in the UK and fancy a visit to the art gallery you must book (sorry it's not open to the public) but Luisa usually gives a personal tour and she knows her dog art! She is definitely one of the hidden treasures in the Kennel Club.

The Dog Reporter©

Monday, monday, da, da, da, daha

It has definitely been a Monday today. Sadly no doggie pics from today. I saw a cute dog very early this morning when I was rushing for the bus but alas I had to make the bus. Glad I had my daily dog sign though.
I was working all day at the Kennel Club uploading all my photos from Friends for Life as well as pictures from Stoneleigh this past Saturday. Whew! I snapped about 600 photos so there was a lot of uploading.
I had so much fun taking pictures of all the dogs that were in attendance. It is a joy snapping dogs.
I am back at the dog house all this week so no doubt some more dog stories in the pipeline.
Hope all is well with you and your four legged ones.

God bless
The Dog Reporter©

I met a Prince

14th February, 2009
Valentine's Day

Yes I met a prince on Valentine's Day. I met HRH Prince Michael of Kent who came to dedicate the new Kennel Club building in Stoneleigh Park.

It was a really fun day out for all dogs both pedigrees and cross breeds. There were demonstrations in obedience, agility, fly ball, Good Citizen Dog Scheme and of course a couple of dogs getting their legs stretched running around in the ring (hmmmm is that because they are going to Crufts?)

I had so much fun taking loads of pics of all the dog guests. All the dog-o's were so excited wagging their tails and nudging each other to play. Who said show dogs don't have fun? My god all these dogs were having the most fun I have ever seen!

I did some filming as well as photography so hope to get a couple of new YouTube clips up in the next few days. I have a lot of editing to do!

Here are a few pics from the day. I took soooo many photos that they will be posted on the Kennel Club flickr site as well as my The Dog Reporter© flickr site.

It was a lovely day to spend Valentines Day. I had lots of kisses and loads of hugs from the cutest four legged ones I could meet!

The Dog Reporter©

London's Premiere Doggie Couture - Holly & Lil's

Friday the 13th
No, didn't have any bad luck or any black cats but I did get to meet not one, not two but THREE lovely black dogs!
They are the dogs in resident at Holly & Lil's Collar Couture. Elaine and Sarah who set up Holly & Lil's (named after their dogs of course!) sell to everyone in almost every high end dog shop. They even sell and ship their collars to celebrities around the world (but no we didn't ask who as they keep their high profile celeb list including the dogs top secret)

They however did name drop that Jonathan Ross ordered some collars for when he recently had Mickey Rourke on his couch. You know Mickey dedicated his recent film awards for the Wrestler to all his Chihuahuas.

Now because I am in pre-Crufts mode don't forget Crufts is coming up very soon - March 5th through March 8th 2009. Book those tickets now! I wanted to see what it's like for one of the regular traders getting ready for the world's biggest and greatest dog show - CRUFTS.
Westminster is a lovely little American show with 2,500 dogs but try 28,000 dogs in four days!! Yes. Crufts is already receiving record number of entries and it's not just about dog showing. There are so many aspects of the dog world all in one place. I love watching the agility, fly ball, service dog demos, charity stands and of course seeing all the wonderful doggie products!

Holly and Lil's Collar Couture (the shop is named after the two founding dogs Holly and Lil) produce hand crafted British dog collars and leads. They are all hand designed by Sarah and Elaine who started the business several years ago while walking their dogs on Hampstead Heath (see what great things dogs do for us? They even help inspire businesses!)

I went with my friend and collegue, Daniela Tranquada who assisted me with filming for the Kennel Club YouTube channel
www.youtube.com/thekennelclub

You should be able to see my clip on the Kennel Club YouTube channel later this week. It was a lovely sneak peak to how one of the fantastic and unique traders who go to Crufts every year prepare for the world's largest dog show.

I loved their shop and loved all their hard work and dedication to British made goods. It's so lovely to meet a retailer who sources all materials here in the UK as well as champions some truly British goods such as real Scottish Harris Tweed. I found out that they actually travel all the way to the Island of Lewes (where Harris Tweed originated) just to visit the Tweed man! They are certainly beautiful items and if you are looking for a truly British made dog gift than you will be thrilled with Holly & Lil's collars and leads.

www.hollyandlil.co.uk

Lastly I fell in love with Holly and Lil (the dogs) and in particular a cute little black pug named Edward. He was quite the ham in front of the camera - what pug isn't?

I am getting very excited for Crufts. It's going to be even bigger and better this year.

The Dog Reporter©

Last but not least ... the amazing duo

Hi everyone this is a back up blog! We wrapped Friends for Life filming last Thursday out in Berkshire.
I had the opportunity to interview and chat in length to Lou (and Brock) about one of my favourite service dog areas - Search and Rescue. Lou and Brock have been nominated for Friends for Life and again I don't want to spoil anything but once again another amazing stories! www.crufts.org.uk

Search and Rescue dogs are SO amazing and I was well impressed by how clever Brock is with sniffing out people in the wilds of Berkshire. Brock was one of the most well behaved dogs that I have had the pleasure to meet as well as having the softest and most pristine coat. He was a real sweet heart.

Now one of the things I learned from Lou and Brock is that their work is completely voluntary! They are not government supported nor financially supported by any organisation. They do this work completely out of their own pocket. You can learn more about the Berkshire search and rescue dogs here:
www.k9-sar.com

We managed to brave the cold out in one of the Queen's parks to film outside. It was ok when the sun was out in the late morning but it became bitterly cold again when the sun was blocked out by what were soon to be snow clouds. (yes it started to snow again) Lou and Brock were real troopers for allowing us to film so long in the elements but from their work together I gather they are used to some blighty weather!

So don't forget to look out for these videos on the Kennel Club website very soon to view all the Friends for Life nominees. They are ALL wonderful canine companion stories.

I had a lot of fun taking loads of snaps of Brock who is a real action dog. He was so happy to be rewarded with just his tennis ball which is the most economical way to find people don't you think?

The Dog Reporter©

Great Welsh Pub!

Heidi Hudson©
Originally uploaded by thedogreporter

The Quarry had the most delicious home made food and the nicest pub owners. I wanted to promote this family run business so here it is!

Open for Dogs in Wales!

So today (now I am in real time again :) we ventured to Wales. Wednesday in Wales. I love Wales. Beautiful countryside, some nice castles, nice people, lots of sheep and of course some lovely country pubs. We met with Caroline and Harry (the fabulous tibetan terrier).
Caroline and Harry have been nominated for Friends for Life and wow what another inspirational and amazing story.
When we first arrived Harry bounded out the front door to greet us and he is the LOVELIEST TT (tibetan terrier) that I have had the pleasure to interview! What a real sweetie and his coat was sooo soft.
We managed to get in a lovely walk in the woods near Caroline's house where we met up with three pedigree golden retrievers (all of different ages) who were frolicking in the welsh countryside. I took some great pictures which I will upload to my flickr account later this weekend. Unfortunately with my on the move wifi connection I can't really upload too much as it is sooo slow.
But the sun was out and it was a gorgeous day in the welsh countryside. I had so much fun taking pictures of Harry and his mates.

We went to the little village near by and I thought it would be nice to kill two birds with one stone by finding a lovely pub to film in AND eat lunch. Hmmm... I quickly discovered that not all pubs and restaurants in Wales are not "Open for Dogs" sadly. I was a bit dismayed that this lovely old Welsh pub said they only allowed service dogs and only if they call ahead (!) The manager was quick to tell me the "dog law" and share with me that it's completely illegal to have a dog in an eating establishment for health reasons. The Dog Reporter© rarely gets a bit prickly in dog matters but when it comes to fighting for dog rights (which the KC do so much of anyway) I had my hackles up. I quickly retorted back in my lovely American accent that actually it is completely LEGAL to have a dog in an eating establishment as long as its not in the food preparation area. He was shaking his head at me and arguing that he knew the dog law and that it was not true. I didn't want to argue (well I really did but knew I had to get back to filming) so I politely said it was a shame that we couldn't have lunch here (missing out on business Welsh dude) because of your pub policy. I said good day and we got back in the car. I was a bit fuming (again no one sees the Dog Reporter© with hackles!) Our lovely star today, Caroline, then suggested an old pub further down the road.
It was hard to imagine there was the most lovely and quaint old pub called "The Quarry" hidden behind some residential streets but there it was shining there with all its glory. Caroline popped in to check with the owners if it was "Open for Dogs" and sure enough they gladly let us in with Harry. We sat down and although we were the only customers we (and Harry) were treated like kings and queens. We had the best service (including a nice big water bowl for Harry) and ordered some homemade real British pub lunch. I had steak and guinness pie and the ladies had fresh homemade lasagna right out of the oven. It was one of the best pub lunches I have had in ages. It was such a pleasant treat after visiting a pub that refused us because we had a dog.
We managed to get our shots for filming and also have a bit of lunch which was well needed after some hard work.
Harry was the most well behaved dog as he basically fell asleep under the table after all his strutting for the camera!

So here here for Harry and here here for pubs that are "Open for Dogs" and remember whether you live in the UK or visit the UK it is LEGAL for dogs to be in restaurants, pubs, cafes and hotels IF the owners agree. I always suggest you ask nicely before you barge in with a pooch but most places will accommodate if they are dog friendly. Let's get Britain and other EU countries on board with "Open for Dogs!" www.thekennelclub.org.uk/openfordogs

http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/2052

The Dog Reporter©

Lucky Lottie and Takara

Apologies for the lack of a blog the past two days. It has been snowy, sleety, rainy, cold, wet and all around winter weather in the UK the past couple of weeks. Needless to say I caught a bit of a nasty cold and just wanted to lay low after filming.

Tuesday saw us filming in Sheffield where we met Charlotte "Lottie" and Takara. Lottie has another inspiring Friends for Life story and again I don't want to spoil it so tune into www.crufts.org and www.thekennelclub.org.uk for more on Friends for Life 2009 nominees. When we first arrived near Lottie's house our car was sliding down the road after we parked it and put on the hand brake as it was so slushy and icy. We did finally mange to park the car securely and we cracked on with filming. Takara is the loveliest pedigree Dalmatian who was quite keen to meet us and was very vocal about our every move! She managed to contain her excitement and sat for our interview.
Although Lottie has a rare disability she still manages her own pet shop as well as a dog training class. Quite an inspiration her and Takara!

We did manage to have some sun in Sheffield (which was nice for a change from last week) I am only sorry my energy levels were a bit down as I would have loved to have run Takara around the park myself to see HOW much energy she really had!

I met some lovely dog owners in the park where we filmed and told them about Friends for Life and Crufts filming. They were all keen to check out Friends for Life and it was nice to hear people get so excited about another Crufts.

Looking forward to more dog stories to share with all of you in the coming days, weeks and months. Let me tell you again how great 2009 will be!

The Dog Reporter©

Sunday Schnauzers

Well it's been a low key day for the dog reporter as I have been feeling a wee bit under the weather from all the traveling in the snow last week. I played it safe and decided to do sunday papers, massive cups of tea and to spend good company with my friends schnauzers whom I am helping to dog sit. Chip and Tommy were very excited to see me arrive back to London on Saturday evening and have been glued to my side ever since.

I will be off again Tuesday for more filming for Friends for Life and really looking forward to meeting the last of our nominees. There are a total of six nominees this year and all with amazing stories about their dogs. It's going to be so tough but I am sure everyone out there will vote for their favourite. I have been asked numerous times already about what the TEXT numbers will be for voting. I don't know yet but as soon as I receive them I will provide on my blog. The Kennel Club and Crufts website will surely be the port of call for all the videos and numbers and as soon as I know when the videos will be posted for viewing I'll let you know.

I am still in awe of all the lovely people and dogs I met last week - Evie and Gem, Steve and Farley and PC Sampson and Anya.

It's nice to focus on the positive about dogs rather than the negative. Sadly there was a lot of front cover papers dedicated to the story of a little baby boy this morning. I don't need to reiterate the story here as if you read the news or saw the TV than you know the story. My heart goes out to his family for their tremendous loss this weekend. It saddens me deeply on many levels as we hear these stories in the UK media too often.

My aim with my creative output is to always promote the positive stories about dogs. There will always be the negative and the positive in the world. I have chosen to stay in the positive and to champion and promote the positive stories we don't often hear so much of. I really believe we have a choice to what we buy, what we listen to, what we read about, what we can write about and certainly what we can promote in our own little way. I believe in the power of one - we all have the power within us to make a difference and create a huge positive change (no matter how small or insignificant you might think it is at first). There certainly are a lot of people making money on selling fear. Every day is a gift that we have with each other and of course with our lovely dogs. I just want to remind myself and anyone out there that may be reading this blog that we ALL have the power within us "to make a difference for dogs."

The Dog Reporter©

It's PC to support police dogs

I mean it's pawlitically correct to support all police dogs especially in Wiltshire. Today was another cold but fantastic day dog reporting. We traveled down to Wiltshire to visit PC Neil Sampson and his heroic dog, "Anya." Anya is a pedigree German Shepherd trained to be a working police dog. If you live in England you may have read about PC Sampson's amazing story last year. Anya saved his life on a routine call one night. Again I don't want to spoil the story so you must tune into to watch Crufts online and view all the Friends for Life 2009 stories. It's going to be really tough to vote as all our nominees are such heart warming and lovely stories.

www.crufts.org.uk

We had a demo of Anya's work and you can see from my pictures how incredibly fit and strong she is! (don't worry the guy in the picture is not a real criminal just another fellow police dog handler named Steve)

We are very lucky to have had the opportunity to meet and interview Neil especially after all the snow Wiltshire had the last two days.

Dogs are the most amazing creatures and they are a lot smarter than we realise. PC Sampson really gives his dogs a lot of credit to keeping him and his collegues safe.

We finished up early afternoon filming and the Crufts production crew stopped off at the lovely little village of Avebury which has stones similar to Stonehenge (just a lot more of them) We stopped to take some photos and of course I went over to watch people sledging down the hill with their dogs watching below. The dogs were having just as much fun as they were!

If you ever visit this part of the country than you must stop through this lovely english village. It has picturesque landscapes and of course lots of dogs :)

The Dog Reporter©

Steve and Farley

Another superb (but cold!) day filming Friends for Life for Crufts 2009. Today I went to a little village in Leicester (yes pronounced LESTER ;) to meet Steve and Farley. Steve is a disabled service man who served in the British Army in his 20's. He was just about to finish his post in Northern Ireland when he was caught in a bomb blast and lost both his legs and an eye. Steve is such an inspiration. (I needed some more kleenex today) I won't tell you too much - again you need to tune into Friends for Life in a few weeks to hear more about Steve and Farley's story.

Steve is this tough looking guy but such a sweet heart. Farley, a strong, fit for function and fit for life pedigree black Labrador is the perfect fit for Steve and his family. Farley was so happy to meet me and he managed to get quite a few good belly rubs from me during the course of our filming. Today was one of those days where I felt gratitude but also so much admiration for someone who has a tough lot in life but chose to make the most of it. Steve is funny, kind, adventurous, full of love for his family and of course Farley who helps him around the house.

I hope to do HALF the things that Steve has already accomplished in his life since losing his legs. These are just some of the amazing feats Steve has done recently ... helping other service men, jumping out of a planes, sailing the atlantic, learning to swim, riding motorcycles, playing wheelchair basketball just to name a few things!

Well I can go on and on but there is more filming to do tomorrow so I must start preparing for pre production and get underway with some sleep. I am so grateful for dogs, getting to work with dogs and being able to meet incredibly inspirational people like Steve.

Support Dogs for the Disabled www.dogsforthedisabled.org and don't forget to check out all the Friends for Pets nominees in a couple of weeks. It's going to be a great show!

The Dog Reporter©

Let's Hear it for the Dogs

"Give those doggies a hand. Let's hear it for those puppies who tell us that we can ..."

Ok that was my improvise at that 80's Footloose hit from the Pointer Sisters.

It was another fantastic day of dogs today but in particular a very special dog named GEM. Gem is a hearing dog - a well trained golden lab & retriever cross who was placed in a family home to support a little girl named Evie. Evie and Gem have been nominated for Friends for Life 2009. Friends for Life is one of my most favourite programs within all of Crufts. You can read more about Friends for Life on the Crufts site www.crufts.org.uk

I managed to assist with filming and photography at Evie's home and also interview Jenny Moir from Hearing Dogs for the deaf www.hearingdogs.org.uk for our Kennel Club YouTube channel. I hope to finish editing my little "sneak peak" at Friends for Life tomorrow. It was a very cold day though! We had about 7cm of snow in a very short amount of time and it was VERY cold filming outside in the park. Gem was a star and Evie was a superstar during film production the entire day. I won't tell you too much right now as I don't want to spoil it!

All I can say is that I needed a box of kleenex instead of my measley little boots packet. Dogs are amazing!

So apologies for not such a long blog today. I am very tired and we are heading to Leicester (pronounced LESTER for those non Brits reading my blog) I will blog more about my Friends for Life adventures in the next days. Please check out Friends for Life it truly is one of the most beautiful parts of Crufts.

The Dog Reporter©

A jumper for Josie

Well it was a wonderful day yesterday. Let me again reiterate how much fun it was to photograph so many dogs playing in the snow yesterday. I have been dog sitting in my old neighborhood (lovely Barnes) where there are more dogs per square foot than hipsters in Bethnal Green on a Saturday night. Barnes is a bit mumsy and a bit too yuppyish for me at times but it is also very puppyish, very dog friendly and of course very beautiful with its setting around the Thames and all the commons.

Barnes holds a lot of special memories for me and I couldn't help but think of my lovely dog Josie the Weimaraner who shared six wonderful years with me here. Josie and I moved over from sunny California many years ago when they first introduced the pet passport. Thank god (or else I wouldn't have moved over for my job promotion at the time). And thank god for microchipping.

I remember that I was a bit concerned that she wouldn't adjust to the cold in England (you know LA is a place so hot and dry we give ice cream to dogs to cool off during heat waves, er I am not kidding).

Just a few months in Angleterre I was determined to find her a winter coat to keep her from shivering. I looked everywhere at what was then your only pet shops in London and found not one dog coat. It wasn't until I discovered Discover Dogs (where you can find everything under the sun for your dog) that I found the perfect coat for Josie's first winter in the UK.

It was this gorgeous water proof red coat with wooly fleece lining on the underside, velcro wrap so it fit all snug underneath her. It took weeks to receive as it had to be specially ordered and made to fit (yes they requested all her measurements) It was all hand designed and personally stitched by this adorable little British couple who only made dog coats. This was about 9 years ago when dog coats were still a bit of a novelty in London.

I remember first taking Josie out on the common (for my yank friends common means large park or open space in England don't ask me why they just don't call it a park or dog park) and letting her off her lead in her fancy new coat (which she loved by the way because it kept her California bottom warm). I had quite a few strange looks from some of the older Barnes residents but I would politely say "hello" and greet all their dogs nonetheless. I met many friends through my dog and eventually they all got to know Josie by her famous winter red coat.

I think there used to be a stigma about dog coats in Britain (especially fitting one on a "fit for function, fit for life" gun dog like a Weimaraner) but hey a winter coat on a dog occassionally is nothing compared to all the crazy dog stuff that gets imported from the US these days.

I would like to point out that dogs do adapt to their surroundings. It's a dog thing. Josie had the THINNEST weim coat when she first arrived in London (I am talking barely any fur or hair on her belly or chest as if she was naked) so she really needed that custom made to fit red coat her first two winters. I believe it was by the third year we were here in London when her coat finally started to come in much heavier (I remember the novelty of shedding quite fondly). I would then only put her red winter coat on during really cold days especially those days with some heavy frost or snow.

She used to skid around in crazy circles in the light dusting of snow (even with her coat on) People used to smile and laugh at her but I would remind them that she was an LA dog so she needed a bit of extra warmth and room for her LA craziness. She absolutely loved the snow. I mean she LOVED the snow. She never wanted to go outside in pissing down rain for a wee but if we woke up with a bit of snow in the morning ...she couldn't wait to go outside and run around in the white stuff. I guess it was kind of like me. Being from California we only see snow if we drive up to the mountains. It is still a novelty for me to step outside my front door and see all this white stuff. Good thing I have invested in winter clothes over the year.

So yesterday was quite special for me in many ways. Seeing all those dogs running, playing, laughing and scooting around in crazy circles like Josie used to do. It was only a few years ago that I lost my sweet Josie to cardiomyopathy. Those last few years I had with her were the best. We walked Barnes common every single day and I would like to point out that after a few years of acclimating in Blighty she grew a thick and fearless Weimaraner coat to where she didn't need to wear that custom made red waterproof wooly-lined one so much. I probably loved that red coat as much as she did which is why it took so long to finally let go of it.

It was only last year that I finally donated the last of her things to the Mayhew Animal Dogs Home - her red coat was amongst the lot. I still think of that red coat and the fun we had walking in Barnes on the rare snowy mornings. She would have absolutely have loved all that snow.

You know I could easily fall into that place (you know that place where we replay sad music in our head and want to only eat chocolate?) and really feel sad about not having my sweet Josie here with me but yesterday was very special in a different way. I felt her presence next to me with every photo I snapped and with every smile I received. I was on Barnes Common and I know she was with me running the crazy circles in the snow letting me know how proud she is of me.

The Dog Reporter©

Snow wonder!

Well it was a wonderful day yesterday. Let me again reiterate how much fun it was to photograph so many dogs playing in the snow yesterday. I have been dog sitting in my old neighborhood (lovely Barnes) where there are more dogs per square foot than hipsters in Bethnal Green on a Saturday night. Barnes is a bit mumsy and a bit too yuppyish for me at times but it is also very puppyish, very dog friendly and of course very beautiful with its setting around the Thames and all the commons.

Barnes holds a lot of special memories for me and I couldn't help but think of my lovely dog Josie the Weimaraner who shared six wonderful years with me here. Josie and I moved over from sunny California many years ago when they first introduced the pet passport. Thank god (or else I wouldn't have moved over for my job promotion at the time). And thank god for microchipping.

I remember that I was a bit concerned that she wouldn't adjust to the cold in England (you know LA is a place so hot and dry we give ice cream to dogs to cool off during heat waves, er I am not kidding).

Just a few months in Angleterre I was determined to find her a winter coat to keep her from shivering. I looked everywhere at what was then your only pet shops in London and found not one dog coat. It wasn't until I discovered Discover Dogs (where you can find everything under the sun for your dog) that I found the perfect coat for Josie's first winter in the UK.

It was this gorgeous water proof red coat with wooly fleece lining on the underside, velcro wrap so it fit all snug underneath her. It took weeks to receive as it had to be specially ordered and made to fit (yes they requested all her measurements) It was all hand designed and personally stitched by this adorable little British couple who only made dog coats. This was about 9 years ago when dog coats were still a bit of a novelty in London.

I remember first taking Josie out on the common (for my yank friends common means large park or open space in England don't ask me why they just don't call it a park or dog park) and letting her off her lead in her fancy new coat (which she loved by the way because it kept her California bottom warm). I had quite a few strange looks from some of the older Barnes residents but I would politely say "hello" and greet all their dogs nonetheless. I met many friends through my dog and eventually they all got to know Josie by her famous winter red coat.

I think there used to be a stigma about dog coats in Britain (especially fitting one on a "fit for function, fit for life" gun dog like a Weimaraner) but hey a winter coat on a dog occassionally is nothing compared to all the crazy dog stuff that gets imported from the US these days.

I would like to point out that dogs do adapt to their surroundings. It's a dog thing. Josie had the THINNEST weim coat when she first arrived in London (I am talking barely any fur or hair on her belly or chest as if she was naked) so she really needed that custom made to fit red coat her first two winters. I believe it was by the third year we were here in London when her coat finally started to come in much heavier (I remember the novelty of shedding quite fondly). I would then only put her red winter coat on during really cold days especially those days with some heavy frost or snow.

She used to skid around in crazy circles in the light dusting of snow (even with her coat on) People used to smile and laugh at her but I would remind them that she was an LA dog so she needed a bit of extra warmth and room for her LA craziness. She absolutely loved the snow. I mean she LOVED the snow. She never wanted to go outside in pissing down rain for a wee but if we woke up with a bit of snow in the morning ...she couldn't wait to go outside and run around in the white stuff. I guess it was kind of like me. Being from California we only see snow if we drive up to the mountains. It is still a novelty for me to step outside my front door and see all this white stuff. Good thing I have invested in winter clothes over the year.

So yesterday was quite special for me in many ways. Seeing all those dogs running, playing, laughing and scooting around in crazy circles like Josie used to do. It was only a few years ago that I lost my sweet Josie to cardiomyopathy. Those last few years I had with her were the best. We walked Barnes common every single day and I would like to point out that after a few years of acclimating in Blighty she grew a thick and fearless Weimaraner coat to where she didn't need to wear that custom made red waterproof wooly-lined one so much. I probably loved that red coat as much as she did which is why it took so long to finally let go of it.
It was only last year that I finally donated the last of her things to the Mayhew Animal Dogs Home - her red coat was amongst the lot. I still think of that red coat and the fun we had walking in Barnes on the rare snowy mornings. She would have absolutely have loved all that snow.

You know I could easily fall into that place (you know that place where we replay sad music in our head and want to only eat chocolate place?) and really feel sad about not having my sweet Josie here with me but yesterday was very special in a different way. I felt her presence next to me with every photo I snapped and with every smile I received. I was the Dog Reporter© on Barnes Common and I know she was with me running the crazy circles in the snow letting me know how proud she is of me.

Barking in Barnes!

It was a lovely doggy day in Barnes today where I am dog sitting two lovely Schnauzers named Chip and Tommy. We all awoke to the most beautiful blanket of snow today all across London. We ventured out into the common and we saw just about everyone there with their kids and dogs playing in the snow. There were some little girls making an entire family of snowmen so I asked if they were going to include a dog so they did! (see pic one)

There were lots of dogs getting snow balls on their little legs but it only takes a bit of warm water at home to wash it off. I saw almost every breed and type of dog jumping and playing. One of my favourites was the long haired Dachshund who was mucking in with every dog he could find. It was a really good day and lovely to see so many dogs out there having fun in the snow.

Everyone was having such a good time thanks to no work, no school and the best bit about it was that it was all for free!

Heidi, The Dog Reporter©