Now there's a new tool to help would-be dog guardians choose a new puppy or dog who is more likely to be healthy and not suffer from health issues related to their looks. It's called the Innate Health Assessment, and it was created by the Royal Veterinary College's Dr. Dan O'Neill for the UK's All-Party Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare. It has the backing of more than 20 UK animal organizations.
Researchers from the Royal Veterinary College have now revealed which breeds are the most likely to suffer one of these nasty injuries. Boxers come in at the top of the list, with these large dogs being 3.6 times more likely to hurt their tails than mixed-breed dogs. The English Springer Spaniel comes in second (2.46 times more likely), followed by the Cocker Spaniel (1.86 times).
Eleanor LawsonWest Midlands Kieran Cleeves/PA Media A Staffordshire MP's dog has emerged victorious after winning the Westminster Dog of the Year competition. The annual competition, organised by The Kennel Club and Dogs Trust, took place on Thursday in Victoria Tower Gardens, in the shadow of the Houses of Parliament. Poykee, a 13-year-old Keeshond, took the crown as the competition's 2025 winner. He is owned by Sarah Edwards, the Labour MP for Tamworth.
You'd be hard-pressed to find any group of people more ingenious about upcycling than those who pour their passion into a cause. I've been actively volunteering with animal shelters in Atlanta's LifeLine Animal Project network and Smyrna, Georgia-based neonatal orphaned puppy rescue Bosley's Place for years now, and their resourcefulness never ceases to amaze me. It's humbling to see how much their operational teams manage to achieve with so little personnel and funding.