I am an ardent supporter of the charity Canine Partners which provides dogs to help the disabled by carrying out a wide range of tasks - as well as giving vital psychological support.  The breeds most commonly used are Labradors and Golden Retrievers - although these are sometimes crossed - because of their temperament, their height (ideal for working with wheelchairs) and because they have a natural retrieving instinct (vital for getting the washing out of the machine for example).  

Over the years the dogs have come from known breeders but demand is such (last year more than 500 people made enquiries) that CP is now starting its own breeding programme.  The puppies go to volunteers at eight weeks for basic training and socialising and then they undertake several months advanced training at one of the charity's centres in Leicestershire and Sussex.  The new owner spends two weeks there, being trained themselves and getting to know the dog.

It costs £20,000 to buy, train and maintain a dog for its full working life and Canine Partners receives no givernment funding.  You can sponsor a puppy or help in other ways; go to www.caninepartners.org.uk to find out more.

I am not the sort of owner who even remembers her dogs' birthdays, let alone celebrates them.  But when Titus turned 13 today I felt it deserved some special recognition - partly because flat coats are plagued with cancer with an average life span of only 9 years and also because just 2 years ago, he was diagnosed with a brain tumour.  So here he is eyeing up his yummy birthday cake - made with chicken, liver, carrots, apples, garlic and eggs and "iced" with cream cheese and yogurt!  Happy 13th birthday Titus!

We are all familiar with humans being left or right handed but did you know that some dogs also show a preference?  Research on 270 dogs at Sydney University found that 15% used their right paw in getting food inside a tube, 15% used their left and the remainder had no preference.  More recently a study at University of Adelaide on 75 dogs found that around a third were left-pawed, a third right-pawed with the remainder ambidexterous.  More interestingly, it has been suggested that left-pawed dogs are more aggressive, nervy and noise-phobic.  The failure rate in training programmes for organisations such police dog units and Guide Dogs for the Blind can be as high as 50% and researchers argue that if paw preference is used as a predictor from the outset, a great deal of time and money could be saved. 

Or is the answer simpler?  Do dogs just mirror their owners?  For example, if you are right handed and give most of your hand signals with that hand is your dog more likely to be left-pawed?

Have you noticed any prefrence with your own dog(s)?  Mine appear to be completely ambilateral - ie able to use both paws equally - whether it is getting food out of something or the first step forward.