Feeding Cerrig Darling's...

Ahhhhh! What can I say? Except, perhaps, a huge thank you to Eileen Clayton for sending us this wonderful, wonderful photo. We are exceptionally proud to be feeding the new Clayton puppies, as you may imagine.

Why dogs bite people

Hounds for Heroes Fundraiser 22nd May

This is being organised by Annette Bowcott of Hamble Hounds Dog Training School on 023 8001 1439 if you want to ask her about it. Looks like it will be an entertaining day out and an excellent cause, too.

NEW Secret Royal Wedding Photos

Enzo Leach - one of the famous Spinone Boys - fed, I might say, by Darling's - caught in secret Royal Wedding drama.

10 best positions in bed

I know, I know, this is very silly but lovely Elaine sent me this as an email and - well - I just couldn't resist posting them. Sigh.

Domestication may have been quicker than we think...

There's an intriguing article in the March edition of National Geographic exploring the whole subject of the domestication of wild animals with lots of examples including chickens, pigs and sheep. The but that fascinated me, however, was the section about an experiment involving silver foxes that began in 1959. Researchers in Siberia bred foxes to encourage a single behaviour: friendliness towards humans. Over the next few generations the foxes behaved more and more like domesticated dogs. By the second generation aggressive response to humans began to disappear, by the fourth the kits (puppies) were wagging their tales and approaching humans voluntarily as well as allowing themselves to be carried and by the sixth generation they were completely accepting of humans and would lick them. Interestingly, from the 9th generation onwards the foxes began to change their outer appearance. That is to say their ears became floppier, their coats began to change colour, their tails started to curl and became shorter. These are all things that make dogs appear appealingly juvenile to humans. The researchers believe that some animals and not others carry genes that predispose them to be more easily domesticated. This sort of makes sense and explains why all sorts of animals have remained wild, while others have been successfully domesticated. The experiments suggest that it probably didn't take very long - perhaps as little as 20 years - for wild wolves to become tame dogs some 15,000 years ago.

More about Pet Plus

When I wrote about PetPlus a few weeks ago Suzi McIntyre tried to add a comment and it got lost somewhere in space and ever since I have been meaning to update the posting but actually it probably makes more sense just to copy and paste what she said:

And I do recommend Pet Plus with raw food in healthy dogs and cats, because the raw food we feed does not contain the whole 'prey' animal. The guts contain probiotics, prebiotics and digestive enzymes which are of enormous benefit to our carnivorous pets. I am always getting comments from committed raw food feeders saying how much better their dog / cat is since adding the Pet Plus. Even our dear friend Ros Walters, a brilliant canine nutritionist, has found a vast improvement in her dogs' health since adding the Pet Plus. So it's definitely not just for sick dogs and cats. The aim is to prevent them getting sick in the first place! Feeding raw on its own is only part of the job.

Just to say I hope you will support Naturally Happy Dogs a new online video magazine that has recently been launched. It is early days yet but they have endeared themselves to me because one of the first programmes they made was about raw feeding.

In rememberance of Freya Brian

We had the honour of feeding a very, very special dog for the last few months. Her name was Freya, her dates were 24/12/2003 - 25/03/2011 and she was a lovely, lovely mother. Tracey, who looked after her, said: 'She was always very photogenic, gleaming coat - we never used fancy coat preparations - it was all down to good food, healthy lifestyle, being a fit dog & lots of love & attention & of course, being a happy dog!' Anyway, as you can see from the shots she was stunningly beautiful and we were very sorry to hear (only a few days ago) that she had given up her fight with cancer. Our heartfelt condolences to her family.

Photo: Sam at Farlap

Swedegate! How a vegetable has nearly brought us to our knees.

They look innocent enough, don't they? Swedes. But they have been the bane of our existence for the last few days. In our enthusiasm to use only fresh, local, seasonal vegetables a few weeks ago we decided to include swede in some of our recipes.

The thing about swede is that it has a strong smell and flavour and although most of our canine customers have been fine with it, a few have said to us (in dog language, of course): �It may be good for me, but I still don�t like it.� Hopefully, you won�t have encountered this problem, but if you have (and we don�t yet know about it) please get in touch so that we can put things right for you.

We won�t, I hasten to add, be using swede again!

We are happy to recommend Pet Plus

If we had to recommend one all round food supplement it would be Pet Plus. I'll outline why we like this particular product so much in a moment. First, I want to just explain that a healthy dog on a raw food diet won't need supplements (although some owners might take the attitude that they are an aid to good health and can't do any harm). What about dogs that are ill, have recently been ill or lack energy? Here the story is very different. The right supplement can make a marked difference to a dog's wellbeing and vitality. There are plenty of products on the market but the one we have always favoured (initially because our Chief Veterinary Surgeon recommended it and later from personal experience) is Pet Plus. The reason is that it contains high quality, whole food based ingredients. These are:

Enzymes
Pet Plus contains Protease for protein digestion, Amylase for carbohydrate digestion, Lipase for fat digestion and ProCerelase for the digestion of vegetation.

Probiotics
Lactobacillus Acidophillus is one of the best probiotics for dogs. It colonizes the gut easily, creates an environment that discourages pathogens and does not transfer antibiotic resistance, unlike some other probiotics.

Prebiotics
Alfalfa, Kamut wheat grass and barley grass have been pulverized and juiced then carefully dried so that all those fabulous nutrients, which would otherwise be hidden inside the cells, are preserved without chemicals and readily available to your dog. The beet root fibre is also a great source of fibre. Together, these four ingredients are an essential support for the probiotics and provide an enormous number of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.

Safflower And Flax Seed
Excellent sources of essential fatty acids, safflower and flax seed supplies the perfect balance of omega 3 and 6 for your dog. They are also rich sources of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients and support the probiotics.

Brewers Yeast and Garlic
Repelling parasites is the main role of the brewers yeast and garlic. They are also a source of B vitamins and many other important nutrients.

Another thing we like about Pet Plus is that it has been formulated by Susanna McIntyre a naturopathic vet based in South Wales and it is possible to buy it from her direct. Anyway, if you have been wondering whether your dog needs a bit of a boost then this could be the answer.

Crufts may be sponsored by other dog food companies but Darling's feeds the winners!

Heartiest congratulations to Banrigh for winning Best in Breed and also, of course, to Elise Cartmell and Rob Horsfield who are his - um - support team. Eukanuba may sponsor Crufts but - not wishing to brag or anything - we feed the winner! V.Holloway/The Kennel Club photograph.

Interested in Staffordshire Bull Terriers? Visit this site...

If you are keen on Staffordshire Bull Terriers then you'll find tons and tons of information on the Staffordshire Bull Terrier World site. Just thought I would let you know!

Why not enter the Rescue Remedies photo competition?

This is such a silly photo I couldn't resist using it even though its connection to this post's subject matter is exceedingly tenuous (when I googled for an image of a rescue dog this is what came up).

It is my proud boast that so far we haven't had to turn down a single request by a canine charity or welfare organisation looking for a fundraising prize. One such charity is Rescue Remedies - a small, effective, ethical rehoming organisation well deserving of support. At the moment they are running a photo competition and I hope that you will take time to enter.

Rescue Remedies has been rescuing dogs in the Surrey area since 2002 and is currently looking after around 60 or 70 dogs. They do not have a 'centre' but are internet based.This is what they say on their website: We are very small and don't have staff or a call centre, just a few dedicated volunteers processing applications and liaising with families.

You will find tons of information on their website or email enquiries@rescueremedies.co.uk

We're getting ready for Crufts!

A quick note to let you know that we will be at Crufts again this year. For me it is a bit like the way my children sometimes count '1,2, skip a few, 99, 100'. I was there several times as a puppy (as it were) in the 1960s and then not again until last year. A lot had changed in the interim. The first time I went was to watch Alison (who brought me up) compete in the obedience class. 1964? I remember it was all - well - black and white. A bit like the photo above. I mean, look at the table and the friendliness of the place. How I wish it was still the same. Innocent. Now, although I love meeting our customers and spreading the word about raw feeding, I consider it pretty close to the seven circles of hell. I am a country boy and hate crowds. I mean, there isn't even anywhere to sit down with a cup of tea. Still, for all my reservations I know I will have a fantastic time. Indeed, my real regret is that the brilliant restaurant we found last year - Matthew's - has closed. The chef was a genius and I only wish I could discover where he has gone to. Anyway, if you are going to be at the NEC in the week ahead please, please come and say hello...

Minnie puts on weight, thanks to Darling's!

A really cheery email from Minnie's best friend: 'I have to share something v exciting with you - she has put on 200g in weight since being on Darling's! This is amazing as I've always struggled to get weight on her....it's monumentally exciting! Her coat is also more shiny than before.' So, as you may imagine, we are all feeling pretty pleased this evening! (Rather a stunning looker, isn't she?!).

Thank you card received from a grateful customer (Anne Keane, to be precise)...

Eric, Enzo & Rossi - The Spinone Boys

Every few weeks we get an email from Eric, Enzo and Rossi aka The Spinone Boys and there are always photos and - well - they always make us laugh - so here are their St. Valentine day shots, which are amongst my favourites...

Nick Thompson and the Healthy Beast 'Small Animal Raw Food Nutrition' Course on the 24th September

If you would like to know more about raw feeding then put Saturday 24th September in your diary and get in touch with the organisers Healthy Beast (great name, isn't it? Their number is 01869 349955). The course is being given by Nick Thompson. The letters after Nick's name run on forever - BSc (Hons) Path. Sci., BVM&S, VetMFHom, MRCVS - but we know him as one of the best and most enlightened vets in the country. He is a keen proponent of raw feeding (well, he would be, come to think of it) and a brilliant homeopath, as well. He is one of a handful of vets who we really trust. Not only does he know his stuff, but he is a brilliant speaker, too. I have not come across the organisers before but looking at their website they seem to run an equine facility in Oxfordshire that specialises in looking after horses with health issues and they also make a range of herbal/oil based products for horses and dogs - some medical, some not. They offer quite a few courses and, all in all, it looks pretty impressive. Anyway, I am sure Nick wouldn't be working with them if he didn't think they were good at what they do. The main website for the organisers is Natural Healthcare Services for Animals.

Hurrah for agile Orla

I just had to post this photo of Orla the Wonder Agility Dog from St. Albans whose sporting career is closely watched by all in the office because she seems - well - such a cheerful, enthusiastic, willing dog. Penny, who lives with her, has just set up an agility training school in St. Albans and if you are interested in attending let me know and I will fish out details. Meanwhile, good luck to Orla (whose full name is Orla Nothing!).