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Suffolk boy wins prestigious Kennel Club Award
Pictured: (Left to right) Gerald King, Lynette Garstang, Lewis Steven Garstang and Vanessa McAlpine.

Lewis Steven Garstang was presented with the award for personal achievement in dog training. 

A 12 year old boy from Suffolk has won the Young Kennel Club (YKC) Young Person of the Year Award at Discover Dogs.

Lewis Steven Garstang, from Haverhill, took on the training and running of his father's dogs in agility after his father sadly passed away in 2018.

Rosie and Willow, two rescue dogs with vastly different temperaments, have been trained by Lewis, and he has built a significant bond with both of them. 

The award, given annually to one young person who has done notable work in dog activities, such as volunteering and fundraising for dog charities, organising dog activities in their local area, or helping others through training and mentoring, is presented by Ed and Cindy McAlpine in memory of their late son Shaun, who had achieved success as a dog handler. 

Vanessa McAlpine, events and youth development executive at The Kennel Club, commented on the award: “Congratulations to Lewis for winning this year’s YKC Young Person of the Year award. He is a well-deserved winner and is a real inspiration to many other young dog lovers around the UK.

“Well done to our other nine finalists and to all of our other YKC members who were nominated this year. They truly deserve the recognition for all of their hard work, time and dedication that they put into helping the lives of dogs.”

 

Image (C) The Kennel Club

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Annual submission deadline small pet animal exemptions

News Story 1
 Companies marketing medicines for small pets exempt from authorisation must submit their annual return to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) by 30 November 2026.

Submitting this annual return ensures continued compliance with regulatory requirements for products marketed without a full Marketing Authorisation. The exemption specifically applies to products intended for animals, cage birds, terrarium animals, small rodents, ferrets and rabbits.

For further details and submission guidelines, visit the gov.uk website.  

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Bluetongue RZ extended across Scotland

The Scottish Government has announced an extension to a Bluetongue Restricted Zone that is in place in south-west Scotland.

From 3 October, the Restricted Zone will be extended to cover the whole of Scotland. The Animal, Plant and Health Agency (APHA) says this is in response to further disease spread, as well as simplify trading conditions ahead of the autumn.

Since the whole country will share a disease status, it will no longer be necessary to have a movement license to move susceptible livestock around the country. Restrictions on germinal products remain.

As of 1 October 2026, there were 1,979 cases of BTV-3 in England, 389 cases in Wales and 40 cases in Scotland.