When In a bid to find the perfect enrichment toy for their own dogs, the team @Play9 invented their own!   I’m chatting to Lee Bridges and John Allard about the Enrichment Revolution, and particularly  on interactive toys as a major part of this enrichment awareness. Inspired  by a pencil eraser in the design phases to create the Roolo that’s very clever its ‘a shape of constant width’,  which is naturally occurring, but very rare!  This shape and its tactile material that’s 100% eco  only...

We’re joined by Artist and Author, Barry Stebbing, who is talking about his first novel, Cedric - Footprints in the Sand. Based on a true story and inspired by Sir Edwin Landseer’s iconic paining of a black and white Newfoundland dog housed in the Tate in London, Barry brings the unknown back story of a Newfoundland named Bob - renamed as Cedric in this captivating book, which fuses fact and fiction to bring the painting to life. Capturing the life in the Victorian era as so different from...

We’re joined by Dr Dan O’Neill, Associate Professor for Companion Animal Epidemiology at the RVC and co-founding ICECDogs member. We’re chatting about the ICECDogs - the International Collaborative on Extreme Conformations in Dogs. Particularly discussing the recently published position paper, the aim of which is to help owners to recognise good innate health in dogs. The paper was heavily informed by research from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC). The first of its kind, it provides a guide...

We’re joined by Dr Lise Hansen who returns to chat about her award winning book: “The Complete Book of Cat & Dog Health” and why this book provides clear accessible advice for owners to understand the four main areas of pet care: Diet, Vaccinations, Parasite control, and Neutering. We’re also chatting about the new Vaccination guidelines just announced by the WSAVA (World Small Animal Veterinary Association). As a step forward in further highlighting the role of Titre Tests as a tool to...

Where do you go to find out more about health and longevity for your dog? I’m chatting to Pet Industry Nutrition consultant, Caroline Griffiths, who is the  founder of the Natural Dog Expo. Discussing why Caroline’s track record of delivering events that helps empower pet owners / guardians to help transfer their human health values to their dogs. And why I’m excited to host this year’s event with an impressive line -up of world class speakers! Whether owners/guardians have been ‘burnt’ in...

Anna and Mr Binks visit Hackney Barkers, a grooming and wellness experience in Hackney, London. Chatting to the founder Jade Georgiou we talk about qualifications in grooming, how diet affects the skin and coat, along with behaviour. The vibe of the salon is very zen supported by natural products Jade has selected as well as some supplements from The Herbal Dog Co. Emphasising the need to offer a calm environment, the salon is boutique with only two dogs being groomed at a time, keep the...

Anna attends the FIDOS (For Incredible Dogs on Screen) at the British Film Institute. Mingling with some of the guests on the red carpet, she chats to Founder, Toby Rose, and a host of VIP pooches and their owners, not least Jean-Christophe Bouvet (aka Pierre Cadeau of Emily in Paris), celebrating the role of dogs in film, which appears to be growing in line with the soaring popularity of pooches in general. The Best in Year was awarded to Messi - the Border Collie who played Snoop, an...

In our Crufts 2024 round up I’m taking a look at the natural healthcare vibes and much more chatting to both familiar voices and new ones, talking to people and companies with a focus on natural health, grooming and wellness. I catch up on the latest from natural balanced and complete food firms including  Paleoridge, and why Honeys has launched a bespoke service, including cooked options for certain cases. I also caught up with Coya and their freeze dried raw where convenience meets...

This week we're joined by Annabel Karmel, who has pioneered the way families all over the world feed their babies and children. In 2006, Annabel received an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for her outstanding work in the field of children’s food and has since become recognised as one of the UK’s leading female entrepreneurs. Credited with starting a ‘food revolution’ with her trusty recipes and methods, she has become the UK’s No.1 children’s cookery author, best-selling international...

Carol Hughes is back for the second a mini-series on the Microbiome. Carol’s journey began being commissioned by the Welsh Government to research plant compounds, in particular natural occurring steroids. Carol explains how this naturally moved into researching animals microbiomes as part of her parent company Phytorigins. It was this research that brought Carol into focusing on the Microbiome. With technology advancing particularly with Artificial Intelligence. We discuss how working with...

We’re joined by Carol Hughes talking in the first of mini series on the Microbiome. Carol’s journey began being commissioned by the Welsh Government  to research plant compounds in particular natural occurring steroids. Carol explains how this naturally moved into researching animals microbiomes as part of her parent company Phytorigins. We discuss how science namely Artificial Intelligence has moved forwards combined with working with leaders in the field at Aberystwyth University, how her...

We’re joined by Liz Rutherford and Freddie Rostand talking about their journey to bring organic colostrum to not just pets, but to their owners too! We chat about what colostrum is, and how with minimal processing it offers the most potent and biologically available immune system boost. Studies concur that this ‘first milk’ delivers vital nutrients and antibodies. By supplementing with this natural powerhouse is shown to balance and help fight disease and the ageing process. As a natural...

For Valentine's Day, Anna shows her love of Beagles by highlighting the experimentation on Beagles that continues at MBR Acres in Cambridgeshire in this bonus episode. She catches up with John Curtin aka 'Johnny Beagles', an animal rights activists for the past 40 years, who has been at 'Camp Beagle' outside of MBR Acres for the past two years. Camp Beagles' petition will be debated in Parliament on February 19th and John will lead a protest outside on that day. The campaign has drawn the...

This week Anna concludes her two part chat with Esther Logue of Paleo Ridge as part of our brief Nutrition season, talking about the cost of living crisis and why feeding quality food, whilst more expensive, is cheaper in the long run as it cuts out the need for supplements and trips to the vet and why it's inappropriate to feed a dog a vegan or vegetarian diet. Paleo Ridge is committed to only sourcing from farmers with the highest ethical standard, committed to breaking boundaries in...

Esther Logue of Paleoridge, is back talking about the re-package launch of the Paleo Plus in part one of this 'You Are What You Eat' special to kick off a series of shows devoted to nutrition. The new packaging has been created to convey the plus in Paleo Ridge, and goes live tomorrow! We chat about why Paleo Plus could be described as peace of mind in a bowl. Packed with different cuts and organs of whole ethical sourced meats and fish, the range mirrors the 80:10:10 ancestral diet formula....

Singer, actor and animal rights activist, Collette Cooper, returns to chat to Anna about her efforts to help shut down MBR Acres where beagles are experimented on before being put down, plus other bills before Parliament that will improve the life of dogs in the UK. Sign the petition here You can also support the Can the Kibble campaign here Find out more about Collette including her latest music here If you love A Dog's Life and would like to help support the show why not become a Patreon...

A Dog's Life is all about giving your dog the best, especially when it comes to food. Anna is a dog nutritionist and has been advocating for healthy diets for dogs for years, particularly feeding raw.  So as a bonus to A Dog's Life listeners we bring you Episode 1 of a new series called The Dog Nutrition Podcast, brought to you by Honey's Real Dog Food. Follow it on your favourite podcast app or use the link below. https://feeds.transistor.fm/the-dog-nutrition-podcast

Only two weeks into the new year and already a raft of positive news in the dog world. So much so, Anna and producer Mike Hanson round up the latest - from the South Korean ban on dog meat (and some startling discoveries of countries where it is NOT illegal to eat dog meat including the UK), to Parliament finally making Dog Abduction a crime to Anna's march on the Can the Kibble protest in Parliament Square this week. Plus they look ahead to Crufts 2024 and plan on what A Dog's Life can do...

This week we’re delighted to chat to Photographer, Aurélie Four. Originally from France, Aurélie is a London based wedding and lifestyle photographer for people who love dogs. Her relaxed, candid approach made for great conversation on her extensive knowledge and love of dogs, Welsh corgis especially: letting “dogs be dogs” and their well behaved humans be themselves in the love, life and work moments she captures. Her own pup, Marcel, whose social media (@lecorgi) she runs, inspired her to...

We start 2024 chatting to Battersea’s Brydie Williams and Hazel Adams highlighting 140 years of caring for cats. Marking this landmark the aim is to raise awareness of the great cat welfare given, and millions of cats saved, rehabilitated, and re-homed. To celebrate this historic occasion, Battersea will mark it the only way they know how – by giving our feline friends the love we all know they deserve. Hazel and Brydie explain that over the next weeks and months, Battersea will share...

In the second part of our festive Dog Friendly episodes, Anna and the gang go to the dog friendly screenings at the Picture House Cinema originally aired in July 2023. Anna is joined by Amber Pegden, Marketing Manager at The Picture House Central. Based in Piccadilly in the heart of London’s Theatreland and Soho, it's also home to very special dog friendly screenings. Amber has been instrumental in creating this extremely popular dog-centric cinematic experience. She chats about why as a dog...

In the first of our festive dog-friendly venue episodes we visit M Restaurant in Victoria, London to see how they cater to patrons with pets, originally aired July 6 2022. Anna is joined by Martin Williams, the founder of London’s premier steak houses, M Restaurant and Gaucho. He chats about why he wanted to open his restaurant’s doors to dogs at a time when the concept of ‘Dog Friendly’ hadn’t reached the mainstream. Proud of his decision to incorporate special ‘six-leg’ menus and events for...

We’re joined by Jenny McKay, the Reverend Vet, who has been approached by Australian animal welfare agencies working with the only organisation in the Gaza Strip that rescues stray animals called Sulala Animal Rescue. Jenny is appealing to everybody to think of animals that get caught in the ‘crossfire’ in war. Animals in Gaza need help! The World Health Organisation recognises that aid - medication, food and water needs to be supplied for all animals, pets and livestock - as an urgent appeal...

This week Anna is joined by Designer and Stylist, Ivana Nohel, talking on her love for Jack Russells and traveling abroad with her own named Dash. He follows in the footsteps of Rocky, Ivana’s first Jack Russell. We chat about training dogs and why it's every day and building progressively to achieve your dog’s best. We fondly recount our road trip to Paris to visit the oldest pet cemetery in the world where Rin Tin Tin and many famous pooches are buried. We talk about dog friendly in London...