Introducing eWag: the eZine for dog lovers!

Regular supporters of Dogs Trust should be familiar with our three yearly issues of Wag! magazine, a supporter newsletter keeping you updated with where your pennies are going and the different types of dog welfare work we do.

The brains behind Wag! has taken the idea and brought it to life in a bright new eZine. eWag is a sister publication to Wag!, providing another shot of news between issues and packed with all those lovely web things you can't put into a paper magazine like videos and links.

Take the World's Cutest Video* below. These are puppies being given exercise, stimulation and a big helping of fun at our West London Rehoming Centre.



Head to eWag for more fun, cute, informative and offbeat doggy content. We're keen to hear what you think!

*In our opinion.

Dogs Trust News Roundup: What have we been doing lately?

You might have noticed that we've skipped the odd day's blog posting here and there. This is indeed very naughty of us and we shall make amends by posting lots more blogs from now on, but I thought you might be interested in what was happening behind the scenes when the blog went quiet.

New dogs were being added to the website: And we're continuing to keep this updated.

We told other charities what we do online: the Institute of Fundraising North Conference was really practical and helpful.

We ran some giveaways and competitions on MySpace and DoggySnaps: you can still enter the Hotel for Dogs Competition if you're a member of DoggySnaps!

We told everyone about the up-coming ADCH conference on a number of dog forum sites: if you're interested in animal welfare there's still time to sign up and attend. (Okay, so obviously we did that on the blog too, but it was still worth mentioning!)

We talked to other charities and businesses who have thought of ways to work with us: all top secret, of course, but you'll be the first to know if anything comes of it!

We let the online world know about Rose, the pup born with no eyes: And she has already found a home! We're really happy for her and her new family.

In all honesty, there were also some time-consuming tasks which you probably don't want to know about because they contain words like "admin" and "maintenance". Zzzzzzzzz... but they do have to be done to make sure everything runs smoothly.

So, that was our week. How was yours?

[Image Source]

Watching Wag! grow from pen to print

Over 600,000 supporters of Dogs Trust receive Wag! magazine, a thrice-yearly update on all the goings on in the canine world. From behaviour advice and breed features to rehoming appeals and letters, Wag! covers the range of activities and allows supporters a unique insight into the Dogs Trust world.

For the last six years, Wag! has been compiled and edited by Deana Selby, and she decided it was finally time to head over to Eclipse Colour Print in Kettering, whose job is to produce the thousands of copies that will find their way to eager readers. In the past, once it had left her desk and the proof was approved she had never personally observed the production process, so she was excited to get a chance to watch her precious project come to fruition.

Indeed, "excited" was a word that came up repeatedly in my conversation with her on her return! As her photos show, Eclipse is housed in a huge industrial complex with a sheet press (which was thundering out copies of the Next catalogue at the time) and the web press that Wag! is produced on. The thumping of the press was deafening, so ear protectors were provided, and Deana was quite intoxicated by the fresh "felt pen" print smell!

All around her she could see vast reams of sustainably sourced paper which looked, she commented, "just like big stacks of loo roll!". The covers take around 12 hours to print, with the inside copy taking another day or so. Deana was talked through the process and given a colour proof to examine, being shown how saturation of ink can be adjusted to change the final product.

"It was so much bigger than even I expected," said Deana. "It's vast and so noisy, but it felt wonderful watching piles of print emerge."

Deana spends several weeks preparing each copy of Wag!; this involves writing and commissioning articles, obtaining images, planning and consulting on layout and replying to the massed heaps of correspondence from Wag! readers. Together with the web team, there are plans to launch an e-version of Wag! during the course of the year which will help reduce paper use and postage as well as being more inviting to the online generation.

Watch this space for more information!