The bumper December issue of Dogs Monthly
goes on sale 3 November.
Inside you’ll find…

Let’s hear it for dogs! 
How our canine friends 
increase people’s health and happiness.  
Dogs Trust at Christmas 
Spotlight on the charity’s seasonal campaign plus a FREE ‘A dog is for life, not just for Christmas’ car sticker for every reader! 
Focus on terriers All about these feisty, fun little fellows.
Hi-tech nutrition Significant developments in feeding.
Have a vet-free Christmas Timely tips for caring dog owners. 
Win tickets to see The Wizard of Oz – or a crystal collar like Toto’s!
Pet portrait prize draw Your chance to win a beautiful painting of your dog.
Giveaways galore Books, toys, collars, cushions,
pet tags and keepsakes all up for grabs.
Training & behaviour Teaching a dog to ‘leave’.
Doggy DIY Crafty Christmas stockings for you and your pooch.
In praise of rescue Rehoming centres in the Irish Republic. 
Elbow dysplasia Expert advice on diagnosis, treatment and care.
Could your dog be a screen star? What’s involved in being a canine extra.  
In the dock with your dog Our new series looks at the law regarding dogs that bite.  
Breed focus The rich red, flamboyant Irish Setter. 
Search and rescue dogs Meet three life-saving hounds.  
Gear we rate Pet products put through their paces.  
Matching pairs Research on canine assessment in welfare centres.  
Real homes for real friends A heartwarming winter’s tale. 
Trail hounds Doggy days out in glorious Cumbria.  
Lucky to be alive How one reader’s dog beat campylobacter. 
Waggy dog tales for Christmas A handful of fun festive stories.
Philip Treacy The Royal wedding milliner explains why Jack Russell Terriers are the best. 
Husky power What’s it’s like to run a team of sled dogs. 
A-Z of home remedies First aid for injuries.  
K9 Queries All answered by experts in their field on: care, health, training, legal, insurance, grooming, breeding & puppy care, behaviour, feeding and veterinary.
PLUS Many more entertaining and informative articles on all things dog!

The deadline for grant applications to this year’s Pedigree Adoption Drive has been extended to Monday 7 November 2011. Rescue homes that are members of the Association of Dogs and Cats Homes (ADCH) are invited to apply for grants to fund the refurbishment of dilapidated kennel blocks, improve veterinary facilities, provide surgical equipment and so on. The annual campaign seeks to raise funds and awareness for the thousands of homeless and abandoned dogs across the UK.  
     Grant applications can be made by downloading a form from www.pedigreeadoptiondrive.com and posting it to The Petplan Charitable Trust. Rescues that are not yet members of the ADCH can apply now for consideration, so they can still submit their grant applications in time.

Stop press! The Kennel Club has launched a competition to name these seven adorable German Shepherd Dog puppies for the West Midlands Police. You’ll need to think fast though as entries close at midday on Friday 28 October 2011. 
     Dog lovers are being asked to submit names beginning with the letter ‘R’ for each of the five-week old pups – four dogs and three bitches – born to parents Cassie and Bach. All are part of the Kennel Club Assured Breeder Scheme, which is the benchmark for responsible breeders in the UK.     
     The pups will be placed with volunteers next week to help them become socialised. They will then go through several assessments to see if they are suitable, before being paired with an officer to start training at 15 months old.
     To submit ideas for their names (there are no prizes, by the way, just the glory of naming a pup!) visit www.thekennelclub.org.uk/assuredbreederscheme 
before 12pm on Friday.

As 5 November approaches, the Scottish SPCA is calling for animal lovers to join its appeal to the UK and Scottish governments to tighten the laws on the sale and use of fireworks. Fireworks cause great distress to domestic pets, horses, farm animals and wildlife and every year animals are injured, sometimes severely.
      The Scottish SPCA is concerned that the current legislation allows fireworks to be set off on any day of the year and believes their use should be limited to major festival periods and licensed fireworks displays. This would at least give pet owners and farmers the chance to make adequate provision for their animals.
     At the charity’s website www.scottishspca.org 
you can find out more about the campaign, download template letters to send to your MP or MSP and order a poster to display in your local community that highlights the dangers of fireworks and lack of adequate legislation.

All this week, Battersea Dogs & Cats Home is running a series of free dog tag engraving events. Tag A Dog Week runs from 24-28 October and is aiming to tackle the problem of the thousands of dog owners who flout the law on pet identification by failing to provide their dogs with a collar and tag.
     Only 2 per cent of dogs coming into the charity’s rescue centres this year have been wearing a collar and ID that displays the owner’s contact details – a legal requirement under the Control of Dogs Order 1992. Without any form of identification, it is virtually impossible to trace a stray dog’s owner.
     Tag A Dog Week has been launched in partnership with the RSPCA and local authorities. Free tag-engraving events will be taking place across London in Lewisham, Southwark, Hillingdon, Lambeth and Wandsworth, while Battersea’s centres in Brands Hatch and Old Windsor will be offering free tag engraving all week. For more information see www.battersea.org.uk

The LovePets Show takes place next weekend, Saturday 29 to Sunday 30 October 2011, at the indoor EXEC venue at the East of England Showground, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. Rescue centre Wood Green will be there, as will Pets As Therapy, with PAT dogs (pictured) highlighting the benefits of charity’s Read 2 Dogs programme, which encourages children who are reluctant readers.
     Displays range from obedience and agility to Siberian Husky racing, and all visitors will receive a book of vouchers on entry, giving discounts and freebies at many of the stands. The show will be hosted by TV vet and Dogs Monthly writer Marc Abraham and – shhh, don’t tell your dog – but the world’s loudest-purring cat will be putting in an appearance too, not to mention birds of prey, Shetland ponies and even Ptolemy the giant tortoise. Family tickets (2+3) cost £18 on the gate or £12 if booked before Thursday 27 October at www.lovepetsshow.co.uk

Fancy enjoying a night out at a London theatre and supporting The Mayhew Animal Home at the same time?  
    On Thursday 10 November 2011, the evening performance of The Lion in Winter at the Theatre Royal Haymarket ­– starring Joanna Lumley, patron of The Mayhew, and Robert Lindsay – will form part of a special fundraising event hosted by the Lord Mayor of Westminster.  
    Theatregoers purchasing limited edition Royal Circle tickets for the 10 November preview performance will enjoy a champagne reception and also be entered into an exclusive raffle. All funds raised by the Mayor’s Gala ticket sales will go to three charities: The Mayhew Animal Home, Veteran’s Aid and Kidscape.

To book, you need to call 020 7930 8800 and ask for the Charity Gala tickets.

Note that Royal Circle tickets can’t be booked via the Theatre Royal Haymarket website (that seating area reads ‘Sold out’ online) and purchase of tickets for other seating areas will not support the charities.