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Photography project puts working dogs in the spotlight
Laura Wiggins hopes her work will encourage support for charities

The bond between working dogs and their handlers has been explored in a new photography project by Laura Wiggins, a student at the University of Northampton.


Magic, a diabetes alert dog from Medical Detection Dogs alerting his owner to changes in her blood sugar levels.


Laura graduated in July, after completing her final year project, Dedicated Dogs. She hopes to raise awareness of the positive impact working dogs have on their owners’ lives and encourage people to support working dog charities.

“Dogs deserve recognition for their lifelong commitment to people and my project was a great opportunity to do this,” Laura explained. “I’m hoping it raises awareness of the passion, dedication, and intelligence of working dogs and their relationship with us humans.

“Inspiring a single person to donate any spare change, sponsor a working dog or volunteer their time for a working dog charity themselves, for instance, will ultimately be the best accomplishment for all the hard work, perseverance and effort that I have and will continue to commit to this series.”


Nursing home residents interacting with Max the therapy dog, from Pets as Therapy.

Kirby an urban search and rescue dog alerting he had found his handler, who had been acting as a casualty on a training session.

Cathy, a guide dog on a shopping trip with her owner waiting patiently for her next command.

PC Olly, a police dog for Northamptonshire Police, perfecting his heel work with his handler.
 
Images © Laura Wiggins

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Reporting service for dead wild birds updated

News Story 1
 The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has updated its online reporting service for dead wild birds.

The new version allows those reporting a dead bird to drop a pin on a map when reporting the location. It also includes a wider range of wild bird species groups to select from when describing the bird.

The online service, which helps APHA to monitor the spread of diseases such as avian influenza, can be accessed here

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NI chief vet urges bluetongue vigilance

Northern Ireland's chief veterinary officer (CVO) has urged farmers to be vigilant for signs of bluetongue, after the Animal and Plant Health Agency warned there was a very high probability of further cases in Great Britain.

There have been 126 confirmed cases of bluetongue virus serotype 3 in England since November 2023, with no cases reported in Northern Ireland. The movement of live ruminants from Great Britain to Northern Ireland is currently suspended.

According to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), the virus is most likely to enter Northern Ireland through infected animals or germplasm (semen or ova) being imported.

Brian Dooher, Northern Ireland's CVO, said: "Surveillance for this disease within Northern Ireland has been increased to assist with detection at the earliest opportunity which will facilitate more effective control measures."

Farmers should report any suspicions of the disease to their private veterinary practitioner, the DAERA Helpline on 0300 200 7840 or their local DAERA Direct Veterinary Office.