Woof Woofington

Some Tea & Sympathy for the Little Britains in New York?

So, the Mistress is still stateside but she assures me that she is missing me like crazy and has taken to accosting poor New Yorkers with dogs to say hello.

Of course, New York is a food mecca and I reckon I would have a field day there with all the snacking opportunities. Apparently the streets aren't that clean so that would be good news for me. But, of course, I'm not there, am I? I'm here in the boring countryside.

I also reckon I would be a big hit in New York; there really aren't that many chocolate Labradors in Manhattan. I could fly the flag for all that's best about being British (even though my ancestry is Canadian but that's a LONG time ago).

With all that good food on offer, New York doesn't have the equivalent of miles of caffs offering English Breakfasts (you know what I mean - think Spain, Greece, Turkey - holiday destinations that give the Little Britains what they want - any which way - as long as it's fried).

But it does have two classic British venues where everyone can enjoy a little taste of home; Tea & Sympathy (www.teaandsympathynewyork.com) and A Salt & Battery (http://www.asaltandbattery.com), which Heston Blumenthal raved about.

Well, now the owners of these restaurants have joined together with Virgin Atlantic to start a campaign to get this small part of the Big Apple recognised as ..... yes, you've guessed it, Little Britain (http://www.campaignforlittlebritain.com). This looks like a campaign that I can get behind so I am going to lend my su-pawt!

Why not click on the website and vote? After all, there's no place like home.

Woof Woof

Chicago - the new place for dining out

Say Chicago and you might just think of the film and musical or, if you read all the celebrity magazines, you'll know it's where Jen and Vince (that's Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn) now hang out together. And it's also home to Oprah Winfrey.

So, a great mix of people and they all happen to like dogs! What’s more, according to Tuesday's Times, Chicago is about to allow dogs to dine with their masters (and mistresses), a shift, it says "where such fraternisation is generally banned".

But while Cyrano's Bistro and Wine Bar will be offering delicacies like bone marrow gateaux, some locals are not happy. One man said "I don't want some mutt sniffing at my shoes while I'm out spending money and trying to impress my date".

Well, to be honest, he is SO missing the point. As any man will tell you, including the Mistress's other half, as soon as you have a pet pooch by your side you are a babe magnet. Yes, it's true. The Mistress's other half couldn't believe his luck when he took me out - alone - for the first time. Plenty of pretty girls smiled at him (well, of course they were smiling at ME but I let him believe they only had eyes for him) and some tried to engage in chat all about...ME!

Suddenly he saw me in a different light and realised I could be the missing link to a day out in sunny London with lots of eye candy giving him the eye! Of course, it works in reverse too, as the Mistress can testify, but we keep that to ourselves!

My advice to those Chicago residents who fear this change is - embrace the new ruling. You never know, you could get lucky at dinner; let's not forget, all the beautiful people like a dog!

Woof Woof

My kinda hotel

Go on, admit it. Everyone has their preferences when it concerns their holiday hotel. If you're young, you don't want the Saga crew hanging about and if you're wanting a romantic break for two, you don't want kids drowning out your cooing with their screams around the swimming pool.

And if you don't like dogs, you won't be heading to Hotel Cortisen in the Alpine village of St Wolfgang. Why not? Because the owner has spent an eye-watering two million euros to redecorate and he has said kids are strictly verboten but dogs? Dogs are welcome with open arms.

Owner Roland Ballner, 38, said: "I have decided to make a stand and I am sure others will follow suit and say no to kids. From today, children are no longer welcome - and I plan to advertise it as I am sure it will attract guests."

He also claimed his customers had welcomed the move to ban all children and as such he had no guilt when he turned away a German family with their two young sons.

While some officials believe his actions are "outrageous", he is sure that his stand will bring the punters in.

What can I say? I like kids. The Mistress likes kids. She has three godchildren and she adores them all. But for a holiday? Maybe not.

Woof Woof

What's your cultural heritage?

As a Labrador (Retriever), my cultural heritage is Canada via Essex. Yes, I AM an Essex girl, born and bred - just like Chantelle - but way, way back, we Labs hail from east coast Canada - in a place called...Labrador! Somewhere my genetic ancestors lived in this beautiful yet remote region. Maybe that’s why seals like it so much.

And Labrador (the place) is getting A LOT of press right now - global press, in fact. And why? Because the annual seal cull takes place in my cultural homeland. My friends (surely they must be if they're from Canada?), give an update on this annual bloodfest http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/story.html?id=df4b4d35-5d05-477c-a767-efded57a6dba

So here are the facts, as they present them:

“Rules: The youngest harp seals, known as white coats, cannot be killed until they lose their white fur.

Age: Harp seals can lose their white coats as early as 12 days after they are born, but most of the harp seals harvested are about 25 days old.

Pay: A top-quality seal pelt can fetch about $70, which is near the record high.
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Methods: Hunters in the Gulf often use clubs called hakapiks, but many are using rifles this year because ice conditions have prevented them from getting close to the seals. About 90 per cent of hunters in Newfoundland use rifles.”

So, it’s harvest time in Labrador! Happy days. Not.

Here are some more facts:

http://www.940news.com/nouvelles.php?cat=23&id=41263

Hundreds of boats have converged on the ice floes off northeastern Newfoundland and Labrador for the final phase of this year's East Coast seal hunt.Early reports from the ice indicated the annual slaughter was off to a slow start, with not as many young seals as hunters had hoped.

The primary target for hunters are so-called "beater" harp seals - older pups that have shed their whitecoats and are weaned from their mothers.

The seals are called beaters because they're not yet swimming and if they fall into the water, they beat around frantically with their flippers.

Yetman said early indications are that the fur market is very strong for seal pelts.

Yetman said fisheries officials will take stock of Wednesday's hunt and see how close it comes to filling this year's quota of more that 230,000 seals.

Regina Flores of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, said in an interview from Labrador this year's quota does not include the many seals that are shot and wounded and left to slowly die.

She said the IFAW is documenting the use of rifles in the Newfoundland and Labrador hunt.

"The fact that they (fisheries officials) don't account for the numbers of seals struck and lost is troubling," Flores said. "The final tally does not reflect the large numbers of animals lost in this way."

Rifles are the preferred method for killing in the Newfoundland hunt as compared to the Gulf hunt where sealers generally use hakapiks - long poles with a sharp spike on the end for piercing a seal's skull.

Rebecca Aldworth of the Humane Society of the United States said in a news release the Canadian government is not giving enough weight to the effects of warmer winters and poor ice conditions.

She said that is why hunters and observers are not seeing large concentrations of young seals.

"We are just not seeing the number of pups that we should and we are concerned that the huge quota this year, coupled with the natural mortality rate, will severely impact the seal population."

So, I am trying to work it out for myself; seal pups get their skulls pierced so they can be skinned for their pelts, which are fashionable. The weather is warmer so there aren’t as many seals to “harvest”. But, if it’s warmer, surely people don’t need fur coats and all those pelts?

I am struggling to do the maths for this harvest festival and it just isn’t working for me. So much for cultural heritage. Maybe I’ll stick to Essex, after all.

Woof Woof

Walking in the City Can Have Deadly Consequences

Having hosted – albeit briefly – an American stranger in our home, I decided to check out a dog's life stateside.

And what I found has been eye-opening and in some cases, truly shocking. Even though we are expecting snow in the capital, we have nothing to fear compared with NYC.

New York dog owners must now dress their dogs in booties, not out of some misguided fashion sense but because trotting along the sidewalk could possibly kill their precious pooches. Literally.

Apparently, the Big Apple’s original electrical and uninsulated wiring is located underground so apart from being old, it is also vulnerable to dramatic changes such as snow, rain and heavy traffic. (When the snow melts, the slush mixes with salt to act as a conductor through to manholes, streetlights, grates and cracks in the street.) Basically, if you step on the wrong part of the pavement, you could be fried alive.

And this has happened to both humans and dogs. I won’t go into the grisly details (check out the US media for that) but it’s a sobering thought. The stories are heartbreaking.

New Yorkers have taken up the issue and run with it, thank goodness. Through a network of blogs, groups and campaigners, the message is getting through. And the electricity supplier, Con Edison, is finally doing something about the problem.

In the meantime, New York’s pet stores are doing a roaring trade in outdoor doggy fashion wear. And for once, I don’t object to this sort of dressing up.

Woof Woof

Having A Whale of a Time

No sooner than you say London is scary and lonely and even desperate, then the city comes together to try to save a whale, seen swimming upstream in the capital.

Yes, no need to go to far flung places for whale watching holidays, just come to the heart of London and stand by the Thames and you too may see a whale.

Sadly, in spite of everyone being concerned to try to save the lost mammal - because let's face it, just how did it manage to swim so far off course ? - it may lose its fight for life. The whale is injured and clearly disorientated and according to Terry Nutkins (a man to be trusted, surely?) efforts to protect the whale from the River's traffic have probably done him or her more harm than good.

Some people are interested in the power of positive thinking or prayer when done en masse. So, spare a special thought for the whale today and let's hope he or she finds their way home.

Woof Woof