Below you will find our video review of the  new PetsatHome.com website, but first lets talk a little about who Pets at Home are and what they have to offer.

Pets at Home was founded in 1991 in Chester.

The business has grown massively since, even acquiring the well established pet retail store Petsmart and going on to introduce companion animal veterinary services.

Pets at Home is still a private company, although owned by venture capital firm Bridgepoint it is rumoured that the company is weighing up a stock market floatation once market conditions improve.

The company has produced solid sales figures year on year, which is particularly interesting in the current climate as Pets at Home has managed to prove the long held belief that the pet industry is virtually recession proof.

Earlier this year, Pets at Home appointed a new multichannel director, tasked with the job of making Pets at Home more of a presence in the highly lucrative online pet products market.

The launch of their new website signal the firm’s intent to establish as recognisable presence in the online pet retail space that is more in step with their offline dominance.

Watch our video review of the all new Pets at Home site

Click here to see the latest offers, deals and discounts from Pets at Home >>

If you would like us to review your pet website, or if you’d like to advertise your site in K9 Magazine and here on DogMagazine.net, please contact us.

The French region of Centre didn’t get its name for nothing. It is right in the middle of France and, as such, is the perfect location for a stop-over on the long journey between north and south, east and west. But that is not the full story. Centre has many charms and attractions
in its own right, and is one of the most popular areas for Britons seeking either an away from it all holiday home, or even a new life in what many would regard as a more genuinely French corner of France than some of the other perhaps better known destinations.

The Accommodation
Le Canard’s owners, Kathy, who comes from Ohio, and Martin, originally from Wiltshire, met while working in the Caribbean and their experiences there are reflected in the warm and vibrant tones of the decor and furnishings, which combine brilliantly with the house’s traditionally French feel. The five bedrooms, all on the first floor, are subtly different, with influences ranging from the West Indies to the French seaside. All have been updated with modern fittings and combine comfort with style and character. Downstairs guests can unwind from the rigours of the road, enjoying a relaxing drink in the garden in summer or toasting their toes before a roaring fire in winter.
When Paws For A Walk arrived in mid-September, stopping off en route from Calais to the Haut Languedoc with border collies Fynn and Jack in tow, Le Canard presented a real haven after seven hours of driving that included the customary battle with Le Peripherique, surely still the worst ring-road in the world. As well as a warm and cheery welcome from Kathy and Martin, Ruby the dog did her best to make Fynn and Jack feel at home, joining in their seemingly endless games of football. Dinner at Le Canard is always a social occasion with guests and hosts sat around the huge, candlelit dining table and enjoying Kathy’s excellent and varied cuisine. Around the table were travellers from far afield as well as Britain, some calling in at Le Canard while on the way home, others, like us, enjoying a break from the long journey south. Paws For A Walk were not the only ones taking advantage of Le Canard’s wonderfully dog friendly outlook. Wally the rescue dog had come all the way from Hong Kong with his Australian owners, and won the hearts of all his fellow guests.

Wildlife and Walks
Le Canard is well-placed for the Brenne National park, the area of 1,000 lakes renowned for its bird-watching opportunities. But you don’t have to leave the garden to enjoy the wildlife. Red squirrels live among the trees there and the pic noir, the characterful, red-capped French woodpecker, is a frequent visitor. The region features plenty of peaceful countryside, with rivers and woodland creating a gentle landscape, ideal for walkers and cyclists.

Le Canard au Parapluie Rouge
3, rue des rollets
36200 Celon
France
Telephone: 33 (0) 254253008
email: info@lecanardbandb.com
website: www.lecanardbandb.com

Reviewed by Paws for a Walk
Telephone: 01233 861337
email : info@pawsforawalk.co.uk
Website : www.pawsforawalk.co.uk

Find more Pet Friendly Hotels

Website review of VioVet @ www.viovet.co.uk

Most people don’t even know you can get your dog’s prescriptions online, never mind save money in doing so. VioVet is a great website where instead of paying high pet shop or vets prices you can simply order the required medicine from their easy to use online chemist. Simply place your order and post them the vet’s prescription. They provide a detailed explanation into their services and quick delivery.

To save to your favourites or browse today, visit www.viovet.co.uk

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Website review of The Giant Pet Store @ www.petshopping.co.uk

No other word could better describe this online pet store, other than…Giant. It is an online extension of the country’s largest family run pet shop The Giant Pet Store. They have everything you can think of when it comes to your dog’s needs. Food, bedding, accessories, the list is endless. They also have a detailed help and advice section to help you with your shopping. Let them extend their family knowledge of everything pet – onto your family.

To save to your favourites or browse today, visit www.petshopping.co.uk

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Website review of Harrington’s Natural Pet Foods @ www.harringtonsdogfood.co.uk

Harringtons Natural Pet Foods are based in North Yorkshire and use the knowledge of 4 generations of milling and pet food manufacturing to bring you their wholesome, complete natural dog food. Their comprehensive and detailed website lets you know the benefits of each ingredient and how it can aid your dog’s health and well-being. Contact them via the website to place an order or find out where is your nearest stockist.

To save to your favourites or browse today, visit www.harringtonsdogfood.co.uk

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To see your website reviewed here, please telephone 0845 163 1238 or email kim@k9media.net

When it comes to buying pet food, higher cost doesn’t always mean higher quality, according to the March issue of Consumer Reports. A higher price could indicate better ingredients and better quality control during and after manufacturing, but it could also just mean prettier packaging, more marketing, or a fancy name. And despite food safety concerns that resulted from a recall of pet food tainted with melamine in 2007, Consumer Reports urges caution for consumers who are considering making their own pet food, a growing trend.

Consumer Reports asked eight experts in dog and cat nutrition at seven top veterinary schools what consumers get by spending more for pet food. They were also asked what they served their own pets: Most of the experts said they use a variety of common brands sold at pet stores or supermarkets.

A recent survey by the Associated Press found that although Americans may be spending less on themselves, they’re not scrimping on their pets. According to the survey, just one in seven pet owners said they had curtailed spending on their pet during the past year, even as they cut back on other expenses.

Thirty-seven percent of U.S. households have dogs, and 32 percent have cats. But because of multi-cat households, felines outnumber canines: As of 2007, there were almost 82 million cats and 72 million dogs.

The bottom line, says Consumer Reports: It’s more important to look for the overall nutrient profile of a particular pet food brand than it is to shop by price or even individual ingredients. “As a pet owner, your main goal is to ensure that your animal is active and healthy,” says Jamie Hirsh, associate health editor at Consumer Reports. “That suggests that the food you’re buying is doing its job. But it’s also important to know that you don’t have to choose the most expensive food to get what’s best for your pet. Look for food labeled ‘complete and balanced,’ which indicates it can be the pet’s sole nourishment.”

Hirsh advises pet owners to look for labels stating that the food’s nutritional adequacy was validated by animal-feeding tests based on protocols from the American Association of Feed Control Officials, a regulatory group. That statement is a step above the other one that AAFCO allows — that a food was formulated to meet the group’s nutrient profiles. “In addition, make sure the package has contact information for the food’s manufacturer, in case you have questions,” Hirsh says.

Consumers should also take into consideration the age of their pet and whether he or she has special needs. For example, cats with kidney or urinary problems might benefit from the moisture in wet food, while animals with dental issues might do better with dry food.

What Pet-Food Labels Really Mean

For pet food, there’s no official definition of organic, human-grade, premium, no fillers, or gourmet. Gluten-free foods are generally necessary only for the tiny percentages of pets that are intolerant of that protein. There’s some evidence that antioxidants — such as vitamin E — and some omega-3 fatty acids might enhance pets’ immunity or help protect against certain diseases, but the experts interviewed by Consumer Reports were split on whether consumers need to look for them.

Consumer Reports recommends that consumers educate themselves about pet food labeling, which is mostly defined by AAFCO, which sets standards for pet food manufacturing.

Here are some examples:

– The 95 percent rule (Beef for Dogs). Named ingredient(s) must account
for a least 95 percent of the product by weight.
– Dinner; also Entree, Formula, Nuggets, Platter, Recipe (Chicken and
Salmon Dinner for Cats). The named ingredients must make up at least
25 percent of the product by weight, not counting water. Each
individual food must make up at least 3 percent.
– “With …” (Gourmet Fillets with Turkey for Dogs). Contains 3 percent
or more of the named ingredient.
– Flavor (Beef flavor). No specific percentage required, but the
product must contain enough of the food to impart the claimed flavor,
or another substance that tastes like it (beef stock, for example).
– Guaranteed analysis. Mandatory guarantee that the food contains the
labeled percentages of crude protein, fat, fiber, and moisture.
– Light, lite, low-calorie. Meets AAFCO limits for a reduced-calorie
diet for overweight dogs and cats. “Lean” and “low-fat” have a
similar meaning for fat.
– Natural. Technically, the food has few or no synthetic ingredients.
But the claim is loosely defined.
– Grain-free. Protein in the product comes from nongrain sources
(perhaps for people who want pets to eat more animal protein). It’s
unclear whether there’s any benefit to a diet high in animal protein.

What Consumers Can Do

Consumer Reports offers the following advice to pet owners:
– Be careful when making your own pet food. Most experts said they
hadn’t seen a pet get sick from inexpensive food; however, half said
they had seen pets become ill from eating homemade pet food, a growing
trend since the 2007 recall of some commercial pet food contaminated
by melamine. Dogs and cats each require about 40 different nutrients
in very specific proportions, so pet owners who insist on making their
own pet food should consider enlisting a nutritionist certified by the
American College of Veterinary Nutrition (www.acvn.org) or get help
from the Web sites www.balanceit.com or www.petdiets.com.
– Consider your pet’s age. Age-specific food is very important for
puppies, kittens, and pregnant pets, who have especially stringent
nutritional needs. Foods labeled either “for growth” or “for all life
stages” meet those needs. Foods “for maintenance” are for healthy
adult animals only. “Senior” is a marketing term, not a nutritional
term.
– Weigh the costs and benefits of wet versus dry food. There’s no
nutritional difference between wet and dry pet food, but there is a
cost difference. Wet foods contain about 75 percent water, so pets
need more to get the same calories, and that makes wet food more
expensive per serving.

Such entrenched views are very real and they exist in the dog world. The ostrich effect, if you will. Stick the head in the sand and ignore the real world, raise your head to see that things have changed but continue to insist that you’re right and everyone else is wrong.

Step forward Our Dogs, the canine newspaper.

Let’s get one thing out in the open right away shall we. It’s bad form for one canine publication to criticise another as there is an obvious conflict of interest that could question the validity and motive for any such claim.

So it’s bad form, OK. That’s a given. Here’s some bad form for you then.

The following is from Our Dogs;

OUR DOGS is calling on all breeders to stand up and be counted under this attack from people who do not seem to appreciate the many thousands of dedicated breeders who have health and good temperament at the heart of their breeding programme.

Make your views known…email letters to the Editor and also email the Dogs Trust and RSPCA with your views.

This call to defend against ‘attack’ is headlined: ‘Show world under attack from RSPCA’. The piece then goes on to ask “Do you feel the RSPCA should be the ones to overhaul rules and registrations or dogs shows?”

Let’s get straight to the point. The RSPCA hasn’t, as far as we’re aware, put itself forward as the ones to overhaul the rules and registrations of dog shows. In fact from the discussions we’ve heard, the RSPCA have been pretty clear in their position of telling the KENNEL CLUB and the show world in general to sort those issues out themselves. The RSPCA has withdrawn from Crufts out of frustration that those changes are not quick enough in coming. They haven’t nominated themselves as the people to get involved in dog show rules. They’ve made a stand on moral grounds, animal welfare grounds, lack of reform grounds.

And for that stand they find themselves being rounded on by the very people whom they aimed their concerns about. How very, very, very predictable. Sad but predictable. Way to miss the point guys!

Let’s tackle the other issue. “this attack from people who do not seem to appreciate the many thousands of dedicated breeders who have health and good temperament at the heart of their breeding programme.” – what utter, utter tosh! Personally I haven’t seen the RSPCA aim a single, solitary word of criticism against GOOD BREEDERS. Not one.

When will these people understand what the problem is? When will they finally get the message that the man in the street, the average dog owner looks at certain things they see happening via the medium of shows like Crufts and they find it highly unpalatable.  Like little Danny, the Pekignese who won Crufts best in show in 2003. The poor little chap could hardly get across the ring and when he was having his winner’s photos taken he had to sit on a bed of ice for fear of overheating. Let me send this message loud and clear: The average dog owner sees that and they flinch.

Nobody is attacking good breeders. Shooting the messenger is absolutely not going to fix the problems that are staring people in the face. The Kennel Club are doing their best to shoot the messenger and now the canine press is hitting out at the RSPCA and accusing them of something they haven’t even done or said.

While people continue to try and defend the indefensible and argue the toss about whether it was the Victorians who are ultimately to blame for the fact that some modern Cavalier King Charles spaniels end up in screaming agony as their brains are pressing against their skulls or whether the RSPCA is trying to muscle in on territory (dog show regulation) where they are clearly not welcome by ‘the locals’ – dogs will go on suffering and certain people will perpetuate the stereotype of some dog folk as weirdos with obsessions that don’t take account of the real world, science or some very, very basic health related fundamentals.

Ask yourself this, who’s side are you on: The right for dogs to live long, happy, healthy lives regardless of what they happen to look like or the right to carry on with outdated ideals that HAVE lead to hundreds of thousands of dogs suffering as a DIRECT result of actions that SOME breeders have taken?

Oh, and accepting that it is bad form to criticise another dog publication I’d better redress the balance somewhat – We have no problems with Dogs Today, in fact you should go out and buy it. There’s room for more than one dog magazine on your shelves.

K9 Magazine is calling on all good breeders to keep doing what you’re doing. And the bad ones, let’s hope you find it harder to have your dogs registered and endorsed by the Kennel Club as you have been doing for too many years.

1. The British Canaan Dog society. A fantastically information packed website dedicated to a wonderful breed.

The site contains all the data, facts and figures you’d expect but also has a knowledge base containing a breed ID quiz as well as articles, images and in depth health information about the breed.

2. Jack-Russell-Terrier.co.uk. No prizes given for guessing what the site’s about but certainly a prize for the website owner who has clearly translated their passion for JRT’s to the web page.

On offer, breed advice, a Jack Russell photo gallery and a nice section on Jack Russell Terriers making news headlines from around the world. If you’re into Russell’s, you MUST know about this site!

3. German Shepherd Helpline. OK, this is not just a good GSD website, it’s just a good website fullstop. Superb array of useful information that will be of interest to experienced GSD enthusiasts and would-be Shepherd owners.

Might not blow you away with a colourful, eye dazzling design but it is rammed with great articles on this incredibly popular dog breed.

4. Chinese Chongqing Dog. You may or may not know about this fascinating dog breed. If you’re not yet familiar with them, then this is the site to visit. It’s a Chinese site but they have a English translation area with loads of information and factoids about the Chongqing Dog.

So fascinated were way about this breed, we profiled them in K9 Magazine issue 23. Truly spectacular dog.

5. Rottweiler dot net. It’s mainly a forum to discuss this – much discussed – dog breed. Knowledgeable Rottweiler owners and breeders on hand to offer advice and discuss all things Rottie related.

Nice site, more a case of quality content and community rather than lots of features, gadgets and graphics.

Well, when I say ‘a little while’ what I actually mean by that is about 14 years.

For some reason this is one of those things that I always put off until next week. Some 728 weeks to be precise.

But why?

I honestly can’t answer that much past the fact that life is busy and something has always, always seemed to crop up ahead of me getting the shots done.

That was until November 2007. As with most things of this nature, having someone put a date in the diary and instruct me that I would be turning up at Venture studios in Nottingham was all that was required. No excuses, no appointments. Just be there, bring dogs, bring self. Even I can do that.

So I did.

And what a mistake. What a huge, huge error on my behalf.

At this point you’re thinking, oh no. What went wrong? What happened that was so bad it made me realise I’d made such a monumental catastrophe?

Well I can tell you, very simply. I really should not have put this off for 14 years. I should have gone and got that set of professional photos done years earlier. And how much do I regret it now? I regret it enough to say that since me putting off this – actually very enjoyable experience – I lost my best friend.

Jackson, my first dog and greatest friend in the world passed away in 2005. It never really hits home just how important images are until they, along with your memories, are all you have left. Everyday I am grateful for the few pictures I took of my beloved Labrador. They sit in their little frames dotted around the house and they bring a smile to face every single day, without exception. How can you even put a price on something like that? How can I ever forgive myself for putting off the opportunity to let a professional capture him on film for evermore?

So now with Chloe (Jackson’s daughter) and Mia, a new addition, myself and Kim arrive at Venture’s swish but warm and friendly studios ready to get some pictures done.

I’ve only ever been in a photo studio once before. I hated it. I hated it because I had better things to be doing, I hated it because I don’t particular like having my picture taken and I hated, ultimately, because the photographer thought he could break me out of my surly, visibly annoyed state of mind by climbing on top of a ladder and serenading me with a squeaky Gordon the Gopher puppet. Far from making me want to crack a smile, it made me want to crack the photographer.

This was real, old school family portrait stuff. All line up in an orderly fashion and stare at the camera (or Gopher) or arrange yourself in a pose which you would never actually find yourself in in real life. I really hated it. I think my distain came across beautifully on the finished photographs as well. I had skillfully managed to ensure I not only wasn’t smiling in any of them, I actually looked positively aggressive. Result. I never wanted them done any way.

So whilst it would be far fetched to say I was anxious when we got down to business at Venture, it would certainly be accurate to report that I was hardly on cloud nine in eager anticipation for what lay ahead.

I shouldn’t have worried. This experience was as far removed from my original experience with a Gopher wielding puppet I actually found myself enjoying the whole thing. And I’m a man who enjoys very little. Very little indeed.

Seeing the dogs in a new environment was fun. What made it better was the fact our photographer, Caroline was so incredibly friendly and skillful the whole experience passed me by without really realising if any pictures actually got taken. I was vaguely aware of some clicking and flashing but my eyes were more firmly fixed to my two dogs who were obviously comfortable enough to play their little hearts out whilst everyone around them looked on.

The result. The images we were able to select from were true representations of my dog’s personalities. Nothing staged, nothing ‘fake’, no Gophers in sight. Just Mia and Chloe looking like Mia and Chloe.

We were given a screening of the best shots Caroline had selected from hundreds and asked to pick our favourites from each pairing of similar images. Wow, that’s a hard job when you’re being asked to ‘remove’ a beautiful image of your much loved dog! Each shot was so well presented, as in fact was the whole screening process, it was obvious to me that we were being looked after by professionals who really love their work. They also happen to be very good at it.

Eventually we got down to a couple of choices. We went for a large, black and white picture which I have since entitled “Mia, featuring others” – the others being myself, Kim and Chloe. Mia is a very (very) dominant personality you see. I don’t even know if she means to be, in fact I often think she tries hard to be a little bit more subtle in the way she goes about things. The problem is, Mia’s version of a subtle is something akin to having Mike Tyson give you a gentle nibble on the ear rather than Chloe’s version of subtle which is more akin to trying to make herself become invisible in a white room.

Mia can’t help being dominant, Chloe can’t help being a little on the camera-shy side. It’s who they are, it’s how they are. And fantastically for us, it’s exactly how Caroline captured them in our photo session.

So if you’re thinking about whether to have your pet’s image and character captured forever, don’t be an idiot like me. Don’t put it off. You’ll never be able to put a price on the sheer joy delivered every single day by being able to look up at a truly professional and eye catching image of your own dog hanging somewhere in your home. I wouldn’t exchange my pictures from Venture for an original from van Gogh. That is how much I will cherish them.

Find your nearest Venture studio

or call 0845 121 1085

On behalf of Kim, myself, Mia, Chloe and K9 Magazine we would like to extend our sincere thanks to Caroline, Paul and everyone at Venture.

a) Dead (see a doctor, really quick, get it checked out)
b) A soulless, walking zombie from another dimension
c) A serial killer

I suppose what I’m getting at is that people who don’t like puppies, don’t like looking at pictures of puppies, or watching videos of puppies, well they really can’t be the same species as me. Puppies, to put it plainly, are one of life’s pure, unadultarated pleasures.

So, what with this new fangled Internet and the even newer invention known as blogging, we can enjoy even more puppies, even more of the time.

So, if you love puppies then you’ll like today’s website review. If you don’t like puppies, either turn yourself into the police and confess to your crimes or go and see a doctor about getting a replacement soul or working pulse.

www.puppy-dogs.com  is packed full of puppy related content.

From puppy training advice to lists of puppy names, the site is dedicated to all things baby dog related.

As it’s presented in a blog style, it’s really easy to navigate and the simplicity of the layout will ensure you lose no time getting to the puppy content of most interest to you.

The site features a new area for breeder (not populated at time of review) and an area for animal shelters.

The main drive of the site is the 50+ articles relating to puppies and dogs in general.

There is also more than 30 tips for puppy owners to enjoy and learn from.

So, if it’s puppies you’re into, whether you’re looking for one or have just got one (lucky you) then consider bounding on over to

Puppy-Dogs.com

1) You’ve opted for an unbearably ‘cutesy’ name. Pawfect Poochy Pampering Palace – that type of thing. Do you know, I’ve actually lost track of how many times I’ve said to people thinking of starting out in the dog eat dog world (see, even I do it) of pet retail, “To be original, try not to be too clever. In fact just try and be different.

Poochy Paws Pet Polo Shirts, isn’t what I’m looking for. It’s too cutesy, too unoriginal. Actually, maybe it is original. In fact, my publishing it here grants my copyright to use it in the future. I digress. The lesson? Strong name. Original concept.

2) You tell me this at the start of your press release: “Hey, your readers will LOVE this”.

Sorry. You’ve managed to get my back up straight away with that kind of crazy talk. If you knew what my readers would love, you’d be doing my job. Even the tiniest change will get your press release through my screening procedure on this front. Have a got at this: “Hey, I have read your magazine and I think your readers might be interested in this”.

Much better. Editors are a grumpy sort and their readers are on their minds day and night. It’s a real annoyance to be told what they will “love” when we spend every waking hour scratching our heads and sweating about what we hope they will mereley enjoy, let alone love.

3) You visibly copy in every other dog publication on the face of the known Universe and start with ‘Dear Editor’. You’ve lost me.

So, you are probably wondering what this pet marketing masterclass has to do with anything?

Well, occassionally we get to see a company and a website who demonstrate how things should be done.

Oh My Dog Supplies. Excellent name. I’ll remember it.

What do they do?

Well, they are an

“Upscale US dog supplies store that features high quality designer items that aren’t sold in local pet stores. We specialize in dog beds, dog feeders, dog bowls, and dog car seat covers“

Again, excellent. I know instantly what they do and what’s on offer if I visit their website. Which I did. And, it’s another lesson in how pet retailing online should be done. Fantastically easy to navigate, really easy on the eyes and top notch range of up-market pet products. Impressive stuff. If you are a US resident dog owner, pay a visit to www.ohmydogsupplies.com – you won’t be dissapointed.