Episode 5 - Keith Lemon's prize pup, dog meat, sheep worrying and more

The Dog News Show

In Episode 5 of The Dog News Show, the big question is should dogs be given as prizes in competitions. Now of course the answer is, "No!" but Keith Lemon (A.K.A. Leigh Francis) doesn't seem to realise this and on his show, Keith Lemon's Lemonaid, he had three children who had been pestering their parents for a dog competing to win a dog. When one little girl won the competition, a Pug puppy was presented to her. This has caused outrage among those concerned about dog welfare, and goes against the advice from Marc Abraham who runs the Where's Mum campaign, and also organises Pup Aid to promote the right way to but a puppy.

If like Debbie and Julie you are outraged by Keith Lemon giving a Pug puppy as a prize you can make your voice heard by complaining to Ofcom about the show, complain directly to ITV and there is also a petition to amend the law and make the giving of live animals as prizes illegal. You can join the facebook page KeithLemonsPuppyPrizeProtest and for more information, you can read Debbie's blogpost Keith Lemon ITV show LemonAid and the Pug Puppy and Julie's blogpost Keith Lemon's Lemonaid gave a puppy as a prize on ITV.

Another story highlighted is the sad case of over 500 dogs crammed into 156 cages and being transported on a lorry in China, believed to be destined to be served up in restaurants. The lorry was stopped by police, but they were powerless as the cargo was not actually illegal in China. Luckily a rescue organisation stepped in and bought the dogs, but the real question is how do we stop the trade in dog meat? If you want to see dog meat taken off the menu, help support the work of WSPA and find out about the work of Animals Asia.

A very sad story came to light in Las Vegas recently, where a baby was killed by his Grandmother's dog. What causes dogs to attack babies and young children, and how can families make sure their dog and their infants live in harmony? Debbie and Julie discuss all this and more.

Does your express more interest in your food than his own? Well now you can find out the science behind it as recent research reported in Scientific American has shown that dogs react differently to food and make different choices based on how they perceive a human's attitude to the food.

Do you know the law in relation to your dog and livestock worrying? Do you realise that you could be putting your dog's life at risk without being aware of it, and that farmers have the right to defend their animals? A Leicestershire farm recently lost several sheep thanks to irresponsible dog ownership, and this is a problem than comes up again and again across the UK.

Having dealt with some serious subjects, Debbie and Julie send you away with a smile on your face with the story of Cactus Jack, the little pup with a big happy heart who hit the headlines when he was found stuck in a cactus in Arizona. Find out what happened to Jack and how his celebrity helped other rescue dogs too.