As a rule, I happen to quite like George Galloway. He's an exceptional debater. To get into a discussion with him, you usually need to know your stuff or you will no doubt come off second best.

So I was left puzzled by his recent attack on dogs.

Lacking logic and empathy, Galloway claims the only 'sensible' way to prevent dog attacks is a complete ban on Staffordshire Bull Terriers and for all dogs to be muzzled at all times in cities.

Logic? Well the Spaniel is the breed type most responsible for causing people to seek hospital treatment for dog bites so why it just the Staffie that's drawn all of George's wrath? And since when did dogs only attack people in cities?

So if logic is out of the window, what about empathy?

Mr Galloway has made a name for himself standing up for persecuted people, particularly Muslims, both in the UK and overseas. He his often at pains to point out the folly of those who seek to attack an entire group based on the extreme, misguided actions of a few. So why then does he not practice what he so vehemently preaches?

To simply call for the complete annihilation of an entire dog breed, a fantastically popular and fundamentally GOOD dog breed because of a tiny, tiny minority of unpleasant incidents - most often caused by poor ownership - just seems extreme for the sake of being extreme.

How, I wonder, would Mr Galloway react should a fellow politician call for separate check in lines for Muslims at airports? The irony of his ultra hardline, illogical stance on dogs is baffling and out of character for someone of his standing and political style.

One must wonder, are these really his views or has he a made a grave error of judgement expressing an opinion in the hope of courting popularity amongst people who are, frankly, anti-dog?

Link: Here George Galloway debate dangerous dogs (courtesy of www.couchtripper.com)

Have your say on this story:
http://www.dogmagazine.net/george-galloway-on-terriers-he-should-know-better/

Sometimes when we're feeling overwhelmed and it only takes the little things to drive us wild, friends will try to lift our spirits telling us to keep looking for the light at the end of the tunnel. 

The problem is, what happens when the light at the end of the tunnel happens to be an on coming truck? A truck which, in this instance takes the form of an impending publishing deadline, hurtling towards us at high velocity? 

A public health warning: Become a magazine editor, the job will drive you nervous but you'll love it to death provided you have a large supply of painkillers and aren't too put off at the prospect of suffering the subsequent aspirin damage. I wish I was born in Beverly Hills, I bet those guys have it easier.

At least having a dog in the office eases the stress. I've got a sweaty fist to shake, she's got a tail to wag so we're all communicating at least!

In truth, the job really does have its upsides such as, oh I don't know how about the next edition containing an exclusive interview with a musical legend. None other than Bee Gee Robin Gibb. Robin Gibb!! Saturday Night Fever, Massachusetts, Robin Gibb in K9 Magazine. A Bee Gee, a real Bee Gee. We're pleased with that, we're very pleased.

And as if Robin wasn't enough, we've also got a great interview with Calico Cooper, friend, mentor and partner of the truly unique Captain Jack.

Calico's Dad is rock n roll royalty and happens to be the subject of K9 Magazine's deepest, darkest secret. 

Prepare for a K9 Magazine Myspace blog world exclusive (We're on safe ground revealing it here. Nobody actually reads our Myspace blog do they? We assume everyone goes to our proper one at www.k9magazine.com/blog - that's www.k9magazine.com/blog )

So here it is. The world exclusive news that K9 Magazine has never uttered a word to to a single living soul, ever.....

Did you ever write your name in cement when it was just drying, hoping that your indelible act of wanton vandalism would live on long after your death?

Well K9 Magazine has taken on the metaphorical role of that drying cement since our very first issue way back in 2001 as someone imposed upon the pages of, what is now an established bastion of periodical pet related publishing, an act of sheer juvenile delinquency, to be exposed only now. (Nobody reading, doesn't matter).....

...[drumroll] "Every single issue of K9 Magazine ever published contains, hidden within its pages, at least one, and in some cases several, lyrics from Alice Cooper songs."

How and why, you might wonder, could one person be so commited to such a death-defying act of reckless abandon and be so unmoved at the potential to cloud the heritage and lonterm repute of one of the UK's fastest growing publications in order to do nothing more than exercise a senseless level of hero-worship by steadfastly shoehorning the words of a shock rock legend into the pages of a lifestyle magazine for dog owners?

Ermmm, have you ever seen Alice Cooper live? If you had, you'd understand. You'd understand.

Welcome fellow dog devotees to another action packed edition of your favourite canine compendium that we like to call K9 Magazine.

In our last issue we published a rather emotionally charged article entitled, "How Can I be a Terrorist, I've got a Dog?" The feature told the real life story of Ahmed Tharwat an American television host and practicing Muslim. Ahmed told us how, as an American Muslim, he had been subjected to a heightened level of prejudice in the wake of the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Centre.

Ahmed explained how he reluctantly gave in to his young daughter's pestering to get a family dog. That dog changed Ahmed's life.

All of sudden, literally overnight Ahmed no longer felt the gaze of people looking at him and thinking, 'potential terrorist', 'Muslim extremist', 'possible suicide bomber'. No, people looked at Ahmed, saw past his race, saw past his religion and saw past their own preconceived notions about who he might be. They saw a dog owner.

Dogs have an incredibly power to pull people together, to make people think differently about other human beings and to unite people with a common love of man's best friend. It never ceases to amaze me how our barriers fall and our initial perceptions of people can rapidly change once we discover, they're one of us, they're a dog owner just like me.

You can probably guess what it's like publishing the first UK magazine to put celebrity dog owners on its cover each issue. We talk to lots of famous folks who own dogs. We get offers to do interviews with many celebrities with something to promote, products to sell or images to maintain.

That's all fine, it is, as they say, the nature of the beast. The thing is, we are really only interested in one thing. Are you REALLY a dog lover or is the dog an image accessory to go with the Prada handbag and Gucci sunglasses? Trust me, there are some very famous people in the world who own dogs but are far from dog lovers and you will never see them make the pages of this publication. You can take that to the bank.

In this issue we have a bumper interview with model and TV personality Jodie Marsh in conjunction with her appearance on the hit channel 4 dog training show, It's Me or The Dog.

When it comes to interviewing famous people K9 Magazine has just one criteria. Forget what they've done in their career, ignore how high their profile might be, don't worry about who their fans are. No, our interviewees have to be one thing and one thing alone.…..a real, proper, out and out, all guns blazing, full on, DOG LOVER! Jodie Marsh fits that description, and then some.

Having met Jodie on the shoot for It's Me or The Dog it's fair to say that whatever image you might have of her, whatever you think she is or she is not, one thing you can take to the bank from us, she's as a big a dog lover as you are ever likely to meet and is a very interesting interviewee being a passionate animal welfare campaigner and the owner of whole pack of cool canines bursting with personality.

K9 Magazine wouldn't be K9 Magazine without our celebrity interviews but they're just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to delivering a full and varied menu of expert dog advice, political debate, canine health insight and a whole lot more.

Enjoy.

Meet Shaun Furgusson. Say hello to Peter Dibden. Introducing Lee Howard, Leighton Martin Collins and Wesley Lloyd Bryan

All of them have something in common. They're animal abusers of the cruellest kind. They also share another common bond. They're all out and about mixing in society with you and I.

Furgusson: 6 months prison time. His crime. Abducted his neighbour, Tracy Bainbridge's dog Chrissie, and subjected her to a shocking tirade of violence including.Throwing her at a television
Beating her with an assortment of improvised weapons.

[] Cutting off part of her ear.
[] Breaking 5 of her ribs
[] Causing her severe brain damage
[]Puncturing her lung
[] Shatteringher teeth

(Nice bloke, eh?)

Dibden: Executed his own pet dog, Max with a Samurai sword. No jail but a £900 fine.

Lee Howard: Abandoned his three dogs, leaving them to die a slow and torturous death of starvation and dehydration. He got a 6 month prison sentence.

Leighton Martin Collins: Admitted to punching his pet Yorkshire Terrier in the face so many times that it had to be put to sleep after the dog, one of the world's smallest breeds of dog, had "shown him up", as Collins put it.Collins had been drinking and admitted to having had 5 pints of beer prior to the incident. He was drinking at the public house where his partner is the landlady, and felt that the dog was "showing him up" in front of the other customers. He was sentenced to pay vet costs of £1,012.89 but did not receive a prison term.

Now meet James Hipwell: Recently released from a 6-month prison sentence following a high profile court case. His crime? He tipped some shares on a website and in a newspaper column before going on to buy some himself knowing their value would have risen on the back of his tipping.

Take your choice. They all got no more than 6-month sentences except Dibden, he got none. There's every chance you could bump into one of them going about your daily business, maybe you'll sit next one on a bus or train. Happy about that?

Today we learn Wesley Lloyd Bryan, found guilty of neglect after two puppies in his care were discovered with horrendous injuries caused by being burned with scalding water and left for dead whilst Bryan and others ignored their anguished cries.Bryan is, at the time publication, on the run.

When he is eventually apprehended he'll learn that he's been punished for his crimes. He's been given a 10-year ban from keeping animals.What, you thought he'd be getting a more severe punishment? After all, he only boiled a couple of puppies alive, broke one of their legs, ignored their cries of pain for four days and then went on the run from the Police. You don't think a 10-year ban on keeping animals is enough? We (K9 Magazine) have said it once and we'll say it again - IT'S TIME FOR ANIMAL ABUSERS TO GET REAL PUNISHMENTS TO FIT THEIR SICKENING CRIMES.How, in anyone's mind can it be right that a person capable of killing his own pet with a Samurai sword should not get jail time? How can someone who abducts a dog, tortures it and then pretends to help the poor animal's worry-stricken owner search for the missing pet get the same time in jail as a wide-boy who's greed got the better of him? We're not for a moment suggesting that fraudsters don't deserve jail, they do. But come on, who would you rather be locked up right now? Who would you rather share a bus or train ride with?

Britain needs to change its stance in the cruellest cases of animal abuse. We all take a collective gasp when hearing of these shocking crimes in our newspapers and we assume justice will be served through the courts. The facts are that real justice will never be served until the courts are given the authority to hand down sentences severe enough to fit the level and nature of the crime.

K9 Magazine is a non-campaigning publication. We don't preach to people how to look after their pets. We don' pass judgement on pet politics, tail docking, hunting, electric collars or the like. We print the news, the facts and not our opinion. Today we make an exception. Today we ask our readers and any right minded people to help us put pressure on the Government to make changes to enable courts to hand down tougher sentences to animal abusers. Please help us.

Please leave your name and postal region (you do not need to leave your full address) in the comments list of this blog post. You do not have to comment on why you are supporting our call for tougher sentencing for animal abusers but you are absolutely free to do so if you choose.

If you would like to be kept up to date with our campaign and other dog related news stories - you can subscribe to our newsletter.

By leaving a comment on our blog your data will NOT be used for anything other than supporting our campaign. You will not be contacted by us. You will only hear from us if you choose to subscribe to our dog related newsletter separately.

Thank you.
Ryan O'Meara
Editor-in-Chief, K9 Magazine

K9 Magazine Digital:
This editorial appeared in K9 Magazine Issue 17. To purchase a single back issue of K9 Magazine issue 17 visit the subscription page and use voucher code N8999402 or click here

I admit it. I hate the term 'designer dog'. It seems they've been making headlines around the world pretty frequently in 2006.

To be honest I don't really know what one is but I've sort of fathomed that when people refer to designer dogs they essentially mean one pedigree breed being bred with a different pedigree breed in order to produce offspring with unusual or 'catchy' names. I'll give you the gist of it. What do you get if you cross a Pomeranian, with a Pekingese and then breed the offspring to a Labrador crossed with a Patterdale Terrier? You get a Pome-peke-patter-dor of course (pronounced Poma-Peeka-Patter-Dor for anyone thinking of marketing this new designer dog). See how this works?

We've got Puggles (Beagles crossed with Pugs), Porkies (Pomeranians crossed with Yorkies), Golden Doodles (Golden Retrievers crossed with Poodles) to name but a few and, as a general rule, a lot of these 'intentional crosses' are good news for dogs and owners the Labradoodle for instance is an established breed in its own right bar the formalities of official Kennel Club recognition. There is, potentially, a sordid side to all this though.

We at K9 Magazine invented our own designer dog some time back. We called it the Bengal Chihuahua. Essentially it was a Chihuahua with a ridiculous striped pattern merged onto its fur by our designers in order to make it look like a 'designer dog'.

We thought it would be fun to see what the general reaction would be so we gave the Bengal its own history, a life story, an eccentric breeder and even its very own deliberately unrefined website.

And the reaction?

From certain sections of the general public, a fervent desire to become the owner of the ultimate 'designer dog'. From us, sheer bewilderment.

We were genuinely taken aback at just how many people wanted to acquire our fake dog. One gentleman even offered to 'wire us' a deposit to secure the dog for export to another country. Incredible!

If designer dogs are all the rage, en vogue if you will, what happens to them when they fly out of style as fast as they came in, superseded by the next highly sought after crossbreed hitting the headlines?

The whole episode prompted this issue's K9 Science feature, entitled: The Rise and Rise of The Designer Dog where we try to establish exactly what is a dog breed as well as posing the question: Are some 'designer' breeds being pro-actively 'marketed' toward a certain type of fashion conscious dog owner?

Also in this issue we give you a glimpse into Crufts' crystal ball as we attempt to predict the future for the world's biggest dog show. And, just in case you were ever in any doubt, we'll let you know why you should never, ever, under any circumstance allow your dog to smoke a cigar in Zion, Illinois, make 'ugly faces' at a dog in Oklahoma or tie your dog to the roof of a car in Anchorage, Alaska. Yes, we reveal the craziest, most bizarre incredulous canine laws ever passed (and in some cases, still in force).

Saturday March 11th

What is a utility dog? A group comprised with everything from the Dalmatian to the Bulldog, would it be fair to suggest this is a group made up of all the dogs that just don't quite fit under their own header. Crufts has seen many a utility breed take its top prize but this year it won't be our personal favourite the Bulldog, taking top honours. CH MYSTYLE AMOS OCOBO looked less than impressed taking his 4th place prize as he proceeded to cock his leg on the 4th spot podium. Bulldog etiquette at its finest!

Around the trade stalls today, brisk business was being done as money changed hands at a rapid rate. K9 by Igloo sell stylish dog accessories and T-shirts and we wanted to have a chat with them about how they came up with such an innovative name as 'K9'. They were very busy selling their top gear though so we left them in peace to serve their hungry customers.

Along with our friends at K9 by Igloo, we also caught up with our pals at Dog Theft Action who have a stand at Crufts for the first time in their short history. For those who read K9Magazine.com on a regular basis, you'll know how much we support DTA and their endeavours. K9 Magazine's editor is a DTA advisor and their stand was always buzzing whenever we were around it.

OK, so if you hadn't guessed already we at K9 Magazine are not dog show experts, we just love dogs. And today we give out our second award in K9 Magazine's Alternative Crufts Awards. The award for 'Dog we'd Most Like to Take Home' goes to CH MYSTYLE AMOS OCOBO. The brilliant Bulldog who did what we'd all like to do when we don't get first place, he took a wee on his 4th place podium. That's what dogs are all about. They just don't care who's watching or what people think of them. This was Crufts magic.

With only a day to go in the Kennel Club's Friends for Life competition, K9 Magazine wishes all the contenders the best of luck and unlike last year when we unashamedly threw our support behind our old mate Endal in the now superseded Hero Dogs awards, we'll leave it to everyone else to make their mind up who'd they'd like to win.

Onto the results for today:

UTILITY GROUP:

1) CH MINARETS SECRET ASSIGNMENT JW
POODLE (MINIATURE)

2) CH VORMUND I'M MARNIE
JAPANESE SHIBA INU

3) CH ARAKI FABULOUS WILLY
TIBETAN TERRIER
 
4) CH MYSTYLE AMOS OCOBO
BULLDOG

Crufts Report Thursday March 10th

Today we discover who Crufts will crown the best Hound and Terrier in the show but we think we've already spotted one great Terrier today. This feisty little madam (below) only has three legs. She didn't seem to care. She was with Gill Raddings' stunt dogs display team and she totally bowled us over with her contagious, friendly character.

We gave out the first K9 Magazine 'Alternative Crufts Award' today. The National Dog Warden's Association only have a smallish stand in hall 2. Compared to some of the big businesses in attendance with thousands of pounds at their disposal to commit to capturing the attention of the dog lovers passing by, the NDWA's stand needed something eye catching to make a significant splash.

They succeeded. 'Cuthbert' is a cheeky, talking dog who sits atop of his makeshift kennel handing down conversation to all and sundry who pass him by. A truly great example of how to draw people to your stand and therefore attention to your cause. The National Dog Warden's Association: Winner of K9 Magazine's 'Most Innovative Stand at Crufts 2006' awards.

On to the dogs. Is Crufts a fix? A rigged event? A farce? Well, we were given a few head's up today that there was no point in most of the dogs turning up as there was a particular Bloodhound 'nailed on' to win.

So today's judging was going to be an acid test for us cynics at K9 Magazine who know nothing about this whole dog show business. You'll find out shortly which breed won the hound group (if it's a Bloodhound, we might be tempted to call 'shenanigans'. If not, all's well with world - for now!).

Walking around the show rings this morning we were struck by just how bored some of the dogs looked. Waiting for your time in the spotlight must be nerve wracking for the two legged competitors but for the four legged ones, it looked to us like they'd probably prefer to be somewhere else.

Whilst we're on a bit of a moan. What's the deal with the pricing on everything.

Accepted, this is probably something a little out of the control of the Kennel Club but it seems if you want to have a stroll around Crufts as a simple 'dog lover' rather than competitor or a lucky member of the media like us, it's going to cost you £7.00 to park, £12.00 to get in and at least £10 per head for just a snack and a drink.

if you're thinking about visiting Crufts, don't forget your wallet. There's lots to see, not much to do but LOADS to buy!

For a family thinking about picking up some bits and pieces from the stands as well as catching a bite to eat, they'd be doing well to get change out of £140 if you throw petrol or train fair into the mix. That's quite an expense in anyone's book. Is the world's biggest dog show also a bit of a rip off? Tell us what you think.

Come Dancing's Angela Rippon chats away on the SSAFA Forces Help stand.

So, onto this business they call show. Did the Bloodhound romp home to a predicted and much expected 1st place? Well, without further ado and not to leave you in suspense. No. It didn't. Crufts, no corruption to report (today).

TERRIER GROUP:

1) CH/AM CH EL-RAYS SNOWTAIRE ICENI PAYBACK (IMP)
WIRE FOX TERRIER

4) CH KINSRIDGE CRUISE CONTROL
NORFOLK TERRIER

HOUND GROUP:

1) CH KESTOS I SPY AT GRAYTHOR JW SHCM
NORWEGIAN ELKHOUND

2) SWITHERLAND YSATIS
BASSET GRIFFON VENDEEN (PETIT)

3) CH SERENAKER DEVIL WOMAN
BEAGLE

4) AM/CAN CH GRANDGABLES TICKLE MY FANCY
DACHSHUND (MIN SMOOTH-HAIRED)

Crufts Report Thursday March 9th

Today's the day the working and pastoral groups strut their four legged stuff around the green carpets of the National Exhibition Centre.

Footfall appeared to be higher than normal for the opening day of Crufts and as we headed off to the exhibition halls on a shuttle bus we were joined by a young and eager Leonberger, keen to impress on all passengers that he was up for any amount of fussing to come his way.

TV's Shauna Lowry talks to a fire detection dog handler

The first sight to greet us as we arrived at the show, a Newfoundland in a striking tuxedo-styled bib. This is Crufts alright.

Brisk business was being done on the many trade stands at the show. An honourable mention goes to the Dog Warden's Association's stand for an innovative way to catch people's attention. We'll have more on this later in the show but suffice to say talking dogs are always going to get people to stop, especially when the dog in question is quite the cheeky chappy. K9 Magazine has asked for an exclusive interview with 'Cuthbert'. We'll keep you posted.

A canine comedian on the dog warden's stand. Cuthbert's
got someone in stitches.

Every trade stand is fighting to catch the attention of the thousands of visitors passing by. Top marks to Arden Grange for their hosting of a very neat demonstration by Gill Raddings of 'Stunt Dogs' who gave the crowd a treat, showing off a grandson of Eastender's canine star, 'Wellard'.

This handsome fellow is the grandson of Eastender's resident Wellard and he was taking part in a demonstration by Gill Raddings on the Arden Grange stand
(Did you know: Wellard the dog is actually a bitch!)

Thursday's Group winners:

WORKING GROUP:

1) BOUVIER DES FLANDRES
SWIS/NED C GIJS SANTOS FROM THE DOGSFARM

4) ROTTWEILER
VARENKA CHINESE WHISPERS
 

PASTORAL GROUP:

1) AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD
AM CH CAITLAND ISLE TAKE A CHANCE

2) GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG
LORRETTA FROM SHOTAAN

3) BELGIAN SHEPHERD DOG (TERVUEREN)
CH DOMBURG REVE D AMOUR

4) SAMOYED
CH DUCKSLAKE SPIRIT OF SIBERIA JW

A New Year is upon us and at K9 Magazine we couldn't be happier to see 2006 in. Why? Because we've got a feeling 2006 is going to be a great year for British dogs.

The animal welfare bill, the first draft of which was unveiled in June 2004 and has since been made law in 2005, has been widely praised by the country's (UK's) leading animal charities.

The largest fundamental changes to legislation protecting animals in nearly a century is nothing to be sniffed at and if nothing else, the bill has seen animals taking a more prominent place in Government thinking, which can only be good news for dogs.

Couple the Animal Welfare Bill with a campaign by the UK's largest selling national newspaper to bring much needed, countrywide focus to animal welfare issues and again we say this is good news for dogs in 2006 and beyond.

The Sun newspaper gave its entire front page on more than one occasion in 2005 to the plight of mistreated pets and the need for tougher sentencing of those found guilty of acts of extreme cruelty to animals. K9 Magazine was delighted to add our support to a campaign that has attracted a huge response from the general public and has made the lawmakers in Westminster sit up and take notice.

In the current (issue 15) edition of K9 Magazine we give you the second instalment of our hugely popular 'Dogosaurus'.

We were overwhelmed with the response we had to the Dogosaurus in the previous issue so we bring you more and can now reveal what happens in 'The Court of Canine Justice', whether or not you own a 'Lead Wheezle' and how to spot if your dog is making an 'Opening Gambit'.

We also go Rock 'n' Roll in this issue as we speak in depth to Matt Sorum, former drummer with the legendary Guns 'n' Roses and now holding the sticks for super-group, Velvet Revolver. Matt tells us about coping with the loss of his beloved Labrador, Drac and why taking a Labrador backstage and introducing them to the buffet system is a sure-fire recipe for disaster!