Saturday’s London Pet Show was awash with all manner of animals, all great and small and here is Day 1’s final film of the entire day’s events:
As The London Pet Show was hosting The SuperVet’s national tour, they had also decided to stage ‘Superdogs Live’ and I was excited to have been invited to sit on the panel. The show was to be hosted by the inspirational and charismatic SuperVet Noel Fitzpatrick of the hit Channel 4 vet TV series. My co-panelists included The House of Hugo boys Matt and Leon Henderson-Rood from TV hit show ‘The Dog Hotel’ and renowned behaviourist and founder of Pet School Gwen Bailey. I felt like I was on X-Factor, very exciting!
The contestants were wonderful, and the categories covered most talented dog, to doggy dancing to The Heroic Hound competition sponsored by Dogs Today Magazine. Heartbreaking but happy stories for the heroic hound which was a challenge to judge by Dog’s Today’s Editor Beverley Cuddy. Saturday’s winner was a lovely Romanian stray named Fleur who was rescued by Val Philips of Valgrays Rescue who after discovering her photo online showing a botched spaying, resulting in her intestines hanging out, paid for her surgeries and found her a loving home in the UK. After Fleur traveled to the UK and joining her adopted family, Fleur became extremely ill and Val fundraised for the costs for her lifesaving operation. A very worthy dog to win most Heroic Hound, as I have saved many dogs from Romania with botched spaying and neutering jobs, it is very common and absolutely deadly. Many of the operating surgical sutures are sold off on the black market resulting in vets using anything from fishing line to stiff wire to hold a dog’s insides together. I have even seen male dog’s testicles removed and not sewn up again. Many dogs die on the streets of Romania from blood poisonings, blood loss and infections after the spayings and neuterings.
Another highlight of my day was that I had been invited to host The Nerf Ring where there were some exciting events including duck herding, The Southern Golden Retriever Display Team and the renowned cross-breed Scruffs Competition where all the contestants are mixed breed. An amazing competition with at last – dogs not judged on their breed standard.
All day long, I was filming for Green World TV and interviewed my fellow panelists and lovely host Noel Fitzpatrick. As well as filming some excellent shots of the rabbit show jumping (from Sweden I might add), which you can see in my film slowed down to show how amazing they are at this skill, we filmed all the lovely animals around the hall which included adopted barn hens, dogs of all shapes and sizes, huge cats to hairless cats, horses, reptiles and fish; the room was awash with animals and knowledgeable experts to advise on how the best way to care for them.
The inspiration behind the London Pet Show was evident to see which was to encourage good pet ownership. It was clear by the end of the day that this was the place to come to learn everything you need to know to be kind and careful with these amazing animals as well as to be heart-warmed by the tear-jerking heroic animal stories.
Sunday’s show was just as exciting and click through on this link to be taken to Green TV’s film of Day 2 The London Pet Show:……………………………….
For more information on The London Pet Show, please visit: www.thelondonpetshow.co.uk