If you love chocolate like me, then the chances are your dog will never be far away when you give in to that need for emergency chocolate! (An enterprising marketeer even brought out a bar called 'Emergency Chocolate', even better when kept in the fridge! ) Anyway a useful health reminder is that you should never feed a dog chocolate as it is toxic to their systems- I read that 3 oz of chocolate can kill a medium sized dog and white chocolate is particularly poisonous!  So that's one treat you should keep to yourself...not so difficult!  Just as well then that Toffee our labrador,eats apple as if it were the finest Belgian chocolate!

Would any avid readers out there be interested interested in a Paws Connect book club? With so many pet related books and magazines being published throughout the year, it would be great to know what's worth reading...so fact or fiction, or just fun, let us know what you would recommend or avoid for that matter! I have finally got around to reading "Marley and Me" by John Grogan, which was a #1 New York Times Bestseller. Couldn't resist the cover when passing through the airport...a very scientific approach to buying a book! Look forward to reading your reviews! Catrina

Did you know that DNA Technology can now identify 38 major breeds. The Canine Heritage test launched in North America is apparently easy to administer and only requires a cheek swab sample to be mailed to the company for analysis. It takes 4-6 weeks for results to be returned to owners. Why would you want to know your dog's DNA? Well for a start if your dog is a mongrel or a cross breed, they say that knowing 'the mix' of breeds could help owners and adopters have a better understanding of their pet's behaviour.

Toffee our golden labrador certainly has all the labrador characteristics and I know her parentage, two lovely black labs, but she does not have a pedigree...often people stop me in the park to ask what breed she is, perhaps because she runs so fast and is very fit and trim which can be unusual for a city based labrador! Perhaps there was some mix a couple of generations ago...intriguing and it would be interesting to know! Perhaps it's time for the DNA test Toffee? But then again I would'nt want to offend your very pure labrador sensibilities! You are perfect whatever your DNA!

You might be running around looking for last minute gifts, putting huge effort into trying to please someone you love... you think you've found that perfect present but then again maybe not...well just remember your pet is probably the only one not expecting a present  who will show you endless gratitude, no matter what...it's the thought that counts! Pets are Perfect!

let me know if you are planning something special for your pet this Christmas!

Catrina x