Mutts on a train

Sticking to the dogs on public transport theme it seems the crafty mutts in Moscow are quite savvy when it comes to navigating their way around the city. The stray dogs travel the subway from the suburbs to the city centre every morning in search of food, then return to their canine homes at night.

Biology professor Andrew Poyarkov says he has watched several of the unaccompanied dogs travelling on Moscow's underground rail system. "They do not just go to the subway station, they actually board the trains and have seemed to learn how long they need to stay on the train to leave at the right station". The professor adds he has also seen the same dogs waiting at a green light to cross the road. Safety first!

Obviously they've already figured out how to dodge the fare.

Chow for now...

CANINE EXPRESS

Experts suggest dogs have the mental capacity of your average two-year-old human. But do you know any two-year-olds who can take the train by themselves and get off at the right stop?

Diesel, a Staffordshire terrier had been left at home when his owner went on holiday. Diesel decided to set off in the middle of the night in search of his owner - by catching the train 31 miles to Stanstead Airport. The intrepid pet had to board two trains and walk a mile between stations.

Thankfully Diesel's adventure ended happily for all concerned, and underlines the importance of micro-chipping pets.

Those Flash Pooches in Berlin

Work can be hard, right? but why should your pooch have to suffer loneliness and isolation whilst you beaver away at work? Well, while you're out of sight and slaving away, your pooch could be living the life of Riley.

Busy dog lovers in Berlin can now have their four legged friends carted around town in a glamorous bus especially designed for dogs at a mere cost of 15 Euros! The dogs are taken to a special day centre situated just west of Berlin, and on the 31 mile ride to the Pfoetchenhotel (Paw Hotel) they are seated in personalised cabins fitted with air conditioning, central heating, blankets, food, and of course, music! Once at the hotel they can then play, eat, and relax before embarking (...yea, sorry...) on their trip home. The bus can seat up to 20 dogs, and runs 5 days a week.

Now these are urban dogs with style! and quite possibly owners with seriously guilty consciences and threadbare pockets (but who's thinking about them?)

Chow for now!

Train your kid like you would your... erm, dog?!

A senior trainer at Battersea Dogs Home has said that young children should be taught how to behave by treating them like dogs. "Possitive reinforcement" along with the offer of treats and small gifts can apparently help to train not only your pooch but also your toddler. According to the experts at the charity, using simplified language, distinctive body language, and a strong tone of voice as well as unique facial expressions, can offer much needed clear and consistant guidance. Allison Russell from Battersea Dogs Home said " child psychology and dog behaviour are of course complex and very individual subjects, but there are some startling similarities between them which can be tackled with simple behavioural techniques." So there you have it, treat your child like your dog and perhaps both will end up perfectly behaved!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Poodle

19 August

This photo, taken from a pet grooming competition in the States, proves that grooming your pooch doesn't have to be limited to just trimming the hair out of their eyes or removing the odd clump of mud! Why stop there when you can create a masterpiece like this? (see supergroom.net for more slightly disturbing ideas) hmmmm, we at Dogside are not altogether sure your pooch is the best choice of canvas... we don't want any urban dog bullying, now do we!

Oscar knows it's right

Meet Oscar. He's the talk of West Hampstead (estate agent speak for extreme South Cricklewood). His owner tells me that cute pooch Oscar demands his Dogside scarf for every walk and whines when it's removed back at the ranch. Oh and the Dogside tennis ball fits perfectly in his strong jaws. The Dogside tennis ball is not for sale, by the way, intrepid hounds must locate them hidden in parks and deliver them to their owner. x

Get your own ideas (dutifully resisting obvious 'paws off'' cheesy pun there folks)

Left: Dogside 2007

Right: Dogster 2008

Those crazy guys at Dogster have come up with a genius idea -- get this, right, you'll love it seriously -- why not create round stickers for dog-friendly businesses to put in their window saying that they are mentioned on the website? RING ANY BELLS PEOPLE?! We at Dogside had this idea way back, in fact we started distributing our [orginal] round stickers SIX months ago. You can flag your fave dog-friendly business with our interactive Google map application and they get a sticker for their window like a restaurant guide would.

But listen... ok, deeep breath. It's cool, we don't mind really. Y'know we're all in this dog-loving lark together yeah? It's all for the greater good of encouraging places to welcome dogs right? And lo, there was harmony online again... P.S: Rest safe in the knowledge, however, that Dogside will NOT stoop to using hackneyed doggy plays-on-words, it's pretty naff (we bitches would be barking mad to do that etc.) Sniff.