Just like all of you pet owners out there, being a vet and a pet owner you will understand when I say that I want to be the type of owner that when I look into Ruff’s adoring eyes he is expecting me to be. Our dogs have no expectations of us at all and this is what drives us to be the best owners we possibly can – we will never reach our own high standards as our love for them transcends all our understanding.
Ruff is the first ‘person’ I speak to and greet in the morning (I always leave a sleeping household) to prioritise Ruff’s walk and breakfast before prioritising anything else in my day.
We go out regardless of the weather or darkness – although he always cuts our walk short when it is raining!!
So with all of this in mind, when it came time to planning our annual family holiday, we could not possibly organise it for ourselves – we planned it to take Ruff to the seaside. We visited the beautiful beaches and coastlines of Cornwall for our half term break. He just adored the freedom of running on the beach making friends with anyone he came across – dog or human, and everyone loved him. The joy you feel on holiday with your pets who are enjoying themselves is immense.
Cornwall seems more geared to the dog visitors than to the owners with certain beaches and restaurants catering more for pets than owners!
The Padstow museum is free to visit (donations only) and offers a wonderful insight into the early days of the town. One photo in particular caught my eye. It was a photo of families enjoying themselves on the same beaches we visited but in the 1890’s, and it was evident how even then, our dogs formed such a large part of our lives. The dogs were included in the photos and just like Ruff, they were also included in the family holiday!
Another display that caught my eye in the museum was that of a sign saying ‘Spratt’s Ovals’. These were in fact the very first processed dog biscuits ever made that started the dog food mania that we have today where we are brainwashed into believing (as vets and as pet owners) that only the large corporates know how to feed our pets correctly!

Kindness, Courage and Resourcefulness
What I learnt at Vegan Campout with my family
Bruno the Bernese has outlived all his litter mates!
Do you know that Bruno is 11 years old now and he has outlived all of his littermates on his vegan diet!
Pax had remarkable changes going from raw to plant-based
Once transitioned to plant-based her itching stopped, the hotspots went, her ears don’t smell anymore and she gets no more tear-staining!
What do vets feed their own dogs?
What do vets feed their own dogs?
“Just feel his muscles!”
Solo Vegetal gives vegan Vizsla Loki his amazing physique that his Mum uses to promote plant-based feeding of dogs!
Choose vegan when travelling with your pet
EU rules mean that you cannot cross the channel with any meat-based dog food, only plant-based!
Vegan Vet on Channel 5 TV!
A crazy experiment on Channel 5 proves that vegan dog poo has no smell as Alexis Conran and vet Arielle Griffiths put it to the test!
The goodness of Leni from Vegan4Dogs
What an inspiration she is and is proof of the power of good individuals making a difference!
My childhood dogs all died of kidney disease
They were fed a very high meat-based diet full of offal everyday!
What positivity to hear about Game Changers 2
A personal dream come true would be Lewis Hamilton talking on TV about how a vegan diet has impacted so positively on the health of his adored Bulldog Roscoe!
Vegan Dog Nutrition added to MSc Programme
Glasgow Vet School asked if they could add a section to the MSc Nutrition Programme about Vegan Dog Nutrition!
Bruno’s leg rash is solved at last
None of the vets we saw ever suggested that he might have a meat protein allergy