#NationalPetMonth runs from April 1- May 1 2025

 It celebrates and raises awareness of responsible pet ownership, with educational campaigns and resources.   And the event celebrates pet ownership – there are so many benefits our pets bring us! 

During the month, #NationalPetMonth would love to hear of fundraisers and events you’ve got going to support many pet welfare organisations and charities – all sizes of events/fundraisers are welcome!

#NationalPetMonth has ten tips for responsible pet ownership – why not share them on social media?  You can find out where they are on social media on their “Join the Community” web pages here.

Here are the top ten tips for responsible pet ownership

For teachers, there’s a ‘Keeping Pets Healthy’ lesson plan will help children aged 4-7 (Reception and KS1) understand the importance of caring for animals and others.   It’s got all sorts of information, including help on “keeping a school pet”.

#NationalPetMonth is run by NOAH and UK Pet Food.   NOAH is the trade association representing the UK animal health industry, and you can find out about it here. 

UK Pet Food has its slogan as “Love them madly, feed them wisely”.  It provides advice on nutrition topics.  It sets the standards for the UK pet food manufacturing industry.    And it has a pet care advice hub for vets and owners for dogs, cats, small mammals, birds and fish here.  

Visit the National Pet Month website here.

Are you fascinated by animal poo?

Head off to Chester Zoo!

From Friday 14th February to Sunday 16th March, from 10am to 4:30pm, you can enjoy a "poo-pendous adventure!"

The event has been inspired by Steve Smallman and Ada Grey’s hilarious and educational children’s book, and Chester Zoo say it's ideal for families looking to make the most of half-term.  And it's free with your admission or membership!

Poo in the Zoo was  written by Steve Smallman and illustrated by Ada Grey
You can find out about it here, buy a copy and support Chester Zoo!

This is a great chance to find out which animal's poo sparkles, to discover the minute world of bumblee droppings, and to find out the surprising ways that poo helps wildlife survive and thrive! 

There's plenty going on!  With interactive games and demonstrations, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.  You can find out what's going on here.  (You need to scroll down the page when you click through.) 

Find out more and book from Chester Zoo

The 3rd March is World Wildlife Day.   The day is held annually, to celebrate plants and animals (wild ones) on the planet and recognise their roles and the contributions people make to conservation and our natural world.  

Like many awareness days, the theme changes every year and this year in 2025, #WWD2025 has a theme of Wildlife Conservation Finance:  Investing in People and Planet.

You can find out all about it from their website    

We can all make a difference to the natural world around us.   The theme of World Wildlife Day is looking at innovative ways to finance conservation but we can also do a lot at home at very low cost such as:

• feeding the birds
• doing a litter pick so that wildlife don't eat it
• planting bee and butterfly friendly plants in our gardens
• leaving piles of logs in a corner of the garden
• putting out water for wildlife
• spreading awareness of the good things happening for nature, appeals from wildlife charities (e.g. the Devon Wildlife Trust has an appeal for a beaver project at the moment) and donating if we can
• sponsor an acre e.g. with the World Land Trust as a gift for a wildlife lover
• follow the hashtag #WWD2020 on social media and get sharing!

These are just a few examples.   Whatever you do today, please do one thing for nature.  The natural world needs us all to protect and care for her like never before.  

Visit the World Wildlife Day's website here.

Calling all cat owners!

We all know that cats have minds of their own - perhaps no more so than when it's necessary to have a pill.   And those wonderful people at Cats Protection have kindly produced a video which could help.   They have advice as well on their website - pounce on it here!

The video covers preparing to give your cat a pill, what is the required dose?  Should the medication be given with food - and can it be added to food.  

Find out more from Cats Protection.

They've also got lots of advice and information you can have a look at covering all sorts of areas of cat care and ownership.   Take a look here.

They've also got free online courses called Understanding Cats' Needs and Interactive House Plan.   You can do them any time online, and do them in one go or in chunks.  The Understanding Cats' Needs course is based on a course which is given to Cats Protection staff and volunteers - and it's suited to adults and older children who are interested in cat care.  

There are lots of ways to help cats with Cats Protection so find out about volunteering here - there are volunteer roles in their shops, their cat centres and their branches and you could also foster!  Help cats in need - check out the Support Us pages here.  

Well, I've just read a book called Twenty Wagging Tails, which actually a family friend passed on to me, knowing that I'd love it.

Twenty Wagging Tails:  One Year of Re-homing Orphan Dogs is by Barrie Hawkins, and I just absolutely loved it from start to finish.

The book was published in May 2009, and it is so very readable!   It's about a couple, Barrie and Dorothy, who decide to rescue large dogs, most notably German Shepherds.  The book takes us through the ups and downs of their first year, in which they take in 20 dogs and find homes for them.  I should say that the last three dogs arrive in the last chapter.   We meet various human characters who are beautifully interwoven into the story, such as vet Melissa, policeman Charlie and Cecelia, a friend two keeps pushing dogs their way and who is a bit nervous of that most fabulous breed, the German Shepherd.  And of course, there are the dogs themselves from Monty to Sabrina, Friend, Claude, “beautiful, white gentle Pearl” and Jess.   A wonderful year’s work, I’d say!

I just can't put this book down when I start to read it, however much I've read it, if you know what I mean.  It’s one of those books where you just want to keep turning each page to find out what happens next, and then, when you’ve reached the last one, you want to go back to the beginning and start again!

As someone who’s been involved in rescue – and German Shepherds particularly – I recognised so many of the things that happen, from people turning up early to collect dogs or late, or not at all, to promises made to send cheques to cover food and vet’s bills for dogs they’ve dropped off – said cheques never appear.  And of course that most wonderful bond which brings German Shepherd owners together in awe of and love for the breed.

The book encapsulates all the hights and lows of rescue;  the disbelief that fellow humans can treat dogs in thew ay they do;  they joy at the kindness shown, such as when one lady brings a Christmas tree as a gift – totally unexpectedly – and then meets and falls in love with Thor, a dog who has very little time left.  Needless to say, Thor and the lady fall in love.  The book has humour, gentleness, love – and yet it also deals with more awful ends of rescue which leaves those of us involved in rescue feeling so very angry and a few other feelings I can’t possibly type here.  And the love Barrie and Dorothy have for each other truly comes out throughout the book.   They take such care to find the right home for each dog.

So if you get a chance, have a read of it.  The stories of the dogs finding homes are wonderful – of course we all have our particular memories of  dogs who have made it into our hearts in rescue.   I did shed a tear when Monty went off to his new home.  And Friend.  And Claude.  And Pearl.  There many, many wonderful people involved in rescue all doing their bit for dogs and many, many wonderful owners who take them on and give them a new life and an opportunity to have a chance.  Bless them all.  And thank you all.

 You can buy this book from the publisher, Sommersdale, or on Amazon   You can get it on Kindle :-) 

If you want to know what animal a poo belongs to, you could take a look at this video from the Wildlife Trusts.  

There are 46 Wildlife Trusts in the UK, from Scotland to Alderney and North Wales to Norfolk, Cornwall to Cumbria.  They are all working hard to bring wildlife back, and to empower people to take action for nature.   You can find your nearest Wildlife Trust here. 

The Trust explains that signs animals are in an area can be a good start to discovering who has been visiting. 

Ecologistsi rely on animal signs - they help them understand the behaviour of many animals, and gives them an idea of the numbers in an area.   It all helps to build up a picture of what animals are where.

There's more information about animal poo here.

Animal poo can be fascinating stuff, and give you an idea of what animals are going through your garden or which ones lives in a wood.  

And did you know that animal poo can be made into products to be made as gifts? 

Elephant poo is an example.  The online Paper High has stationery which has been handcrafted from both elephant dung and recycled paper, so producing photo albums, notebooks, greeting cards and memo pads, all excellent examples of recycling! 

The products are handmade, so the colours and designs may vary, but what a lovely idea, to recycle elephant poo and paper! 

There are Colourful Elephant Dung Photo Albums for £12.95 each.



There are colourful Memo Blocks for £9.95 each.

There's an elephant dung writing set too for £9.95.
Just choose the colour you'd like.
It comes with a natural tea wood pencil too:

Made by skilled artisans, the elephant dung comes from the Maximus Elephant Conservation Trust in Sri Lanka!  Their workshops is located in the grounds of the Millennium Elephant Foundation;  the charity cares for sick, elderly and disaled elephants. 

The elephant poo is collected and boiled so that it's sterilised (you'll be glad to hear!) and then it's made into paper. 

The pieces of paper all differ, depending on the diet of the individual elephant.  

An initiative like this just shows how positive a local economy can be for elephants and a charity, and it also helps improve the relationship between the elephants and  local people as the elephants (or what comes out of them) is helping locals in their work. 

These are all available from Paper High.

I was on the RSPB's website this morning and they have some very helpful information about wildlife detecting and identifying tracks and signs.   You can become a nature detective, and work out who is living in your area!

The RSPB has an activity for you whether you're in school or as a family, with an activity sheet for you to download.

And they tell you how to make an animal tracker, so that you can see who's been out and about at night.  You can make a cast of the animal prints you find in your garden, and the RSPB tell you what footprints look like for animals such as the fox and hedgehog. 

Whose been visiting your garden?  Find out if it was the shrew!
Image ©RSPB

They've got lots of activities for you to help nature and wildlife, by the way, such as creating nature highways and byways, digging a ditch for garden biodiversity, how to grow sunflowers, how to make a bird bath and make a hedgehog cafe.   Find out more here.

Head to the RSPB's here.

The Mammal Society also has pictures of poo, so that you can work out whoose poo is whoose.   Visit their website here and take a look. 

 
The Nature Tracker's Handbook is available from the RSPB's Shop.
It has extensive photography and detailed diagrams to 
help you find and interpret the evidence the animals leavel in their wake.
£14.99 from the RSPB Shop.

You can get the Poo Bingo for Kids
from Hive.co.uk for £16.49
Featuring 24 animals and their uniquely shaped poos!

PS Please don't forget to put water out for wildlife - they need water, just as we do.    We need to look after them.

For dog owners, Earth Rated Dog Poo Bags, Guaranteed Leak Proof and Extra Thick Waste Bag Refill Rolls For Dogs, Lavender Scented, 270 Count, are available from Amazon

Looking for something fun to do to get away from the Christmas rush?

Take a look at the Wildlife Trusts!   Their 12 Days Wild starts on the 25^th December – yes, Christmas Day – getting out for a walk could be a start, or gazing at the clouds or stars in the sky could be something else to do if it’s pouring with rain. 

12 Day Wild is a festive nature challenge and the idea is that from the 25^th December through to the 5^th January, you do one wild thing every day.  

You could recycle your Christmas tree, go for a walk, feed your garden birds, stargaze, cloud gaze, or draw a picture of something to do with nature.   This could be a great way to get everyone off their screens and to do an activity for nature or with nature together!

The Wildlife Trusts have lots of resources – including the 12 Days Wild digital pack – and they are all available in Welsh!

Maybe one of the things you could do is to come up with a plan of how you can help nature in your garden or local area this year? 

Find out more and sign up for free here.

Take part in the Wildlife Quiz Poo with the London Wildlife Trust

Wildlife can be hard to spot, especially if they just come out at night, so droppings are a good way to find out who'se been visiting your garden at night, or your neighbourhood.   Can you guess with this quiz whose poo belongs to who?   

Give it a go!   Take the wildlife poo quiz here

And take actions to help nature, such as recycling your Christmas tree or feeding the birds - or just look out of the window and watch the stars!    Find out more about it here.

Image of the fox copyright London Wildlife Trust