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ALABAMA ROT UPDATE
A further four cases of cutaneous renal
glomerular vasculopathy (CRGV) —more
commonly known as Alabama rot — have
been confi rmed by Anderson Moores
Veterinary Specialists in Hampshire,
bringing the total for 2019 to 29.
Nine cases occurred in December
alone and were from Oxfordshire,
West Sussex, Berkshire, Wiltshire,
Devon (Ivybridge), Rutland (Oakham),
County Tyrone (Cookstown), and
Gloucestershire (Cheltenham).
● For more information, visit http://www.
vets4pets.com/stop-alabama-rot/RESEARCH INTO DACHSHUND
‘SLIPPED DISCS’
PetSavers, the charitable division of the
British Small Animal Veterinary Association
(BSAVA), has received a £5,000 donationfrom the Debs Foundation Charitable
Trust for research into disc herniation in
Dachshunds. The grant will fund a two-year
trial undertaken by Paul Freeman at Queen’s
Veterinary School Hospital, Cambridge,
to study 40 Dachshunds and other small
breed dogs weighing less than 10kg,
who have intervertebral disc disease or6 Your Dog March 2020Charlie’s PDSA
Order of MeritT
he author, contributing editor,
fi lm festival consultant, and dog
lover reveals the inside info about her
new book, ‘Citizen Canine: Dogs in
the Movies’.Q
We can’t think of anything better
than writing a book about dogs
AND fi lms. Was researching and
penning ‘Citizen Canine’ as much fun as
it sounds?
“One reason I wanted to do the book was
because I KNEW it would be such a fun
project to work on. I had been loving some
of these fi lms for a long time, and thinking
about the book for a few years, but I mostly
sat down and wrote it in less than a year
— re-watching all the fi lms (yes, that
part was as fun as it sounds), doing some
interviews, and researching the fi lm-making
and canine actors themselves. That took
some digging around, especially for the
older fi lms. But it was a fascinating side of
old Hollywood to explore and I learned
a lot. I can’t remember when I had this
much fun at ‘work’.”Q
Who is your personal favourite
on-screen canine character,
and why?
“It’s really so hard to pick one favourite,
but a fi lm I’ve loved since it fi rst came out
in 2000 is ‘My Dog Skip’. I have a thing
for terriers, and I think Jack Russells in
particular are so lively on the big screen.
‘My Dog Skip’ is powerful because it’s
a simple story, classically told, about how
a kid can be changed by a dog’s love, and
what happens when that kid grows up
and (spoiler alert) leaves the dog behind.
That scene of Skip curled up on Willie’s bed
leaves me in fl oods of tears every time.
The fl ip side is that dog fi lms can make
me cry... a lot. But in a lovely way!”Q
Tell us a fun, quirky fact
about a famous fi lm dog you
uncovered during your research
— something not many of us know.
“Part of the fun of writing the book was
learning fun facts about the canine actors
and how their trainers and human co-stars
worked with them. There are some greatstories — I particularly loved discovering
that Spike, the formidable rescue Labrador
X Mastiff , who was hired to play ‘Old Yeller’,
was actually such a sweetheart in real life
that Walt Disney didn’t think he could befi erce enough for the rabies scenes. The
trainer worked with Spike for weeks
so he could convince Walt Disney he
could at least act ‘vicious’. There are so
many other great stories: on the set of
‘The Drop’, Tom Hardy used to ‘borrow’
one of the dogs for the night if he was
feeling lonely; Owen Wilson’s own dog
has a cameo in ‘Marley & Me’; there are
970 trained animals on the set of ‘Babe’,
and Alfred Hitchcock was a secret
admirer of the Benji fi lms.”Q
You travel widely for your
work — does this mean
you’re unable to have a dog
of your own?
“My job working at fi lm festivals around
the world means I travel for a few
weeks at a time, so it wouldn’t be fair to
have a dog of my own right now. But
I love dogs. I love hanging out with
my friends’ dogs, and dog-sitting my
neighbour’s Glen of Imaal Terrier Seamus
and her Dachshund Siegfried (Siggy).”Wendy Mitchell and Siggy.5
Minutes
with...WENDY MITCHELL
‘Citizen Canine: Dogs in the Movies’ is a celebration of the best-loved cinematic
canines, from heartwarming stars like Lassie to comedic scene-stealers such as Asta
in ‘Bringing Up Baby’ and Puff y in ‘There’s Something About Mary’.
‘Citizen Canine’, by Wendy Mitchell, is published by Laurence King, priced at
£12.99 in paperback. To receive a 35 per cent discount, visit http://www.laurenceking.com
and enter the code YOURDOG at checkout.
The author is a contributing editor for ‘Screen International’, a former staff writer
and editor at ‘Entertainment Weekly’ and ‘Rolling Stone’ and has written for ‘The
Guardian’, ‘Time Out New York’ and ‘Glamour’.Volunteer handler
Matt Cooke with
PDSA Director
General Jan
McLoughlin and Zac.Talking dogsTalking dogsTalking dogs NEWS CHAT