Cats must be rather smug to know that there are lots of rules governing the control of dogs which don't apply to them. For example, the Control of Dogs Order 1992 requires every dog in a public place to have a collar and tag with the owner's name and address or the owner gets fined. Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 dog wardens can collect stray dogs and legally rehome them after just seven days. If the original owner turns up after that it is just too bad, as legal ownership has passed to the new owner. Not so with a cat – this can cause problems for organizations such as the RSPCA where the original owner shows up after they have rehomed their "stray" pet. Whilst the law could cost you hundreds of thousands if your dog runs off and causes an accident, the law has had to recognize the inevitability of feline wanderlust and so the cat owner would be immune in such a case. That is why UK Pet Insurance provides Third Party liability with dog insurance but not with cat insurance.
But cats can't get too smug – the law still regards them all as just "property" or "things". This has important consequences, not just for those of us wanting to "own" a cat or dog, but also for the welfare of our domestic companions as well as for those of us involved in Pet Insurance.
If you go and buy a fridge, a car, or whatever from a dealer in the UK you have certain legal rights. Some rights are enshrined in a written contract but others are implied by the law by the Sale of Goods Act 1979. The two major implied rights are that the "goods" you buy must be of "satisfactory quality" and they must be "fit for the purpose". These rights are found at section 14 of the Sale of Goods Act. They are rights that a dealer cannot contract out of where you are a private buyer; so remember that if a dealer tries to tell you a fault falls outside a contractual warranty!
But you only get the benefit of these implied rights where you have bought goods from someone who was acting "in the course of business". It doesn't apply where you buy a car from a private individual or a kitten from Auntie Maud. In those cases the good old caveat emptor rule applies ("let the buyer beware"). But where you buy a kitten from someone who the law says is acting "in the course of business", the 1979 Act comes right into play.
I am sure there are many instances though where someone breeds and sells kittens but doesn't for a minute think they are acting "in the course of business". But if a dispute over a kitten sale went to court, the law would decide the issue. A judge would look at all the circumstances, including the frequency of sales, what advertising was undertaken, whether accounts were kept, how much was made, how much was spent and so on. He may then decide that the breeder was acting "in the course of business", giving the buyer Sale of Goods Act remedies,
So what does all this mean in practice? Well, if you buy a kitten from a private individual and it subsequently suffers from a disease or, worse, dies from a problem which can be traced back to the "private" breeder then you have no comeback under the 1979 Act. Of course there is nothing stopping you having a private contract between you; neither can the breeder actively misrepresent the fact that a kitten is fit and well if he knows, or ought to have known, otherwise. You may also be able to claim on your Pet Insurance although it is possible exclusions might apply, especially if you have a UK cheap Pet Insurance policy.
If you go to a breeder who is, knowingly or otherwise, acting "in the course of business" and your kitten experiences such problems then, under section 14 of the 1979 Act, you could recover the cost of the kitten and/or any other losses you and the breeder could have reasonably expected (i.e. vets fees, boarding fees, travel costs etc). If the kitten had been bought for showing or breeding, then other losses may come into play, but only if it could be said the breeder knew or reasonably ought to have known this purpose at the time of sale. Such remedies would however give you a greater recovery than you would enjoy under your Pet Insurance policy.
Chris Fairfax is a Barrister and solicitor. He is a contributor of legal articles on animals and the law to major pet magazines and he is also a Director of Animal Friends Insurance, leading providers of cheap UK pet insurance. Animal Friends Insurance offer a wide range of pet insurance policies from basic to genuine full lifetime cover. They also insure older pets. Animal Friends can be contacted on 0870 40 30 300 or at www.animalfriends.org.uk where policies can be bought online.


Pros and Cons of Online Pet Shopping
The internet has created tremendous opportunities for pet shelters and adoption agencies. While most of them are legitimate and responsible organizations, it is highly recommended to research the organization thoroughly before you consider adopting a new pet from one of them.
As the internet provides a certain amount of anonymity, it is relatively easy for unsavory breeders or suppliers to create the appearance of legitimacy. A number of stories have been printed recently in the press regarding the deceptive techniques used by animal breeders operating outside the realm of good conscience. Ensure that you are not supporting the unethical treatment of animals by supporting these unscrupulous businesses.
If you are serious about pet adoption, be sure to explore legitimate adoption agencies first. While there are countless pet stores both online and offline, it is not advisable to purchase a new pet from any of them. It is no secret that the animals being sold in many stores have been ill-treated and not properly cared for. Based on the reports we have researched, a high percentage of the animals in pet stores tend to be extremely unhealthy.
The best possible place to start in your search for a new pet is your local pet adoption agency. Alternatively, you can do your preliminary research online. The internet is a wonderful tool for doing research and investigation. By all means, if you are unsure about the type of animal you might like to adopt, do some research online. However, be sure to investigate various sources. Do not decide to adopt a certain breed, for instance, based on the information from a single website.
There is one website in particular, that is a leader in the online pet adoption industry. They operate based on high ethical standards and an honest love of animals. It is called petfinder.com, and it is a wonderful organization. They have created a network of non-profit animal rescue and adoption agencies, and their site has an abundance of useful and meaningful information. They also have a searchable database of pet adoption agencies, to help you locate a new pet in your community.
Pet adoption is the only reasonable means of acquiring a new pet. Many of the animals at shelters are beautiful, healthy animals that are simply in need of a loving home. In order for these animals to be eligible for adoption, they must receive a health inspection by a Veterinarian and they must have all of their vaccinations up to date. Adopting your new pet from a legitimate adoption agency will save the life of a beautiful animal, and bring years of joy to you and your family.

Christine Arbor is a volunteer at her local Humane Society, and a regular contributor to topsellingpetsupplies.com – an informative and insightful website with information about pet food analysis, pet identification, pet insurance and more.


3 easy to teach dog tricks
To teach your dog tricks even easy ones you need to have some small reward treats, be in a quiet suitable place and keep the training sessions to 10 - 15 minutes or your dog will start to get board, remember when he gets something right lots of praise and a reward treat, just be careful not to get him over excited or he will loose concentration.
Getting your dog to give you his paw, first get your dog to sit, then as you say the word 'paw' take your dogs paw in your hand, give the dog a treat, repeat this, after a few times do not take his paw so quickly, say the word, count to one then take it, you should notice he is bringing his paw up as you say the word if he does not go back to saying it at the same time, do it a few more times then slow your response again. After 2 or 3 sessions most dogs pick this one up quite happily.
The high five, like a lot of tricks the high five is a progression of an earlier trick, in this cast the paw trick. Hold a treat in your fingers and raise your hand slightly higher than you would for the paw trick. You dog will think you want to do the paw trick and will reach for the treat with his paw as we taught him earlier, as he reaches up you say "high five" and give him the treat. Once your dog has mastered the paw trick this one should be very easy to learn and with just a few sessions he will be doing it on hand signal rather than voice control.
Getting your dog to jump through a hoop, before you start this one I would just like to ask you to be a little sensible and not hold the hoop too high as you do not want your dog to heart himself while doing the trick. Sit your dog on one side of a hoola hoop, get the dogs attention on your hand on the other side of the hoop take a treat in your hand and give the dog the command to release him from the sit, at first he may attempt to go around or under the hoop, if this happens start again, your dog wants the treat and will soon learn that going around or under does not get it so he will soon start going through it, when he does say hoopla and give him the treat. He will soon be jumping through the hoop on the command of hoopla. When I started doing this trick I had a medium sized dog (a Labrador) so I started with the hoop 6 inches from the ground and slowly raised it to waist height, if you have a smaller dog you might want to start with the hoop touching the ground so the dog just goes through the hoop and then slowly raise it as he gets used to the trick.

I have been working with dogs and teaching dog training classes for over 30
years, you can get a copy of my book and visit my site at
Dog training basics or
Dog gates