Anna's Blog

This week Anna catches up with old friends at the first live Crufts in two years.

We talk to competitors, exhibitors, experts, sponsors, visitors about their dogs and about what makes the biggest dog show in the world quite so exciting.

This week Anna is joined by Singer-Songwriter, Chris Amoo. Famous for being the lead singer in the band British Soul group, The Real Thing, Chris has always had a passion for dogs, particularly hounds.

His love of Afghan Hounds led him to start competing at dog shows, and to even scoop the highest doggy accolade Best In Show at Crufts in 1987 with his Afghan Hounds called Viscount Grant.

This week Anna is joined by Kerry Taylor, Education Manager, at The Blue Cross talking about the charity’s 125th anniversary.

As a milestone highlighting the work the organisation has achieved across two World Wars and recently through the pandemic.

This week Anna is joined by Police Dog Handler, Dave Wardell and his daughter Tia. Aged only 12 Tia could be the youngest dog trainer in the world! Running into Christmas in 2021 , Tia decided to launch Top Kids Club a series of videos called 25 tricks to train before Christmas.

Highlighting short training sessions with her own dog, rescued French Bulldog, Harper. Tia could be a chip off the old block, but as Dave explains, she’s be a natural around dogs in their home since a toddler.

This week Anna is joined by Rebecca Walters who is chatting about the amended and updated DEFRA guidance notes that accompany The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018.

And her course 

The new guidelines were announced on February 1st 2022. As a breeder of Sproodles, Rebecca prides herself on the highest health and welfare standards and ethical breeding of her dogs.

To kick off the New Year Anna is joined by Trainer & Behaviourist, Victoria Stilwell, all the way from Atlanta. With Victoria’s second series of It’s Me Or The Dog being aired, we chat about this and the landmark first series that aired in the UK in 2005.

Victoria explains that the doggy problems are the same as they were in the first series, but more intense as our lives have changed, not least because of the pandemic. If trained dogs are happy dogs, they make for happier pet parents! Victoria champions the term ‘teaching’ over ‘training, and about empowering pet parents with the skills to get the best out of your dog.