Bonus: The Dog Nutrition Podcast

As part of our Summer ‘revival’ replaying some key episodes from A Dog’s Life’s archives, we’re joined by the Broadcasting legend that is Jenni Murray talking about her love of dogs. From her first  Corgi cross called Taffy, to her two Miniature Schnauzers called William and Mary.  After Jenni battled cancer, she persuaded her husband to accept her first Chihuahua named Butch, latterly joined by two more  little Chihuahuas Frieda and Madge. At the time of recording in Jenni’s garden Butch was almost 16 and Jenni shares the journey with Butch as her rock through a particularly difficult time.  We discuss the impact of dogs and the irony they’re defined as Man’s Best Friend when in fact history concurs that women played the main role through the domestication process. We chat about the inevitable  and the harsh reality that dogs simply don’t live long enough, underlining the fact that dogs define chapters in our lives. We chat about the responsibility a dog is and the commitment that dogs are that so many people have sadly underestimated through the pandemic boom in ownership, to whats considered a crisis with rescue centres overflowing with unwanted pooches.  We talk about vet bills and postulate that vets could be biting the hands that feeds them, which is interesting considering the current CMA investigation! We postulate about the origin of the Chihuahua down to the fact that both Caravaggio and Botticelli painted dogs that look very like a Chihuahua long before Columbus discovered America. We chat about the extreme discussion about dogs and cats being demonised as contributing to climate change by extreme environmentalists. We celebrate dogs and their huge impact on our lives. Sadly since this recording little Butch has passed, but his legacy will live on! You can order Jenni's book hereAnd listen to her new podcast hereFor more about Anna visit her websiteTheme music and production by Mike Hanson for Pod People ProductionsCover art by Jaijo DesignCover photo by Rhian Ap Gruffydd of Gruff Pawtraits

Dog lover and Entrepreneur, Avi Nagel, joins us to chat about a new enrichment brand called Dog And Bond. Drawing on his fond childhood experiences growing up sharing a home with German Shepherds, Avi succeeds in recreating the shared experience of baking healthy snacks for your dog that you can eat too!  Dog and Bond ensuresthat the ingredients are species appropriate so there’s no sugar or grains.  Apart from thinking about ingredients and an awareness of whole foods, it's about training and enrichment at a sensory level. Dogs love to be involved with clear boundaries, and  being encouraged to explore their olfaction as baking aromas waft around. It's also about making an appointment to spend time interacting with your dog. It's a way of reducing stress in an age where science concurs that stress is transferable from humans to their dogs. The silicone baking moulds are all 100% BPA free and re-usable, and the packaging is uber sustainable and thoughtfully designed. Visit their website or follow them on InstagramFor more about Anna go to annawebb.co.ukMusic and production by Mike Hanson for Pod People ProductionsCover art by JaijoCover photo by Rhian Ap Gruffydd at Gruff Pawtraits

With summer holiday season firmly here, this week we repeat our chat with Brenda Stowers about Le Pet Express. Her passion to offer straight forward service to travel in and out of the UK began with her own experience when relocating from California into the UK. She  flew into France because dogs and cats can travel in the cabin as long as they fit in front of your airline seat. From Paris they entered the UK on a ferry in a rented car service. Coordination took months of planning and a lot effort to find a trusted provider to cross the Channel. The only other option was to put her cats in cargo and fly direct into Heathrow. The issue with traveling in the hold as cargo means you lose control, and it can be super stressful for your pet. Le Pet Express lessens this anxiety, whether you’re relocating, or popping over to Paris for a long weekend, or driving traveling onward into Europe. Le Pet Express offers help with all the newly complicated paperwork, and Brenda handles bookings and holds customer’s hands through checking the minute details of the Animal Health Certificate needed for British pets to enter France. Having designed the minibus especially to accommodate five pets and their people in line with DEFRA’s regulations, Brenda has traveled with Great Danes to Chihuahuas, Ferrets and of course cats. Le Pet Express is an ideal option for larger dogs that cannot travel in cabin due to their size, which puts owners off taking them abroad. For more information click here.If you love A Dog's Life and would like to help support the show why not become a Patreon backer where you can also have access to some exclusive content. If you want to move your dog to a raw diet or even switch brands we wholly recommend Paleo RidgeFor more about Anna go to annawebb.co.ukMusic and production by Mike Hanson for Pod People ProductionsCover art by JaijoCover photo by Rhian Ap Gruffydd at Gruff Pawtraits

We’re joined by Estate Agent and Landlord, Russell Hunt whose company, PetsLets, specifically focuses on finding properties for people with pets. We chat about why the conversation about renting pet friendly accommodation as fallen off the ‘radar’ of late.We discuss why it is important that whichever party wins the upcoming election, they will prioritise the Renters Reform Bill particularly where the clause section 21 is concerned that currently gives powers to Landlords for short notice terminations and evictions. Despite over half of Briton’s owning a dog, renting with pets is  still considered a niche market, with many estate agents focusing on lets without pets, rather than thinking more inclusively. We chat about the pros and cons of additional insurance, and why unfortunately some landlords may have been disappointed by irresponsible owners and as with everything it's the minority that spoils it for the majority. Russell explains that the issue is partly down to  supply and demand, and that often Landlords accept the highest bidder that appears to be the lowest maintenance for the property.  We segue and talk about Leasehold properties too and why before agreeing to any purchase or rent, ensure that your dog’s name, is on the lease!For more information visit petslets.com or follow on Instagram or TikTokFor more about Anna go to annawebb.co.ukMusic and production by Mike Hanson for Pod People ProductionsCover art by JaijoCover photo by Rhian Ap Gruffydd at Gruff PawtraitsTo advertise on or sponsor A Dog's Life email: [email protected]

Dr Lise Hansen returns to discuss the latest and indeed landmark news from the WSAVA (The World Small Animal Association) on their latest guidelines to recommend NOT to spay or neuter as a routine procedure. Following on from several episodes discussing the growing body of science to backup these guidelines, Dr Lise talks about her award-nomination book — The Complete Book of Cat & Dog Health as being the only resource to highlight some of the many health issues associated with neutering and spaying.Dr Lise Hansen's book is available again.For more about Anna go to annawebb.co.ukMusic and production by Mike Hanson for Pod People ProductionsCover art by JaijoCover photo by Rhian Ap Gruffydd at Gruff PawtraitsTo advertise on or sponsor A Dog's Life email: [email protected]

This week Anna welcomes back retired vet, Andrew Prentis, to discuss the concern around corporate ownership of vet practices and working out the correct dosage for medicine. For more about Anna go to annawebb.co.ukMusic and production by Mike Hanson for Pod People ProductionsCover art by JaijoCover photo by Rhian Ap Gruffydd at Gruff PawtraitsTo advertise on or sponsor A Dog's Life email: [email protected]

In loving memory of Gremlin, who Anna lost a year ago, we replay one of our favourite shows: Anna's chat with Dr Zazie Todd - CompanionAnimal Psychology -  talking about her book Purr. In our conversation on cats , the lack of science on their behaviour (compared to dogs), she recount several hilarious anecdotes on Gremlin, which will make you realise why she named him Gremlin, the lengths he went for to help Molly when she was poorly, and why Gremlin was quite a cat for someone’s first feline! He is so missed, but we hope is he is reunited with Molly across that rainbow bridge. Zazie's websiteInstagram: @ZazieToddTwitter: @CompAnimalPsychFor more about Anna go to annawebb.co.ukMusic and production by Mike Hanson for Pod People ProductionsCover art by JaijoCover photo by Rhian Ap Gruffydd at Gruff PawtraitsTo advertise on or sponsor A Dog's Life email: [email protected]

We joined by elite dog trainer Rory Hennebry and Film Director Paul Webster discussing the new documentary called Canine. Nominated by the upcoming Tribeca Film Festival, Canine follows a Malinois called AK becoming trained as a conservation canine to help fight the battle against poachers in Namibia.The rise in the ruthless poaching and targeting the Black Rhino for its horns - makes them one of the most endangered species on the planet.The Black Market value for the rhino horn has driven huge massacre, and dogs like AK being trained by the charity K9 Wildlife Project are making a massive difference on the front line to track and apprehend the poaching criminals.The documentary follows AK from a puppy with a difference with his trainer Rory to the frontline and the critical transfer to his new handler, and the environment.Canine - the documentary raises awareness for the need to train up more conservation dogs to help us conserve endangered species.Canine is a labour of love  designed to help bring in funds for further work across different countries, saving different species!Visit the website for K9 and for the film For more about Anna go to annawebb.co.ukMusic and production by Mike Hanson for Pod People ProductionsCover art by JaijoCover photo by Rhian Ap Gruffydd at Gruff PawtraitsAdvertising and sponsorship opportunities [email protected]

We’re joined by Anna Ewers-Clark, lead Vet at The Blue Cross,  chatting about the dangers of the hot weather. Every season has its pros and cons for dogs, and in Summer the extra daylight hours give us more time to walk your dog, but it's also a time when a walk in the park can turn into a vet emergency. We discuss why dogs overheat so easily, and what signs owners should be aware of to spot in time to prevent an urgent trip to the vets. We discuss why young and older dogs are more susceptible. Why the flat faced breeds find the heat very difficult, and why darker coated dogs absorb the rays faster than paler coated dogs. And all the tips to keep your home and garden cool and the fun games to play indoors and out when it's hot. Not forgetting how to ensure smooth, cool travel for dogs in the car, and why you should never leave a dog in a stationary vehicle even in the shade on a hot day. Visit the Blue Cross website and InstagramClick here to take part in the Biome Broth study and follow on Instagram.Biome4PetsFor more about Anna go to annawebb.co.ukMusic and production by Mike Hanson for Pod People ProductionsCover art by JaijoCover photo by Rhian Ap Gruffydd at Gruff PawtraitsAdvertising and sponsorship opportunities [email protected]

We’re joined by Rachel Down of Boil & Broth talking about how her journey discovering the huge health benefits of Bone Broth. Following a dead end road on courses of antibiotics, which seemed to make her worse, it was discovering the power of nutrition, especially bone broth that led to her transformation to being slimline, and in full vibrant health. By researching how between 70-80 per cent of  immune system resides in our gut lining, suddenly Rachel had the ‘eureka’ moment. Wanting to spread the word on the nutritional values of bone broth to help restore the microbiome that can become damaged by an onslaught of medication, vaccinations, poor diet, and a host of other environmental factors, Rachel launched a company dedicated to delivering bone broth to your door.  Beginning with traditional liquid broth, before logistics including transport, freezer space gave her the idea of de-hydrate it. Offering a super concentrated, untainted  ‘de-hydrated’ bone broth that could be posted through a letterbox, and stored with minimal cupboard space that was simple to re-hydrate, it wasn’t long before dog (and cat) owning customers were asking if they could have some for their pets.  Anna is a HUGE fan of bone broth understanding its health benefits to dogs, but she knows what a long process it is to make from scratch and with Rachel’s research to prove that the nutritional values of her de-hydrated broth remains the same as a a liquid broth, she's begun taking it herself! We chat about these benefits from being great for preventative care of joints, its packed with the structural protein collagen, glucosamine and chondroitin and as an isotonic drink being full of minerals including magnesium, and sodium so that Bone Broth enables faster hydration at a cellular level than water alone. Announcing the Biome Broth Study asking: ‘Could adding Bone Broth help my dog’s gut microbiome’?  Boil & Broth has teamed up with Anna Webb and Microbiologist and Microbiome researcher, Dr Carol Hughes, at the Biome4Pets company, a huge fan of bone broth herself as a way to enhance the microbiome’s bacteria diversity. The Biome Broth study is open to all dogs, (who have never taken bone broth before) to take part in a research project to discover how the diversity of the biome -particularly with both the Bifidobacteria and Verrucomicrobia bacteria (both very valuable strains) are known to be enhanced by bone broth. To get involved follow the links below, its represents a chance to have your dog’s biome tested before and after four weeks adding bone broth to your dog’s diet. It's also chance to receive a discounted wellness package from Anna and much more!There’s also a special discount on Boil & Broth for all listeners - using the code AnnaWebb15 Click here to take part in the study and follow on Instagram.Biome4PetsFor more about Anna go to annawebb.co.ukMusic and production by Mike Hanson for Pod People ProductionsCover art by JaijoCover photo by Rhian Ap Gruffydd at Gruff PawtraitsAdvertising and sponsorship opportunities [email protected]