We have extended entries for ThePet.net Awards until 30 July 2010. So for those of you who haven’t had a chance to enter there is still time! Enter now
The extension is due to an unfortunate technical fault preventing some people enter. Thanks for your patience to everyone who has already entered. We will be announcing the shortlist at the beginning of August.
About the Awards
ThePet.net awards – back for the second year running – celebrate businesses that offer the BEST for YOUR pet.
We aim to honour pet friendly businesses working tirelessly across the UK putting pets, customer service and value for money first.
If you are a business offering a service to pet owners make sure you get recognition for all your hard work.
There are 14 categories covering everything from your Favourite Pet Friendly Hotel to your Favourite Pet Sitter.
You are invited to submit your entry by 5pm, Friday 30th July 2010. The judges will then create a shortlist of the top 3 in each category which will be placed back on ThePet.net website for you, the pet owners, to vote for the winner.
We can’t believe the interest we’ve already received from exhibitors and performers for this year’s Puppy Farm Awareness Day in Brighton on Sept 19th!!
So many of you are keen to get involved and make a noise about this horrific industry that just seems to keep on growing – which means of course that more dogs are suffering.
By attending, performing, or exhibiting your dog-friendly business or band can be an active part in the UK’s first-ever boutique music festival & celebrity-judged dog show – and all to raise much-needed awareness of such a serious problem.
The full line-up for PUP AID 2010 will be announced on August 1st as well as ticket sales but we’ve already got some cracking acts confirmed, plus some awesome dog-loving celebrity judges too.
For more information click here or on the flyer below:
PUP AID is ThePet.net‘s Puppy Farm Awareness Day event for 2010.
PUP AID is a mini-boutique music festival to be held at Stanmer House near Brighton on Sunday 19th September with another celeb-judged dog show, Rex Factor, and loads of fun for all the family – and your dogs.
Puppy Farming – as I’m sure you know – is an incredibly cruel industry that basically battery-farms dogs.
Hundreds of thousands of poor bitches are kept in the dark, endlessly mated to mass-produce pups that are sick, diseased and unsocialized.
These puppies are then sold online, in pet shops and from free newspaper adverts, while their mothers continue to suffer both mentally and physically.
Unfortunately so many dog owners are still not aware goes on – and even fewer know how to spot the tell-tale signs of when someone is trying to sell them a puppy produced in this way.
So following on from the success of our first-ever Puppy Farm Awareness Day in Sept 2009 we’re continuing to fight against puppy farming in this country.
A bigger event means more publicity and as a result the more aware the dog buying population will be of what’s going on, and what they need to look out for when searching for a new dog, i.e. always see with mother, responsibly bred, or to consider adopting a rescue dog instead.
PUP AID will try and help dog buyers everywhere be aware of how nasty this side of dog breeding is, and hopefully reduce the demand for pups bred in this way and help put a stop to puppy farming in the UK.
We will be gaining heaps of publicity as celebs attending will include soap stars, actors, comedians, politicians and sports personalities. Some of the celebs have already confirmed and we can’t believe how lucky we are to have their support!!
Pre-launch, PUP AID has already gained massive support from:
Tickets will be on sale from 1st August 2010 and to register interest in coming along, performing or exhibiting, then email us at hello@thepet.net and join the Facebook PUP AID event here.
As you may already know, we are hosting our “World’s Biggest Puppy Party” in September. It looks set to be an action packed day, and loads of people have signed up for the free tickets and applied to exhibit their pet businesses on the day.
As well as these ways of getting involved, we are also offering some great sponsorship opportunities for the day. We have rosettes for the dog show, ringside banners, puppy pack bags, dog muck bins, programme advertising space and loads more. We are even offering a platinum sponsorship package which will cover the whole event and include some added extras.
If you want to get in touch regarding sponsorship oppurtunities, please drop me an email. And remember, all the money raised from sponsorship and exhibition stands will be going to the three charities we are supporting. Sussex Pet Rescue, Hope Rescue and Pro Dogs Direct.
With our Puppy Party coming up in September, and loads more exciting events that we are involved with throughout the year, you should get connected to us with Facebook and Twitter. We would love to know what you think of ThePet.net so let us know your views, tell us what we can do to be better, or just drop by and say hi.
Dog-loving celebrities and sports personalities are giving their full support to Puppy Farm Awareness Day which takes place this year on 19th September 2009.
This special day will help to educate the millions of people in the UK who are considering buying a puppy but are unsure who to contact and what to do next about purchasing one.
Located in remote areas of our British countryside Puppy Farms mass-produce puppies which are usually removed from their mothers too early, transported across the country to dealers, who then sell them from the internet, pet shops, free newspapers or even motorway service stations.
As a result these poor puppies are bought lacking socializing skills and commonly suffer from fatal health problems including pneumonia, parvovirus, as well as dangerous infestations of fleas and worms, often requiring hundreds of pounds of veterinary or behavioural treatment to fix.
Above: Yorkies in typical puppy farming conditions (Picture courtesy of Puppy Love http://www.dogs-r-us.org)
Breeding bitches are usually kept in cages or small pens, rarely see daylight or touch grass, and are mated on every heat – just being fed enough to keep them producing pups, with little or no veterinary care at all.
ThePet.net co-founders TV Vet Marc Abraham and social media guru Andrew Seel wanted the British public to know the truth about where badly-bred puppies come from to help them choose a happy and healthy puppy rather than a sick or diseased farmed one.
The ‘World’s Biggest Puppy Party’ invites all puppies and owners to take part in a fun gathering to raise national awareness about such an important and serious animal welfare issue.
This unique day will also feature a funky doggy shopping area, Scruffts cross-breed heats, assistance dog displays as well as an all-day celebrity-judged fun dog show open to dogs of all ages, with Ex-World Champion boxer Michael Watson MBE judging ‘Best Boxer Dog’!
TV Vet Marc Abraham says “I am treating more and more puppies that have come from puppy farms than ever before. It’s not the owners fault, they would rather have a happy and healthy pup, but aren’t keen to wait or spend the money in these tough economic times. So here are my tips for choosing a puppy:
1. For a pedigree (specific breed) puppy then always contact the Kennel Club first for their list of reliable and reputable breeders.
2. Ask to see the puppy’s mother (and preferably father) who should always be present.
3. Be suspicious of any breeder selling more than one (maximum two) type of breed.
4. Be prepared to be put on a waiting list – a healthy puppy is well-worth waiting for.
5. Ask if you can return the puppy if things don’t work out. Most responsible breeders will always say yes.
6. Never buy a puppy because you feel like you’re rescuing it. You’ll only be making space available for another poorly pup to fill.
7. Consider cheaper alternatives to buying a pedigree puppy like getting a rescue dog or pup, and remember that every breed of dog has its own rescue society.”
The World’s Biggest Puppy Party is a non-profit dog-show at Brighton Racecourse, Freshfield Road, Brighton, on 19th September 2009. Admission is a donation to be split between three charities: Hope Rescue, Sussex Pet Rescue and Pro Dogs Direct who rescue and rehabilitate ex-breeding bitches and stud-dogs.
All puppies (over twelve weeks of age) and dogs attending must have registered beforehand, have all their vaccinations upto date and all owners will be required to provide their vaccination certificates for inspection. Failure to do this will result in you and your dog being turned away and there will be no exceptions to this rule.
To register your dog or puppy, find out more about which celebrities are judging at ThePet.net’s ‘The World’s Biggest Puppy Party’ on Puppy Farm Awareness Day, Summer Health Advice or even Top Money Saving to help you and your pet through credit crunch, visit www.ThePet.net today.
To sign up for a free ticket to The World’s Biggest Puppy Party just click here.
Tuesday 30th of June sees one of the grandest and definitely poshest social doggy gatherings of the year. Macmillan Cancer Support’s Dog Day really must be seen to be believed. Set in the beautiful grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London, it never fails to attract the rich and famous, models and fashionistas.
This year ThePet.net’s co-founder TV vet Marc Abraham’s been asked to judge the ‘Best 6 Legs’ category! Fellow judges on the day at this ‘fabulous canine social event of the year’ include Dexter Fletcher, Tara Fitzgerald, Jason Fleming, Julian Fellows, Rob Alleyne and friend of supporter ThePet.net Roger Mugford.
If you or your company would like to get involved with Macmillan Dog Day to help raise vital funds for Macmillan’s work with people living with cancer then why not sponsor one of the nine classes or even advertise in the programme; visit www.macmillan.org.uk for more information.
We’re joining up this month with award-winning clever all-in-one dog-walking device Poopod to remind all responsible dog owners how important it is to clean up after their dogs.
Dog faeces is potentially a huge danger to humans. Primary school children and footballers are most at risk from diseases passed on from undisposed of infected dog waste. Unless it’s is picked up and disposed of immediately worms can develop and lead to a number of serious diseases like toxocariasis which can develop into pneumonia, asthma and even blindness.
So to celebrate Dogs Trust’s tenth annual National Poop Scoop Week from 22nd – 28th June 2009, ThePet.net and Poopod will at Paws in the Park Dog Show in Hampshire giving out free poo-bags, chatting with responsible dog-owners about the importance of picking up their dogs’ poop and giving them the chance to win their very own Poopod!
TV Vet and co-creator of ThePet.net Marc Abraham says “It’s lovely to be able to connect with responsible dog owners both face-to-face at dog shows like Paws in the Park as well as online at ThePet.net, educating and encouraging them to keep Britain tidy and healthy, not just for our dogs but for us humans too. By teaming up with Poopod we can make cleaning up after dogs even easier and as a direct result create a safer environment for all of us to enjoy”.
ThePet.net and Poopod will be attending both days of Paws in the Park Dog Show on 20th and 21st June 2009 at Broadlands Park, Romsey, Hampshire SO51 9ZD. For more information about Paws in the Park visit www.pawsinthepark.net
Boy did you guys want to get your hands on that pet food! We received hundreds of entries to the Burgess Pet food competition, but unfortunately there could only be one winner.
We are pleased to announce that the winner of the food, is Shirley Harpley from Norfolk and her cat Taz. Taz is an enormous grey moggy with a serious amount of cattitude. Apparently he has claimed an entire sofa as his own, much to the annoyance of Shirley’s husband.
Congratulations Shirley and Taz, and sorry to all those who didn’t win, there’s always next time!
In this animal-loving nation of ours it seems there is one place in particular which attracts the most pet friendly attitudes.
ThePet.net Awards 2009 have revealed the most pet-owners rate the West Midlands as the best place in the UK to own a pet after thousands of pet-owners were invited to vote for their favourite pet-friendly businesses.
ThePet.net Awards were completely free to enter with hundreds of different pet-related businesses and passionate pet-owners taking part nationwide, but almost half of all winners are based in the West Midlands including the favourite Pet Shop, Vets, Pet-friendly Pub/Restaurant, Pet Sitter, Cat Breeder and Canine Hydrotherapy Centre.
Full list of results
Favourite Pet Friendly Hotel or B&B:Little John Inn, Hathersage, Derbyshire.
Favourite Dog walker:Animal Magic, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.
Favourite Pet-sitter:The Pet Minder, Dudley, West Midlands.
Favourite Canine Hydrotherapy Centre: Woof n Water, Smethick, West Midlands.
Favourite Pet Portrait Painter:Petographer, Whitton, Middlesex.
Marc (co-founder of ThePet.net) said at the awards ceremony: “We hope the awareness raised by the Awards will help highlight those deserving pet-related businesses that proudly put ‘pet before profit’, offer great value-for-money and fantastic customer service. This will in turn keep Britain owning pets forever as well as reduce pet abandonment and increase rescue pet adoption.”
ThePet.net Awards 2009 were presented on 4 May at this year’s Ultimate Pet Show at the Birmingham NEC.
If you missed this years awards or think you know of a pet friendly service who should have been there – don’t worry. We will be launching ThePet.net Awards 2010 in November this year. Watch this space or sign up to ThePet.net and we’ll keep you up to date.
In this animal-loving nation of ours it seems there is one place in particular which attracts the most pet friendly attitudes.
