Anna's Blog

The subject of renting with pets was thrust into the spotlight late last year, when Romford MP Andrew Rosindell introduced his private member’s bill, dubbed Jasmine’s Law, with the aim of banning No Pets clauses in rental contracts. 2nd September 2021 : a truly momentous date in AdvoCATS’ history, as we took on the Government and launched our Heads for Tails! report and campaign to make renting with pets fairer for ALL. Backed by some 37 MPs and Peers, and endorsed by 31 organisations across the animal welfare and private rented sectors, Heads for Tails! calls for a simple change to the Tenant Fees Act 2019 to open up the rental market to tenants with pets. 

This week Anna goes to the very first PAAWstival: a festival where Pets Are Always Welcome. Paaw House
With a tie break, top marks from all the judges in three categories Remarkable Rescue, Rudy with his human Joe Hepburn @thatjoebloke, Lockdown Legend, Dexter with Adam Jarrell @luceanddex and Golden Oldie, Belinha with Teresa @thedogvine. In the spirt of all that is good in the world of dogs our finalists chose to split the £10k prize.

This week Anna meets up with Author & Journalist, Genevieve Fox, and her Miniature Schnauzer, Pepper on Hampstead Heath.

Retracing their steps spent training on an ‘experience’ walk, where Anna highlighted some training tips for an article in The Observer magazine about walking your own dog, and how it helps your dog’s and your own well-being.  Passionate about punctuating your dog’s day, and building proactive games into an everyday walk for extra enrichment. 

Sniffe & Likkit, joins Anna to talk about their range and brand ‘philoso-woofy'.

The Sniffe is the key aspect across its grooming, fragrance and gifting products. Understanding that a dog’s sense of smell is over a million times more sensitive than ours, Sniffe & Likkit’s 100% natural aromatherapeutic scents won’t get up your dog’s nose. Rather dogs will love the signature fragrance: Woodland Wonderfur running in its grooming range.

Formulated using essential oils like Cedarwood, Pettigrain, Vetiver and Ho Leaf. It’s aim to calm and soothe dogs, and bring the great outdoors into your home, and regular pampering routine. The aromatic scent is alluring and good for humans too!

Vet and Environmentalist Andrew Prentis joins Anna to chat about the excremental rise in dog mess since the pandemic began. Without pointing fingers, it seems that it's the owners of the pandemic puppies who do not understand why it's so important to pick up and bin poop as a responsible owner. We chat about whether a reluctance to pick up is down to some poop’s consistency, as generally overly processed diets can product voluminous soft poop that can be tricky to pick up. In contrast, naturally fed dogs tend to poop firm, easy to bag stools. We touch on the impact to the environment and whether an abundance of the smelly stuff is a public health risk. But as the minority spoils things for the majority, its time to shape up, not least for your dog’s reputation and self respect.

I'm so excited to be judging at Paawstival a new dog-centric event appropriately being staged on the Isle of Dogs. In aid of The Wild at Heart Foundation and StreetVet, Paawstival offers a fun packed two days for dogs and their owners to celebrate man's best friend, whilst helping dogs less fortunate, and the homeless community with dogs receive the support and pathways to housing they deserve

What's in a word? We communicate through speech, but dogs rely on body language, and minute facial expressions to get the meaning of 'words'.  Dogs are great at reading us, but do we spend enough time learning to 'speak dog'?

When I learnt about the first Top Dog Film Festival launching on December 27th, this had to be my Christmas bonus podcast episode on A DOG'S LIFE. Chatting about the the nine different movies showcased. Each was selected out of hundreds entered. The short films each celebrate the unbreakable bond between dogs and their humans. These films will make you laugh , cry and fall in love with man's best friend all over again!

Broadcaster, Jo Good, joins Anna for a rare chat about the ‘Barking Blondes”. Skipping down memory lane with Matilda, Molly, Mr Binks, and Prudence reminiscing about Barking at the Moon, The Titchmarsh Show, Crufts and other TV, their signatory book and many Radio adventures, not least creating the only radio show for dogs that’s aired on BBC Radio London for 11 years.

 

 

 To listen to the podcast click here 

Find out how crucial a role Independent pet retailers played through Lockdown. Ryan Johnson of Pet Pavilion discusses how they adapted to fulfil customers' needs. Even delivering to the vulnerable. Dogs were the lifeline for so many through Lockdown. We chat about the huge market that is the pet industry. And about the trends to opt for natural healthy options.