We’ve been naughty pups – our weekly edition of the Scoop missed a week last week so to make up for it, we’re issuing a bumper volume of the Scoop. That’s right. More dogs, more news, a bigger Scoop. You know what to do, grab a cuppa and put your feet up for a long weekend read.
Baby, baby oh!
Did you know that having a dog around babies (of the human variety) could actually be good for the baby’s health? Researchers at the University of Alberta revealed this week that the presence of a household dog during or soon after pregnancy helps babies to develop friendly stomach bacteria (known as Ruminococcus and Oscillospira). These good bacteria are known to reduce the risk of obesity and allergies – so if you can face changing nappies and scooping up poop at the same time, maybe it’s worth it?
If you’re looking for a pup to add to your growing family, why not check out our list of dog breeds who are great around littl’uns?
Prince and the Police
No, we’re not talking about some sort of tribute-act-super-band, we’re talking about Prince the Bloodhound. He’s the newest and furriest recruit to the West York Police force in Pennsylvania. You can watch the moment he’s sworn in as an officer of the state in the above video. (Have you ever seen a dog swear an oath on a bible? Nope, us neither!)
We’re not sure that he wasn’t being sworn in under duress, but it seems like he’s going to get a lot of training – it’ll take Prince up to a year until he’s trained and ready to fill his predecessors’ paws.
Prince joins a global gang of pawesome dogs who carry out a variety of duties to help keep humankind safe. There’s K9 Piper, who’s probably the most badass dog in the world – he’s an airport security dog. Then there’s Bailey who chases seagulls away from the dock outside the Australian National Maritime Museum – it’s a dog’s life for sure!
The solution to dog obesity? Simple, says dog expert
In this new video from Tech Insider, we hear from Alexandra Horowitz, author of Being a Dog and researcher into the ways man’s best friend understand the world around them. She explains that dog obesity is quite simply all down to two factors – overfeeding and lack of exercise. Dog obesity is sadly a subject that’s making the headlines a little too often,
including a recent PSDA report revealing that 17% of dogs aren’t walked daily and 2.4 million dogs (roughly 28%) dogs in the UK are given treats on a daily basis.
Alexandra urges dog owners to take her simple advice – cut down meal sizes by at least a third. Plus, if you use food to reward your dog, why not reward your dog with praise, play time and a good run around?
If you’d like to give your dog extra time to run around the park and need a helping hand, why not search for a friendly and reliable dog walker near you.
Is this dog heaven on earth?
You’re unlikely to hear a dog rehoming story with anywhere near as many wagging tails as this one. Thanks to an article originally published on The Dodo, we learned about the dog adopting paradise in Costa Rica, which all started when Lya Battle brought home Diego the Miniature Schnauzer, rescuing him from being put down and giving him another four years of happy dog-life. Since then, Lya and her husband Alvaro have rescued literally hundreds of dogs.
We’re not kidding. They’ve actually had as many as 900 dogs living on their land at one time! It’s been a labour of love; together the couple built dog houses for all the dogs, and since then they’ve inherited a 146-acre farm which they’ve converted into a sanctuary for stray dogs.
If you can believe it (this just blows our mind) Lya and Alvaro name each dog who joins their enormous family and they somehow manage to remember the name of each pooch! That’s beyond impressive!
A microchipping reminder!
It’s been more than a year since microchipping all dogs became compulsory in the UK. Battersea Dogs & Cats Home have recently released pictures of stray and missing dogs who have been brought through their doors – most of them haven’t been microchipped.
Sadly, in the case of some of these dogs, it hasn’t been possible to reunite them with their original owner – but the charity has found new homes for these lost pooches. Battersea is urging dog owners to ensure all dog owners microchip their dog rather than gamble that they won’t go missing or run off. Many charities are offering this service for free, including Dogs Trust events across the country and it’s inexpensive if you visit your vet. If you haven’t yet, or know another dog owner who hasn’t microchipped their dog, please remind them!