Churchill Change Logo for Red Nose Day
Churchill is changing his logo for Red Nose Day 2009 and doing something “funny for money.” As well as wearing a red nose, for every Churchill policy sold between 9th-15th March, the insurance company will donate £1 to Comic Relief. This includes all Churchill branded policies including car, home, van, motorcycle, travel and pet insurance, as well as breakdown cover.
Claire Foster, spokesperson for Churchill comments, “We hope to raise a lot of money for Comic Relief. It’s fantastic to be involved and support such a great cause that resonates so well with Churchill customers.”
Compare and Review Pet Insurance at Pet Insurane Review
Family reunited with Pet Tortoise
A family has been reunited with its pet tortoise, which was rescued from a rubbish lorry.
Fred was plucked from the lorry’s compactor by sharp-eyed binman Shaun Wilson, who handed him to the RSPCA.
The 30-year-old reptile is believed to have woken early from hibernation and broke into a rubbish bag in the hunt for food.
Click here to get Pet Insurance
Animal Lovers Save Charity Over 10 Million Pounds
March 5, 2009 by admin
Filed under Animal Charities
Leading veterinary charity PDSA saved a total of £10.3 million last year thanks to its team of volunteers.
More than 4,800 animal lovers put in 1.25 million hours of unpaid work in 2008, allowing the charity to save the £10.3 million.
This money is enough to provide more than 6 million bandages for injured paws or to buy 300,000 bags of life-saving fluids to be used in one of the charity’s 47 PetAid hospitals.
Jan McLoughlin, PDSA director general, said: “It will cost around £50 million for PDSA to provide its free veterinary service to care for the sick and injured pets of people in need this year. It’s amazing to think that the generosity of people donating their time can make such a big difference to the lives of pets in need of vets in the UK.”
A culture of volunteering is prominent at PDSA, with the charity benefiting hours of unpaid work at its 178 shops, PetAid hospitals and fundraising groups across the UK.
PDSA’s dedicated National Volunteering Centre distributes information and co-ordinates the unpaid work programme.
As a result, PDSA was the first national charity to be awarded the Investing in Volunteers accolade due to its high standards of volunteer management.
Jan said: “PDSA couldn’t function without volunteers supporting staff in its shops, fundraising groups, offices and PetAid hospitals.
“Volunteers make a fantastic contribution – £10.3million in fact, and we hope that people continue to support PDSA and help increase this figure to care for more pets belonging to people in need.”
PDSA was founded in 1917 and cares for the sick and injured animals of people in need. Volunteer opportunities are available across the UK and are listed on the PDSA website, www.pdsa.org.uk/volunteering
Charity Offers Advice To Concerned Pet Owners At Crufts
04 Mar 2009 – 16:14
As thousands of people prepare to descend on Crufts on Thursday for the annual celebration of all things canine, The Blue Cross animal charity is gearing up to offer advice and support to dog lovers who are concerned about recent controversy surrounding the health of pedigree dogs.
A survey of more than 1,000 pet owners, conducted by The Blue Cross earlier this year revealed that 74% were concerned about the issue of inherited health defects in some dog breeds, but 38% felt powerless to do anything about it.
Furthermore, while 33% of pet owners thought they would be able to help reduce the problem if they knew more about it, 65% did not know where to find reliable information about the health and welfare of pedigree dogs.
In response to these findings, the charity has produced a guide to pedigree dog health, containing practical steps that every dog lover can take to help make a difference through making informed choices and supporting responsible breeding practices.
Kim Hamilton, Blue Cross chief executive, said: “While there is some very positive work going on at high-level to tackle the problem of inherited diseases in dogs, we mustn’t forget the millions of pet owners in this country who also have a powerful voice.
“The British public has voted with its feet on other animal welfare issues in the past and we believe that by making the right choices, every single pet owner can make a difference to the health of pedigree dogs.”
As one of the UK’s oldest animal charities with a network of animal adoption centres and hospitals, The Blue Cross sees the impact of irresponsible breeding practises on all species of companion animals and is well placed to offer trusted, independent advice to pet owners.
Information on choosing the right pet will be handed out at Crufts from the charity’s stand (84) in Hall 2. Visitors will also be able to benefit from a jargonbuster guide to some of the more confusing terms in pedigree dog health – as well as a list of the key attributes of the top ten most popular pedigree dog breeds.
Experienced Blue Cross staff will be on hand to offer advice on all aspects of pet ownership, and a selection of more than 70 free advice leaflets will be on display for visitors to take away.
Debbie Curtis, The Blue Cross head of communications added: “We know that three quarters of pet owners are concerned about inherited health defects in dogs, so we will be attending Crufts to provide as much information as possible so that every pet lover can help us achieve a brighter future for our pets.”
Further advice is available to download free from www.bluecross.org.uk/pedigree and www.allaboutpets.org.uk – the charity’s online community for pet lovers.
Saga pet insurance issues tips on lost pets
Saga Pet Insurance has advised animal owners who lose their furry friends to make sure they communicate the loss to as many people as possible.
The recommendation comes as research by Saga revealed that 30 per cent of Brits have lost cats or dogs, with 13 per cent of lost pets never making it back home.
“Losing a pet is always heartbreaking so appealing for information and raising awareness of a lost pet can be vital in ensuring it’s safe return,” said Andrew Goodsell, chief executive at Saga Group.
The problems of moving house with pets
Buying a new house takes on a different dimension if you’re a dedicated animal lover, says Tom Cox
Labrador crowned UK’s best pet slimmer by veterinary charity
A formerly porky Labrador has been crowned the UK’s best slimming pet by a veterinary charity after shedding 1st 6lbs (10kg).
Keano, from Plymouth, was so overweight at 7st 2lbs (46kg), he could not roll over on his back before joining the PDSA scheme.
But regular walks and proper dog food helped him find a new lease of life.
Five obese dogs and one cat completed PDSA’s 100 day diet and fitness programme, devised by vets.
The charity says canine obesity rose by 9% in the last year, which can cause potentially fatal conditions.
Looking Pet Insurance in the UK?
Pet insurance is for life, not just when you can afford it
March 2, 2009 by admin
Filed under Pet Insurance
In these times of financial hardship consumers are looking at ways of saving money and insurance is an area that will come under scrutiny, warned Mike Powell, Principal Consultant for General Insurance at Defaqto, the independent financial industry expert.
Powell has warned that because it is not a compulsory insurance, and is usually seen as a luxury, consumers may choose to cancel their pet insurance policies to try and save money.