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From frail old men looking for a four-legged companion to famous folk who’ve lost their favourite hound, it seems that at some point everyone passes through Battersea’s doors. Amongst the clamour of thousands of lost pets crying ‘Rescue Me!’ and the noise of the railway lines above, Melissa found she had come home.

The first dog Melissa fell for was Tulip, a sweet, elderly and somewhat dotty mongrel who decided a solo bus ride into the West End might be fun. Next up was Roscoe: found by the ambulance team with his dead owner, he is rehabilitated with a little help from his master’s hat. And then – many, many dogs later – there is Gus. With his owner in jail, Melissa finally finds the dog she is to take home as her own.

Heart-warming and compulsively readable, Rescue Me is Melissa’s memoir of her fifteen years at Britain’s most-loved dogs’ home.

Their remarkable story is told in ENDAL – How One Extraordinary Dog Brought a Family Back from the Brink. This heart-warming book tells how a puppy who had nearly failed training as an assistance dog on health grounds came to be voted ‘Dog of the Millennium’ and how, through his remarkable skills, companionship and unstinting devotion, he gave Allen Parton a reason to live again.

Told through the eyes of both Allen and his loyal wife Sandra, the book covers the years after Allen’s accident and before Endal’s arrival when Allen’s brain injury left him bewildered and confused, unable to return to the Navy job he loved, and refusing to come to terms with his disabilities. Allen twice tried to commit suicide during this period such was his despair.

Sandra was a nurse so thought she could cope when her seriously injured husband was sent home but nothing prepared her for looking after a man who bore so little resemblance to the warm, funny, loving man she had married. He shared none of her memories and was unable to think of anyone but himself leaving her virtually alone to bring up their two children, making ends meet and keeping her husband alive.

When by chance Allen encountered Endal and the two ‘adopted’ each other the determined Labrador gave Allen back his independence. The dog learnt over 200 commands to help his master complete everyday tasks such as getting dressed and going out to the shops in his wheelchair, but more importantly Endal was the reason for Allen to communicate with the outside world, and to once more become a caring husband and father. ENDAL is their inspiring story.

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The American Humane Association and 20th Century Fox have launched a public-awareness campaign about the increased relinquishment of specific breeds of animals after they have been featured in blockbuster movies. Too many dogs are given up after reality sets in about how much responsibility or care they require, or that their needs are diametrically different than the person or families who acquired them.

American Humane and 20th Century Fox want people to know that when it comes to getting a pet, they should consider adopting from the millions of animals that end up in shelters each year.

“American Humane is working collaboratively with 20th Century Fox on vital animal issues and we’re particularly excited about our combined efforts to raise national awareness about the importance of adopting animals from shelters and breed-rescue groups,” said Marie Belew Wheatley, president and CEO of American Humane.

The main dog that plays “Marley” in the film is, himself, a dog from a rescue – proving that great dogs can be found at our nation’s shelters. In the movie, “Marley” chews, shreds and wreaks havoc, but his unconditional love inspires.

American Humane points out that the antics in the movie Marley & Me are not far from the truth for most puppies and young adult dogs.

“In the case of the dog in Marley & Me, what you see is what you might get,” said Wheatley. “It’s important for potential pet owners to keep this in mind when deciding whether to adopt a dog.”

When adopting an animal, American Humane suggests people research specific dog breeds to ensure the new pet will fit their lifestyle. Before adopting a Labrador, American Humane encourages people to determine whether a Lab is right for them.

Labrador Facts:

– Labs are the most popular breed in the U.S.
– They can develop slowly and continue puppy-like behavior even past age
two.
– Labs can be wonderful companion dogs for active families.
– Many animal shelters and rescues have a large variety of Lab mixes
available for adoption.
– Black Labs and Lab mixes tend to be adopted less often than other
dogs.
– Labs are multi-talented and can excel in animal-assisted therapy,
swimming, retrieving and much more.

American Humane is designated by the Screen Actors Guild as the only animal welfare organization with on-set jurisdiction. Throughout the filming of Marley & Me, an American Humane Certified Animal Safety Representative(TM) monitored the animal action. The movie’s safe use of animals has earned it American Humane’s “Monitored: Outstanding” rating and the “No Animals Were Harmed”(R) end-credit disclaimer.

Marley & Me stars Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston, Eric Dane and Alan Arkin. It was directed by David Frankel, from the screenplay by Scoot Frank and Don Roos, based upon the best-selling book by John Grogan. The producers are Karen Rosenfelt and Gil Netter.

Forming part of the Government’s “National Year of Reading”, the competition invites every UK primary child aged 5-11 years old to read any book they wish – and write a review of it.  During the launch Darren & Julia asked teachers & parents to support the campaign by encouraging children to participate.

The campaign, which is being run in association with Headteacher Update magazine will run until 17th May.  On 20th June the best 40 reviews (20 per age group) will be shortlisted and the public will then be able to vote for the ones they think are best, with the winners being announced on 1st July.  The winners will receive a range of prizes consisting of family days out, book tokens, cinema tickets and iPOD vouchers.  The schools who teach the winning children will also pick up a cheque of £1,000.  Full details about the campaign will be available after 21st February 2008 on the official competition website, www.nobbytravels.com/Bookreview.

Nobby Travels was made famous by Darren in October 2007 when he appeared on the popular BBC entrepreneurs show, Dragons’ Den.  Since appearing on the show, the couple have had a very successful time, and on 18th January 2008 found out that their publishing company, Weird Grape Ltd, had been shortlisted to win the most “Innovative Publisher of the Year” award by the Independent Publishers Guild (IPG).  The IPG were particularly impressed with the efforts the couple had gone to to work effectively with the Primary School network and considered their approach very original.  The winner will be announced on 8th March 2008.

During the launch, Darren explained that since launching Nobby Travels last November and speaking to a number of teachers, parents and children about reading the couple wanted to do something quite special to encourage more children to read and felt a National Children’s Book Review competition was the best way to motivate schools and encourage parents to put reading back at the top of their agenda.  He reiterated how important reading is and said that although the competition will help raise the profile of reading and start a wider debate, we need to be thinking of new ways to make reading more interesting and accessible for children.  He continued by saying teachers, parents and publishers all need to embrace the new technological advances and integrate them into a reading environment.

Entry forms for the 2008 Nobby Travels Children’s Book Review competition are available to download from www.nobbytravels.com/Bookreview.  Details can also be found in the Feb/March edition of Headteacher Update

Over the 150 years covered by the book, dogs appear centre stage in both formal studio portraits and as part of relaxed family groups.  Most of the photographs come from private family albums and have never been published before.

With the advent of photography and the development of the hand-held camera, proud owners could record favourite animals at work, rest and play. Dogs are seen riding in carriages, on board the royal yacht, on guard duty at Windsor Castle and in the arms of monarchs, consorts, princes and princesses. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were patrons and collectors of photography, and several members of the Royal Family were gifted amateur photographers.  Queen Alexandra, consort of King Edward VII, exhibited her work and did much to popularise the medium.  Her son Prince Alfred shared his mother’s interest and took a series of photographic self-portraits in 1864 with his Scotch terrier. 

As pets or working animals, dogs came into the possession of the Royal Family through many different routes. Quarry, a Russian dog, was brought back for Queen Victoria from Sebastopol by British troops serving in the Crimean War. Looty, another gift to the Queen, was probably the first Pekingese dog to arrive in Britain. King Edward VII’s Samoyed was a present from the German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, while Vassilka and Alex, the first Borzois in the royal kennels, were presented by Tsar Alexander III of Russia.  Skippy, on the other hand, was rescued from Battersea Dogs Home by Prince Leopold, son of Queen Victoria. 

The Royal Family has been responsible for popularising many unusual breeds in England. Queen Victoria brought back Marco, a Pomeranian, from a visit to Italy in 1888 and at one time had 35 of the breed in the royal kennels. In 1891 she showed six of the dogs at Cruft’s – Fluffy, Nino, Mino, Beppo, Gilda and Lulu. A Pomeranian called Turi often     accompanied the Queen on her carriage drives in the last years of her life and was at her side when she died.  The Japanese Chin, which had been introduced from Japan in the 1880s, became a favourite breed of Queen Alexandra, as were Papillons and Pekingese.  She was also well known for the Borzoi dogs that were bred at Sandringham and regularly entered them into competitions. 

Her Majesty The Queen is among the world’s leading breeders of Pembroke corgis. The first royal corgis, Dookie and Jane, were bought for the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose by their parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.  A series of charming photographs taken at Windsor and in London in 1936 shows Princess Elizabeth’s affectionate relationship with the dogs.  All of The Queen’s corgis are descendants of Susan, who was given to the Princess as an 18th-birthday present in 1944.  Her Majesty currently has nine dogs: five corgis and four dorgis (a dachshund and corgi cross).

Photographs reveal the deep devotion shared by generations of dogs and their royal owners.  Queen Victoria’s spaniel, Dash, was buried at Windsor with an epitaph that read: His attachment was without selfishness, His playfulness without malice, His fidelity without deceit. READER, if you would live beloved and die regretted, profit by the example of DASH. In a particularly tender image from 1863, Boy, the Queen’s favourite dachshund, is shown a few days before his death, watched over by a concerned housekeeper.  King Edward VII’s terrier, Caesar, accompanied his master everywhere. He wore a collar with the inscription ‘I am Caesar. I belong to the King’ and was even immortalised in a tiny sculpture by the famous Russian jeweller, Carl Fabergé.  Caesar achieved widespread fame on the King’s death in 1910, when the inconsolable dog walked behind his master’s coffin in the funeral procession. 

Many of the photographs show the Royal Family at play with their pets.  Prince Wilhelm of Prussia (Queen Victoria’s eldest grandson and the future German Kaiser) and the young Princess of Wales (the future Queen Alexandra) are seen teaching a dog the trick of ‘sit up and beg’.  

An image of 1895 records the Duke of York (later King George V) smiling fondly at a pug wrapped in a coat and wearing a scarf on its head.  In 1883 Spot the fox terrier posed for the camera while apparently smoking a pipe, and in 1896 Sammy the poodle demonstrated his acrobatic skills by balancing on two chairs, holding a stick in his mouth.

Noble Hounds and Dear Companions, by Sophie Gordon, Curator of the Royal Photograph Collection, will be available from Royal Collection shops at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse, from www.royalcollection.org.uk and all good bookshops.