It's coming up to that time of the year again: holidays!  Those who are organised will have booked many months ago; others will perhaps be searching for last minute bargains.  But what about the dog?  If you are planning on taking him to the continent for the first time, do check that all your paperwork is in order - and spare a thought for the heat.  UK dogs are not used to Mediterranean sun!  Or perhaps you are holidaying in the UK and taking  the dog with you - in which case, you need to check just how welcome he will be.  For example, in most of the Lake District he will need to be on a lead.

But for some dogs, a holiday involves a spell in the kennels while others may stay in their own homes accompanied by a paid sitter.  Both of these last two options can be expensive and a recent survey suggested that an increasing number of people are forgoing a holiday because of the cost of dog care.  A small percentage admitted that they had not left the UK on holiday for at least five years - because of their dog(s), either because of the cost or because they felt guilty at leaving them.

This morning I was walking my dogs in the peace of Dunwich Forest when suddenly I heard the sound of a pack of dogs.  Moments later a team of six huskies appeared pulling a quad bike!  Of course it would have looked even more impressive if there had been deep snow but it was still a sight to gladden the heart.  Regular readers of my blog will know how much I urge people to DO something with their dogs - whatever the breed.  Although the exact ancestry is unknown, the Siberian husky was developed by the nomadic Chukchi people of north east Asia as a sledge dog.  But it was in 1925 when they achieved their moment of fame: teams of huskies raced 340 miles to the diptheria-stricken twon of Nome - and a statue in their honour stands in the park.  It is a breed that is adventurous, stubborn, active and clever that loves to run and chase, and will roam, given half a chance.  This is NOT a dog for an urban life! They crave human and canine compansionship and if left to their own devices in a city flat may well turn destructive and/or aggressive.

On the same day that I saw these huskies in their element, I read that an increasing number of "wolf-type" dogs are ending up in rescue centres as owners find they are expensive to feed, difficult to control and need a lot of exercise.  It's a timely reminder: do your research into the breed BEFORE you buy!

If you logged into the site recently, you may have been surprised to find it had changed.  This was because we were experiencing server problems and decided to set up a new website with a new server.  This has not gone quite as planned - so we are back to the old familiar website and everything is back running normally.

I read a delightful story in the paper yesterday about a couple who had installed a stair lift for their dachsunds!  The dogs have always slept upstairs but they were finding it increasingly difficult so their devoted owners installed the lift and then trained them to get on and off it.  The dogs now glide upstairs with ease!  And, as their owners pointed out, one day they may need to use the chair as well so it's money well spent.