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"Age Shall Not Wither Her" - World's Oldest Dog Could be Living in Derbyshire, UK

Oh my goodness!  I think this article says it all.

Apparently, the world's oldest dog, Bella, is alive and well and living in the UK's county of Derbyshire.

And the amazing thing is that "Bella's owner David Richardson, 76, said he bought the mixed breed dog from the RSPCA 26 years ago when she was 'at least three years old'."  That means Bella is almost 200 years old in dog years!  Blimey.

Bella still likes a walk in the park and, in spite of having just two teeth left, likes to suck on a sweet!  A girl after my own heart!

My favourite part of the whole story is not Bella's incredible age-defying story - what's her REAL secret, that's what I want to know!  Anyway, I digress...this is what made me laugh:

"Mr Richardson said when he went to the RSPCA to buy a dog he wasn't allowed to have an Alsatian because he was 50 years old".  The irony is, as everyone knows, that crossbreeds invariably outlive pure pedigrees.  And I speak from experience.  As a pedigree!

Now, all that remains for Bella to be a true record breaker, is for the RSPCA to produce the correct paperwork OR for Bella's owners to provide photographic evidence (my suggestion) to prove just how long she has been with her 'new' owners.  The Mistress has a veritable photo library of my pictures - from the day she adopted me until now!

So, let's hope our friends at the Guinness Book of Records authenticate Bella - if nothing else, she deserves our admiration.

Woof Woof 

Bilbo The Lifeguard Dog - Sacked by the RNLI in Penwith, Cornwall

OK, so let me get this right. The ever-so-fabulous Bilbo, a seven-year-old Newfoundland, who has helped educate kids to be safe on the beach, has prevented lots of people getting into difficulties in the sea and has even directly saved people's lives...has got the chop.

Because he's a dog.

According to news reports today, Bilbo is now a redundant lifesaver, even though he "had to pass fitness and swimming tests before he could join patrols on the beach at Sennen Cove in Cornwall", according to The Daily Telegraph.

But why? Well, Britain's most popular charity, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has recently taken over the running of the beach from Penwith Council (who interestingly are still promoting Bilbo and his services).

A spokeswoman said: "The RNLI is contracted to provide a professional lifeguarding service on the beach and has fully trained lifeguards to do this.

"Bilbo is a privately-owned dog and does not belong to the RNLI. The RNLI will not be using the dog to save lives at sea but does not have the authority to ban dogs from the beach."

If you check out the video, you can see Bilbo sporting his lifeguard's vest which - it should be remembered - "carried a number of safety messages on it, warning swimmers about the dangerous areas".

The BBC explains how Bilbo's owner - the beach's head lifeguard - could face a fine if Bilbo ventures on the beach because of the bans in place (many UK beaches have dog bans during the summer months).

"He is the biggest asset for beach safety and for the RNLI to disown him is a scandal." Absolutely! The RNLI proposes that he is taken to schools to promote his beach-safety messages but surely, the whole point of Bilbo's presence - on the beach - was because he reminded kids, there and then, that the water could be dangerous.

As Mr Jamieson says, "...Bilbo was there in case they needed him." Exactly. I am sure if your life has been saved, you wouldn't care if it was a dog or a human lifeguard. You'll just be glad you were given a second chance.

Another case of shooting the messenger, methinks.

Woof Woof

Hovering Pencil Syndrome Overcome - Boris Johnson Voted Mayor of London

So, the pencil hovering didn't stop Boris Johnson being voted in as the new Mayor of London, without doubt the greatest city in the world. Yes, I am biased! London was my home town for many, many years.

It's funny, we're no longer living in London en famille and I miss it. I miss the action and excitement. I miss the drama. I miss the snacks! But I don't miss the violence and the air of menace around so many of the streets in this great city. And believe me, as a dog - and a big dog at that - I can still be intimidated.

I don't know what I think about Boris Johnson to be honest, which isn't like me at all. The Mistress used to ADORE Ken Livingstone when she was younger. The highlight for her was sitting next to him in a restaurant in the South Bank when he was still leader of the GLC! She even voted for him to become Mayor, first time round.

As a great advocate of public transport, she thought Ken was King. But the death of the Routemaster and the introduction of the Congestion Charge in the West (but not in the East) were too much. As they made their speeches last night - Ken and Boris - it was clear who really loved London the best! Did you know that Boris was born in New York?!

I'm not sure that a clarion call of "Let's get cracking, let's have a drink!" was quite what Londoners were looking for last night from their new Mayor. It smacked of 1980s City boys to me. I half expected Harry 'LoadsaMoney' Enfield to pop up at the side of the stage and do a sketch.

Boris really is unchartered territory - for London - but the rest of the UK, hey, the rest of the world will be watching with interest.

I've realised that I don't even know what Boris's views on dogs are! This is crucial stuff. A quick search on the internet revealed a big fat nothing. My only hope is that if he has the ear of his sister, columnist and sometime-novelist, Rachel Johnson, he WILL think about the plight of the capital's canines. I've seen Rachel with her own dog, in Kensington Gardens, which is good news. Why? Because dog owners always know what's really going on. Even in Kensington Gardens! If you're out and about with your dog, you've got your ear to the ground of what life on the street is really like. Even in Notting Hell.

With Ken Livingstone as an out and proud newt and toad man (and a destroyer of pigeons!), maybe it's time to give someone else a chance? I've got half a mind to write to Boris to see what he has to say about dogs in the city.

There will be many people waking up this morning wondering what on earth the city has done (by voting in Boris). Well, let's see. The Mistress was on tenterhooks last night to see who won; it was the first time she really felt left out of her beloved London.

There was a great Gerald Scarfe cartoon on TV last night that showed Boris sitting on top of City Hall; it read - "Be careful what you wish for...you might just get it."

Let's hope that both London and Boris don't regret yesterday's election result and realise it simply was a joke that went too far.

Woof Woof