Dogs & Animals
From perfect pedigrees to loveable canine scamps of unknown origin, we celebrate man’s best friend.
Looking for a new dog? Head straight for our article on how to choose the perfect dog to fit your lifestyle, family and home.
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Basset hounds: Incorrigible and exasperating, vocal and entertaining... and seemingly almost human
The basset hound is a force of nature, says devotee Flora Watkins.
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Five things that your puppy shouldn't eat - and what to do when they eat them
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Country Life's 10 best dog stories of 2021
From Border Terriers to the unwritten rules of walking your dog, here are the highlights of a year's worth of dog tales.
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Five reasons why you shouldn't get a dog for Christmas
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How white-feathered barn owls terrify their prey into submission: 'It’s like a ghost coming on it'
Scientists have found white owls are superior in their hunting ability to their darker counterparts.
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The ten unwritten rules of walking your dog - and how to follow them
Being a responsible dog owner is more than just picking up after your pup and stopping them from stealing sandwiches at the picnic.
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Top tips for taking your puppy on holiday
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How to survive pre-vaccination 'house arrest' with a new puppy
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The Puppy Diaries: 'It’s hard to follow all the rules when you have a very cute, very sad puppy who loves hugs'
Three weeks into deciding to becoming a dog parent, Alexandra Fraser reflects on the trials of the first week of sleep training, from chilly midnight bathroom trips to ludicrously early rises.
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The Puppy Diaries: 'The first night wasn't too bad. The second night was… different. We were up and down more than the Grand Old Duke of York'
Alexandra Fraser — who recently bought a cocker spaniel called Wilf — details the ins and outs of sleep-training a new puppy, from where to place your puppy in your home to why you dearly need a dressing gown.
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Jason Goodwin: 'The collie would come to the shed door for the smallest scrap of affection or touch. After a few months in the village we felt rather the same'
Our columnist Jason Goodwin on telepathic dogs, Pyrenean dialects and animal authors.
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The ups and downs of life with chocolate labradors: 'If one of my chocolates does something naughty, there’s no hiding. They all know it’s mine'
Chocolate labradors are becoming more and more popular — and with good reason, as Katy Birchall explains. Photographs by Millie Pilkington for Country Life.
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The Puppy Diaries: 'You cannot go to see a seven-week-old cocker spaniel puppy and not fall in love'
Alexandra Fraser and her partner didn't decide to get a dog; they merely decided to go and see a dog. Little did they know that it would amount to the same thing, as she explains in the first of a new series.
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Rosie and Jim: Why won't dogs let sleeping people lie?
The sleeping arrangements of pets and a village-like enclave in south-east London come under the gaze of our columnists this week.
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The slithering truth about the snakes of Britain, from grass snakes to the 6ft beasts that roam central London (yes, really)
Forever associated with sin, these elongated reptiles are much misunderstood contributors to our ecosystem, believes Annemarie Munro.
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The irresistible Old English Sheepdog: 'What could be more wonderful than a big ball of fluff always happy to see you?'
These big bundles of fur have advertised Dulux and danced with David Bowie, but numbers of old English sheepdogs are plummeting, warns Katy Birchall.
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Curious Questions: Why isn't there a Crufts for Cats?
Charles Cruft was a salesman-turned-showman who created the world's biggest dog show — yet Cruft himself owned a cat. So why didn't he do the same for felines and create a Crufts for Cats? Well, it turns out that he did — but it was scuppered by the British weather. Martin Fone tells the extraordinary tale.
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The return of the golden eagle to southern Scotland: How the king of birds is set to make a comeback beyond the Highlands
Already firmly established in the Highlands, these majestic raptors are now being reintroduced in southern Scotland. Joe Gibbs investigates their reception and the repercussions.
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Why we love horses: The 40,000 year story of people and their steeds
Equus caballus has served us for millennia on the land, the battlefield and in the sporting arena, so it’s no wonder our passion for our trusty steeds remains unbridled, says John Lewis-Stempel.