Country diary: Trouble beneath the blackthorn

Country diary: Trouble beneath the blackthorn

A calf from last year stands alone, nibbling bramble leaves, more bored by the idleness than hungry.‘Fed before dawn, the beasts now lie cudding, eyes half closed, contented.’ Photograph: Sarah LaughtonI move among them familiarly; all born on the farm, they have been handled from an early age.

Sustainable dog food could help offset the environmental cost of having a pet

Sustainable dog food could help offset the environmental cost of having a pet

Sustainable pet brand Beco is trying to reduce the impact our furry friends have on the planet (Picture: Beco/ Matthew Lloyd)Like many business owners, George Bramble was panicking when Covid arrived.

Dog found abandoned in bushes looking for home in time for Christmas

Dog found abandoned in bushes looking for home in time for Christmas

Bramble was emaciated and had a leg injury (Picture: North News & Pictures Ltd nort)We’re hoping we can help him find just that in time for Christmas.

Cat mauled to death by dogs and tossed in bush for owner to find

Cat mauled to death by dogs and tossed in bush for owner to find

Eleanor Marrett’s daughter with the family’s beloved pet cat Jess (Picture: MEN Media)A horrified mother found her cat five-foot up a bramble bush after being savaged to death by dogs .

NOT JUST FOR CHRISTMAS: Heartbreak as adorable puppies DUMPED in freezing weather

NOT JUST FOR CHRISTMAS: Heartbreak as adorable puppies DUMPED in freezing weather

Bramble and Crumble were barely alive when they were rescued huddling against their litter-mates’ bodies.“These pups were abandoned in a cage behind an old sofa, in a remote shed, so the chances of them ever being found was almost zero,” said Inspector Stubbs.“It’s just fortunate that someone was out walking their dogs which picked up the pups’ scent because, if not, the chances are there would have been four dead puppies in the cage, had they been left undiscovered any longer.”The vulnerable cockapoos, aged between six and seven weeks and too young to be taken away from their mother, are believed to have been suffering at the location for two days.