National Puppy Day is on March 23 and is a day to celebrate the magic and unconditional love that puppies bring to our lives. It's also a day to help save homeless puppies across the globe and raise awareness about the dark nature of puppy mills and backyard breeding practices by choosing to adopt not shop. Unfortunately I believe some people are still getting a...

If you are a regular reader of this blog and website, you would see many examples of dogs doing amazing things to help people in the community. The MacKillop Family Services PawPals program is another example of this. MacKillop Family Services supports at-risk children living in Melbourne’s west to engage in education through its Specialist Schools and education outreach services. Education is the cornerstone of...

Parts of Australia have seen a deluge of rain over the past week causing  thunderstorms, floods and damage in many areas. Whilst we lament about our soggy feet or inconvenience, our pets are often highly stressed during wild weather so it is important we help them feel safe during thunderstorms. The tips below will not only help in any  storms to come, but these tips...

In this coming weekend’s episode of Pooches at Play, I visit the Victorian headquarters for Guide Dogs Australia and learn more about how Guide Dogs can help change lives We often don’t think about the isolation or frustration that people with blindness or low vision can feel in their daily lives. That’s where a Guide Dog and white cane can help to provide independence and...

Understanding dog food labels is a tricky business.  It's not the same as human nutrition labels and, more often than not, words on pet food labels can be misinterpreted and marketing claims misleading. Luminer.com recently conducted a survey to determine where pet owners get stumped the most when decoding or understanding dog food labels. Although an overwhelming 92% of respondents in a survey said that...

If you have seen the movie Oddball then you’ll know how the beautiful Maremma dogs ended up becoming guardians of the Warrnambool Middle Island Penguin Colony. If you don’t, the short story is that a local chicken farmer, Swampy Marsh, suggested Maremma guardian dogs could be used to protect the local colony of penguins that were under threat from foxes during the breeding season, after...

You would have to be living under a rock to not be aware of the devastation that is being caused by the bushfires raging across Australia.  If your heart is breaking like mine at the thought of all the Australian wildlife losing their life or suffering injuries, I would like to urge you to donate to the PETstock Assist Bushfire Relief. With estimates of one...

Whilst bush fires ravage many parts of Australia, now more than ever we need to become vigilant about how we prepare and respond to the hot days ahead of us and understand the importance of keeping pets cool in the heat. I am often dismayed at how many people do not think about how pets suffer in the heat and are not adequately protecting them...

New Year’s Eve is a time of celebration with millions of people across the country enjoying the many fireworks displays that will light up our skies. Unfortunately for the hundreds and thousands of pets that are exposed to fireworks during the Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations,  and again over Australia Day, this is the most terrorising time of the year that results in a...

Filming Pooches at Play has enabled me to see first hand just home dogs are helping people connect in their local community more than ever, and the important role they play in helping people overcome loneliness, isolation and anxiety. This is not surprising of course, as there is an ever growing amount of research being done that shows the positive impact pets have on our...