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Did you know that almost all of the UK’s well-known brands of dog foods are owned by just four huge companies? They are Mars, Nestle, Colgate-Palmolive and Proctor & Gamble.

Mars owns and sells, among others, Pedigree, Cesar, Pal, James Wellbeloved and the Royal Canin, brands, Nestle has Bakers, Winalot, Beta, ProPlan, and the Purina brands while Colgate-Palmolive runs Hills Science Plan and Hills Prescription Diets. Proctor & Gamble have Eukanuba and Iams.

This article by Vicki DeGruy, originally published in Dog Owner's Guide, was the winner of a 1993 Dog Writer's Association of America Maxwell award for best article in a canine newspaper.

Question: I'd like to get a medium to large breed dog for my family but I'm worried. I've heard so many stories about dogs biting children. How can I be sure that it will be safe for my kids?

Horse meat jokes circulating on the internet following the discovery that some Tesco budget burgers contained up to 29% horse meat undermine the serious nature of the issue of what is in our food as well as concerns about slaughterhouse policy.

Puppy farming is one of the most pernicious practices that faces pet lovers.

Puppy farms run purely for profit with little or no concern for the animals’ welfare. Dogs are kept in overcrowded, highly unsanitary conditions, with inadequate veterinary care, food, water or socialisation. The puppies do not receive treats, toys, exercise or basic grooming and can be kept in stacked wire-bottomed cages that injure their paws and legs.

A breeder dog can spend its whole life outdoors or kept in an indoor cage for its short life: often when it reaches the age of four it is killed.

Scooping the poop may not be at the top of every dog owner’s most enjoyable daily tasks but we’ve still got to do it – and doing this ethically is something we at flynnthedog feel very strongly about.

It just doesn’t make sense to us that traditional dog waste bags are made from unbiodegradable plastic which takes 100 years to break down – despite the fact the these bags’ contents are highly compostable. And with 8 million dogs in the UK alone that’s a lot of waste!

February is a tough time for birds. Those that made it through this harsh winter will be desperately seeking food supplies which are running out in the wild. So while it is important to feed wild birds all year round an extra special effort is needed at this time.