Do you love Dogs Trust and live near a Sainsbury’s? If so, you could help!

Sainsbury’s is looking for nominations for a local charity for each of their stores.

For the past five years, Sainsbury’s stores have partnered with a local charity. Every May, local communities are encouraged to nominate their favourite charity for this partnership. The one selected becomes the store's Local Charity and is supported over the next 12 months through fundraising and volunteering.  It's a fantastic opportunity! 

There are three ways to nominate Dogs Trust as Local Charity at your local Sainsbury’s:

• INSTORE:  Just fill out the nomination form at your local store and post it in the store's nomination box.
• AT HOME: Click here to download a PDF of the nomination form. Print it, fill it out at home and drop it into the nomination box at your local store.
• ONLINE: You can email your nomination to: local.charity@sainsburys.co.uk. Remember to include the name and address of your local store, the charity's contact details, and the reason you are nominating that charity.

We think we'd be a great fit for this initiative because, in addition to our well known rehoming centres and education programme, we do a lot of community work too. Dogs Trust liaises with local communities to ensure responsible dog ownership is promoted to all.  Our Campaigns Team works closely with local councils to ensure that as many dogs as possible can be microchipped and we provide subsidised neutering in several regions across the UK.  We also work with housing associations and private landlords to allow tenants to keep dogs in their properties.  

Entries are due today, the 14th May.  You can find your nearest centre to nominate on our website, or please use our head office address of 17 Wakley Street, London, EC1V 7RQ.

Thank you for your consideration!

WIN a family ticket to the East Anglian Game & Country Fair!

THIS WEEKEND for the sixth consecutive year Dogs Trust will be returning to the East Anglian Game & Country Fair, at the Norfolk Showground, to join in their 10th Anniversary Celebrations. With new attractions, displays and workshops added, the event, yet again, promises a day packed with fun for all the family. The event features animals in their plenty, arena displays including sheep racing & crazy stunts from the like of mountain bike team Savage Skills, Have-A Go activities including clay shooting, mountain boarding, donkey rides & helicopter flights, canine events in the plenty as well as food tents, shopping and so much more…this is a must do date for your diary.

With its eye-catching yellow mobile rehoming unit Dogs Trust will take up position at the fair with two loveable four-legged friends from the Snetterton based rehoming centre which are looking for new homes. So whether you love dogs, have your own, or are looking for a new addition to your home pop in and say hello to the team. The team will be there to offer information on rehoming a dog, the local Dogs Trust centre, and the work of the charity, including ways in which you can get involved, plus the chance to meet a couple of our beautiful dogs.

And what’s more we have a family ticket to attend the fair up for grabs! All you need to do is just answer this question:

Which of these is not a dog breed that could be found at Dogs Trust Snetterton?

A) Collie Cross

B) Beagalini

C) Labradoodle

Please send your answer to feedback@dogstrust.org.uk with your name and address. We will be choosing the winners at 9:00am on the 25th of April 2013.

Please note: The prize consists of one family ticket per winner, which covers 2 adults (17yrs+) and up to three children (5-16, under 5s admitted free). UK entries only. Winners will be chosen at random after the closing date, and notified by email. Dogs Trust reserves the right to reject incomplete entries, so please remember to include your name and address. Your details will not be added to our database.

WIN: Five copies of Emma Milne's Tales from the Tail End to give away!

Imagine having your very first job as a newly qualified vet chronicled on a popular BBC television series... that's just what happened to Emma Milne! A widely respected figure in the animal welfare world and a Patron of Dogs Trust, Emma has now revealed the full story behind eleven seasons of Vets in Practice. 


Tales from the Tail End: Adventures of a Vet in Practice is full of amazing stories, from handling unusual conditions to the diplomacy required in dealing with owners.

Dogs Trust supporters now have a chance to win one of five copies of this weird and wonderful memoir! And if you're not lucky this time, remember that Emma's brilliant book is also available from all good book shops, and Amazon.


How to Enter

Please email your answer to the following question, along with your name and address to feedback@dogstrust.org.uk*

Which BBC television series featured Emma Milne as a newly qualified vet?

Closing date and time: Monday 19th March 2012, 5pm.


*UK and Ireland only. Winners will be chosen at random and contacted by email after the closing date. Information will not be saved to our database. Dogs Trust reserves the right to re-draw names if the entry is incomplete, so please remember your name and address.

WIN: Five family tickets to the East Anglian Game & Country Fair

For the fifth consecutive year Dogs Trust is returning to the East Anglian Game & Country Fair, a weekend packed with fun for all the family! This year it's taking place on the 28th and 29th of April.

The event features animals in their plenty and arena displays including an array of visual activities from sheep racing to crazy stunts from mountain bike team Savage Skills. There will also be plenty of activities for people to join in with such as clay shooting, mountain boarding, donkey rides and helicopter flights. And not forgetting the canine stars as there will be food tents, shopping and so much more for our four-legged friends. All together this is a must-do date for your diary.

Two four-legged residents from Dogs Trust Snetterton will also be visiting the fair in the larger than life eye-catching yellow mobile rehoming unit. So whether you love dogs, have your own or are looking for a new addition to your home pop in and say hello to the team. The team will be there to offer information on rehoming a dog, the local Dogs Trust centre, and the work of the charity, including ways in which you can get involved, plus the chance to meet a couple of our beautiful dogs.

 Best of all, five family tickets to attend the fair are up for grabs!



How to Enter

This competition has now closed and the winners will shortly be informed by email. Thank you for entering, and hope we see you at the Fair!

Please note: The prize consists of one family ticket per winner, which covers 2 adults (17yrs+) and up to three children (5-16, under 5s admitted free). UK entries only. Winners will be chosen at random after the closing date, and notified by email. Dogs Trust reserves the right to reject incomplete entries, so please remember to include your name and address. Your details will not be added to our database.

Friday Fun: WIN copies of In Defence of Dogs by John Bradshaw

Have you ever wanted to know what makes your dog tick?

John Bradshaw, a leading biologist and dog expert, thinks he might have found the answer, and he's written a book, In Defence of Dogs, all about it.

Analysing the evolutionary history of dogs and the way in which canine biology and psychology determine behaviour, he think it's time we moved beyond the idea of dogs as wolves in domestic clothing. He explains how biological science can now tell us a great deal about whether our understanding of dogs is accurate or not.

Want to know more? Well, we have five copies of In Defence of Dogs, to give away!

Watch the video below to find out more of what John Bradshaw has to say. In just three minutes he touches on which human emotions dogs feel too, and why dogs suffer from separation anxiety:

To enter: The competition is now closed and winners will be informed by email. Thanks to the giveaway's popularity, the publishers kindly gave us 10 copies, so each entrant had twice the chance of winning!

Closing date: Monday 8th August, 10 am.

And to whet your appetite in case you're a lucky winner, you can read an extract from the first chapter on Penguin's website. And if you're not, In Defence of Dogs is available from Amazon in both hardcover and Kindle editions now.

*Winners will be chosen at random after the closing and informed by email. Comments on this blog will not be counted as entries and may be unpublished to protect the commenter if they contain personal contact information.

Competition Time

Is your dog is a bit of an escape artist? Perhaps you are worried about being the unfortunate victim of a pet theft?

Thanks to our friends at Retrieva, creators of the world’s most advanced dog collar, we have one fantastic prize worth £299.99 to offer to our supporters this month which will hopefully offer a little bit of piece of mind!

The Retrieva Collar aims to help protect your dog from theft and loss, as well as offering you some personal protection. It works by using the website, your phone or a handheld receiver so you can track your dog’s movements and receive alerts if your dog travels beyond the boundaries that you set online.

The Retrieva tracking collar has been designed by looking at every aspect of a dog’s life and behaviour. It’s even waterproof so if your dog is a fan of swimming, it won’t interfere with their happiness! It is not just a piece of technology adapted for use on a dog; it can be used by pet owners, for working and field sport dogs, and also specialist functions for service dogs.

The collar features a locking buckle with automatic interference alert (via text or e-mail) if the buckle is tampered with whilst locked. It is made of anti-cut material with automatic interference alert (via text or e-mail) if any attempt is made to cut it and can alert the owner (via text or e-mail) if the dog roams out of any pre-defined safe area or enters a forbidden area.

To find out more about Retrieva, please visit their website.

To be in with a chance of winning this really useful prize, simply tell us in 25 words or less why you and your dog should be the worthy winners of this great prize:

“I should win the Retrieva collar because…”

Please email your answer, name and address details to becky.ridgley@retrievatracking.co.uk with 'Dogs Trust Competition' in the subject line.

The lucky winner will be awarded one Retrieva collar to fit the size of their much-loved four-legged friend and one years membership to the Retrieva website.

The closing date for entries is Monday 20th June 2011.

Book competition!

WIN a copy of Until Tuesday - an inspirational tale of one man and his incredible canine companion.

Until Tuesday is the powerful and moving story of how Tuesday, a service dog, helped to heal a shattered soldier.

This touching book entwines Luis Carlos Montalván’s story of courage with that of his trusted Golden Retriever, Tuesday, and shows how a brave soldier found a way back from the devastation of being injured in action with the help of his canine friend.

We’re giving away TEN copies of this inspiring and uplifting true story in hardback. To be in with a chance of winning, email marketing@headline.co.uk with “Until Tuesday” as the subject and answer this question:

What kind of dog is Tuesday?

a. Labrador
b. Poodle
c. Golden Retriever

Watch the Until Tuesday trailer here:

Terms and Conditions

The closing date is 6th June 2011 and ten winners will be randomly selected from the valid entries received before the closing date.

The prize is one copy of Until Tuesday in hardback.

This prize is non transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash.

Winners must be over the age of 18.

In the event of being unable to contact winners within 7 days of the prize draw, the promoter reserves the right to reallocate the prize to the next randomly drawn correct and valid entry.

The competition is open to UK & ROI residents excluding employees of Headline Publishing and associated companies or Dogs Trust or anyone connected with the promotion.

The judges' decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

The information you provide will not be shared with other companies by the Promoters. The Promoters will only use your address in compliance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998.

Just in time for Christmas: book competition!

Oh, the Christmas season is upon us. While that traditionally means mince pies, mulled wine, festive music, and holiday cheer, it also means sales, raffles, prize draws, and competitions aplenty! It really is the most wonderful time of the year...

We have the pleasure of giving away two fantastic books to three lucky Dogs Trust supporters just in time for the holidays, Doggerel by Angela Patmore and Poppy's Puppies by Sophia Fergus. See below, a summary of each book and read closely to answer the questions and enter the competition:

Doggerel by Angela Patmore

Doggerel is being sold in aid of the Association of Dogs' and Cats' Homes, which embraces many of the UK's animal charities large and small.

In this book, you will find portraits and true stories of discarded dogs that were not afraid to love again. These wonderful characters, fifty out of over 100,000 dogs a year that are unwanted and abandoned by their owners in this dog-loving nation, have sad stories of abuse, neglect and dereliction to tell. Often rescue dogs have been thrown out by owners who could no longer afford them, or who found them inconvenient or naughty, or who simply could not be bothered with them any more. Many have just seven miserable days behind bars before they are put to permanent sleep by council-appointed agencies. Unwanted dogs are desperate. They yelp and whine and cry out for someone to love and save them. These lucky fifty have emerged triumphant and wagging, often against apparently insurmountable odds, to make their new owners very happy.

The rescue charities are at crisis point. They need kind people to come forward and give these dogs a chance. Rescuing a dog can change not only the dog's life but yours, if you are willing to give it a try. This book explains how. It also tells you everything you need to know about finding the right dog at a shelter near you, and getting him or her used to you and your home. There are lots of other books about dogs. This one is about the ultimately lucky ones that were in dire need of help and love, and who got both.

Poppy's Puppies by Sophia Fergus

In this book, you will find the stories of just a few of the puppies (dogs under 12 months) helped by Dogs Trust in the last few years, including Barney the Blue Peter dog; Harry the hearing assistance dog; Snowy the deaf puppy who had to learn sign language; and many more puppy tales to tug the heartstrings.

There's also lots of useful puppy information in this book: choosing your puppy; caring for it, including feeding and training your puppy. Also, for the folks that purchase it online or in-store, 50% of royalties go to Dogs Trust!

Doggerel and Poppy's Puppies are both available from Amazon, but three lucky Dogs Trust supporters can win a copy of BOTH books by answering the questions below:

• What percentage of royalties will go to Dogs Trust from the sale of Poppy's Puppies?
• Doggerel is being sold in aid of what organisation?

Please e-mail your answers to feedback@dogstrust.org.uk along with your name and address by 11.59pm on Sunday 28th November. Please note, only e-mailed responses will be accepted (answers left as a comment on Facebook, Twitter, or this blog are NOT valid). Good luck!

The winners will be chosen at random after 5pm on Monday 29th November. Please note that only UK residents can enter. Winners will be notified on Tuesday 30th November.

Win a doggy-friendly holiday

Holidays are great – school’s out, you’ve got time off work and you want to be out in the fresh air and enjoying some great weather, but sometimes, there might be one member of the family (hint: the one who barks!) who can’t join in the fun.

But thanks to Welcome Cottages, you can take your favourite four-legged friend away on a pet friendly holiday in one of their beautiful cottages.

Welcome Cottages have been working with us for over 7 years to provide a fantastic selection of pet friendly cottages in the UK, Ireland and France and most importantly, you’ll never be charged for taking your pet away with you!

For every holiday booked through www.dogstrust-cottages.co.uk 10% of the cottage holiday price automatically comes to Dogs Trust and they have so far raised over £185,000 for us. So knowing that through booking a holiday with Welcome Cottages you’ll be helping to support the dogs in our care, you surely have even more of a reason to organise that well deserved break!

One lucky dog and their owners can be in with a chance of winning a cottage holiday worth £300 by answering this easy question:

What is the amount Welcome Cottages donate to Dogs Trust for every single booking?

1. 3%
2. 5%
3. 10%

To be in with a chance of winning, simply visit www.dogstrust-cottages.co.uk and answer the question online, or alternatively, send your answer to:

Dogs Trust Cottage Competition
Holiday Cottages Group
Stony Bank Road
Earby
Lancs
BB94 0AA

For terms and conditions, please click here

Closing date for entries is 31st October 2010.

Good luck - we're keeping our paws crossed for you!

Eggstra! Eggstra! Dogs Trust Easter Treasure Hunt leads to a special surprise...

UPDATE: Thank you all for entering! Congratulations to the winner, Rhiann J from Wales, who has been informed. A Dogs Trust goodie bag will be on its way to her shortly.


Follow the clues to find the six hidden Easter Eggs on Dogs Trust's website and you could win a prize!*

We'll start you off with the first clue here and on our Facebook Page and Twitter feed, and then you need to follow all the steps to get to the big finish. The egg will be a smaller version of the one pictured left, and will have the next clue with it.

When you get there, please email us with the URL (specific web address) of the page the final egg is on, along with your name, address and age; the email address you need to send this to is listed with the egg, so don't comment here with the answer!



CLUE NUMBER ONE: Where you'd look for a dog to adopt.



*The prize and the winner will be announced on Tuesday afternoon, so you can enter any time until 9am on Tuesday April 6th.

Please note this is open to residents of UK and Ireland only.

Design a Shed

Yes you heard us right Its time to Design a Shed!

We have joined forces with national institution Shed Week for a special Design-a-Doggy-Shed competition. From 16^th April to 1^st June, the public are being invited to submit designs for mutt motels and shaggy dog sheds. It could have an in-built bone dispenser, four paw-ster bed and doggy drawbridge or simply be a canine chill-out room; let your imaginations run wild!

The winner will be chosen by Shed Week judges including Sarah Beeny (presenter of Channel 4’s Property Ladder), Rico Daniels (star of the Discovery Channel’s The Salvager) and Alex Johnston (of www.shedworking.co.uk) plus Dogs Trust CEO Clarissa Baldwin.

The winning design will then become a reality* thanks to the organisers’ crack team of construction experts. It will then be installed at Dogs Trust Bridgend where dogs that are stressed by kennel life can enjoy the facilities!

Shed Week organiser Uncle Wilco explains:

“This slightly strange dog-shed partnership has evolved because I’ve gone canine crazy after recently adopting my dog Sprout from Dogs Trust Bridgend. It turns out Dogs Trust are big fans of sheds – in fact many of their 17 rehoming centres have on-site sheds – so they loved the idea of teaming up for this fab competition.”

Entries can be submitted online at http://www.readersheds.co.uk/doggyshed or posted to:

Design-a-doggy-shed competition

Dogs Trust

17 Wakley Street

London EC1V 7RQ

*Dogs Trust and Shed Week reserve the right to make changes to aid construction where necessary. Sheds should not be used as canine living quarters.