Field Day

Pets and food are two of my favourite things, as you might have already guessed, so it's a shame to hear Rick Stein's little dog, Chalky, has died.

The Jack Russell was famous for its on-screen antics with the tv chef, and an emotional Rick has even posted an obituary on his website.

It recounts some of Chalky's "mighty capers" but perhaps not surprisingly omits to mention that he once dispatched a rabbit owned by Tomorrow's World presenter Judith Hann!

I hate pugs.

Don’t get me wrong, I'm generally a massive dog lover, but if there’s one breed I can’t bear, it’s the pug. They look as if they’re run into the back of a bus. Or like maggots run to fat.

It’s a travesty of justice, then, that the pug has made it into the Top 20 most popular dog breeds, according to new figures from the Kennel Club.

I’m told, incidentally, the word ‘pug’ comes from the Latin word pugnus meaning a fist – an allusion to the way the dog’s face looks.

Less surprisingly, the labrador retriever keeps the number one spot, with more than 45,000 registrations in 2006. This breed has been steadfastly at the top of the list (do retrievers ever do anything in any way other than steadfastly?) for the past 15 years.

Hot on its heels – or should that be hot on its paws – is the cocker spaniel which clinches second place. Another farmers' favourite, the springer, comes in third.

I can't wait until Crufts next week.

I'm hoping to go but if I can't make it I'll certainly be glued to the telly. It's unmissable.

One of the funniest things I've ever seen was last year when presenter Ben Fogle was in a room full of Golden Retrievers and two of them - eer, how shall I put this delicately - started taking a rather passionate interest in one another.

Aching legs today from all the walking at Crufts yesterday.

My money for Best in Show was on that gorgeous flatcoated retriever which won the gundog group. Or maybe the Bloodhound which had taken the top spot in the Hound group - it looked as if it had a brilliant personality.

You see some funny things at farm sales.

One Field Day reader, Tessa Gates, was at an auction on the Isle of Wight yesterday and came across this guy. Apparently, the cat goes everywhere with him.

Wonder if he lets it off the lead...

I'm a sucker for a cute puppy - and they don't come much cuter than Rufus, my other half's mum's new dog.

Rufus lives on a farm in Snarestone in Leicestershire - and I can't wait to meet him. He likes sleeping and chewing everything (but people's hands are his favourite).

We like pets here at Field Day.

I'm fond of dogs, but it's cat's I really love. So I've been beside myself with excitement this weekend - having got two new kittens.

I promised not to go on about my new cats, but indulge me a little bit.

Two more things I've discovered this morning. It seems that my arms will now be permanently covered with scratches (a woman in the post office noticed them this morning - I reckon she thought I was a self-harmer.)

And, rather worryingly, I seem to be paying an unnauturally large amount of attention to the number of times they use the litter tray. All well in that department, I'm pleased to report...

The pair of them, after a few sniffs and sneezes, seem to be getting stronger every day. They came from a farm: so I'm hoping they're of hearty rural stock...

You can't begrudge spending money on pets.

That said, young Nutmeg and Parsley do seem to be costing me a fortune.

I was hoping that, as they came from a farm, they'd be strong - but the vet tells me that sometimes farm cats can be exposed to all sorts of nasties in the first few weeks of their life. Hence their sniffles and upset tums.

They still love chicken, though. And here's Parsley having a nice cup of tea. Two sugars, please.

I don't know about tea - I needed something stronger after the vet gave me his last bill!

Who says country people aren't a soft-hearted lot?

Diana Lewis of Witheridge in North Devon has just rescued five tiny hedgehogs from a barn.

She nurtured the tiny, blind orphans back to health after their mother disappeared - before handing them over to an animal rescue centre. All together now: Aaarrrgggh!

Farm dogs are no strangers to hard graft.

Whether they're rounding up sheep or hunting vermin, they're always eager to please.

But these two black labs have a special skill. They're helping in the fight against music and film piracy.

I'm beginning to appreciate the true cost of pet ownership.

My two new kittens, Nutmeg and Parsley, had to go back to the vet this week - and he ended up keeping them in overnight.

This is it, this is D day.

My cats, Numeg and Parsley (Nutters and Pars) had their last dose of antibiotics 24 hours ago so are now officially going cold turkey.

There’s hope, it seems, for even the most disobedient of pooches - as a woman in Cumbria has started running four-day “citizenship classes” for dogs which lack countryside manners.

We've talked a lot about dogs on Field Day.

We've talked about ugly dogs, tearaway dogs, Rick Stein's dog and show dogs, but as yet not specifically big dogs.

So have a look at this story about what's supposedly Britain's biggest dog.

Pets getting married, whatever next.... This isn't a late April Fool. It's genuine.

OK, I've been trying my best not to rattle on too much about my new cats.

My friends and collegues seem to be split into two distinct camps - cat-people and dog-people. The farming people, it seems, tend to be in the latter category.

Like with Agas and Land Rovers, which people either seem to love or hate, there doesn't seem to be a lot of middle ground.

If this picture doesn't convert a few of the dog-people, though, I don't know what will...

I've had my kittens for over a couple of months now and they're great fun.

I'm so pleased I got them - but the vets' bills have made me realise quite how expensive pet ownership can be.

Below is a sneak preview of an article that'll be appearing in Farmers Weekly, considering the trials and tribulations of pet ownership. If you've got a view - or a horror story regarding vets bills - you can join the debate on the forums.

Field Day reader Nick Fone has lodged a complaint. He's unhappy about how much I'm banging on about my cats.

Not, you understand, because he doesn't like cats - but because he thinks his are getting overlooked.

So here, just to keep him happy are two pictures of Ginge.

And while we're on the subject, you might as well have one more of mine!

Can't claim to have made this up - a friend sent it to me, it's one of those emails that's doing the rounds. It's about the difference between cats and dogs - and it's so true.

I'm probably contravening all sorts of copyright laws re-publishing it here - but life's too short to worry about technical details like that!

Oh dear, I’ve started something now.

I suppose it was inevitable all my cat talk would prompt a backlash. Farmer and definite dog devotee Charlie Flindt has penned a piece in praise of our canine friends.

You can read his article, which will appear in Farmers Weekly on Friday, below. I'll post my response bigging up cats tomorrow.

Nicely put, Charlie. Of course you’re totally wrong about dogs making better pets than cats, I’m afraid.

Cats win hands down (or should that be paws down) and here’s why.

Here’s a blog post by East Anglian farmer David Richardson which made me laugh.

I’ve upset a few vegetarians recently as it is. Not sure how chicken killing will go down. Ah well. I’m away next week…

Dog lovers have been on my case since my eulogy in praise of cats.

Chrissie, who writes the Taking Stock blog (covering livestock shows and sales), tells me I'm talking complete claptrap and sent me this picture of her Japanese Akita.

She describes Kizzy as "graceful, powerful and a great protector of the family home".

The public has spoken.

We made the cats vs dogs debate the subject of our 'Question of the Week' on Farmers Weekly and the result was unequivocal.

More than 1000 people voted and 86% said they preferred dogs!

Since my complete drubbing in the cats vs dogs debate, I hardly dare mention my cats.

Better, I decided, to lay low for a while and lick my wounds (which is better, I have to say, than what dogs often lick!)

I have had a trawl of the web, though, and found a story about cats being taken for a walk, an alternative Crufts contest, a cat flushing the toilet video, a clip of a skateboarding bulldog and, my favourite of all, a website devoted to cats that look like Hitler.

My cats are under the knife right now.

Today is D-day. Or, rather, N-day. Neutering Day.

Let it never be said that I neglect dogs in favour of cat coverage.

OK, I'm more of a cat person, but having seen pooches win hands down (should that be paws down?) in a recent "cats or dogs" poll, I figure the occasional dog story won't go amiss.

So here's a great picture I've been sent of a truly splendid woofer. It's a Leonberger.

You've heard of the Oscars, you've heard of the BAFTAS, now it's the Fidos.

I'm not the only one who isn't a massive fan of The Archers.

Just been reading a post on the lovely Little Brown Blog about a dog that goes crazy at the sound of the show's theme tune.

Milla left a comment saying she once had a dog that went loopy at the sound of Blue Peter. When I was a kid, we had a Border Collie that particularly liked the Match of the Day music.

Just wondered if anyone else has had experience of dogs that particularly like - or loathe - certain pieces of music?

You're right: I probably ought to get out more.

I told you dogs weren't to be trusted.

When they're not swanning around at fancy awards ceremonies, they're busy shooting people.

Now I wouldn't say I'm a pessimist, but the results of the Battle of the Blogs are due out tomorrow.

A bit juveline this, I know, but this photo made me smile - so hopefully it will you, too.

Have you noticed how I haven’t been banging on about cats so much recently?

Well I figure the occasional mention won’t hurt and this caught my eye, especially as I’m prone to fussing on my two.

Cat behaviour experts are warning the UK’s 9 million cat owners they are stressing their pets out – by loving them too much.

I once slagged off pugs on this blog and got some extremely waspish emails.

As far as I’m concerned, though, they do look like maggots. Obviously a lot of people disagree with me though because figures from the kennel show small breeds like the pug, shi tzu and pomeranian are thriving.

Unsure about which dog to have as a pet in the face of the disappearing traditional breeds news?

Well you could forget dogs altogether and go for this critter which has been in the national media today: a ‘designer bunny’.

It’s called a Belgian hare.

It looks evil, if you ask me.

Talking about pets, farmers at one Welsh organic milk cooperative are helping dogs get re-homed.

Those nice guys at Calon Wen are running a campaign to match homeless hounds with new owners to coincide with St Dwynwen's Day today (the day of the Welsh patron saint of love) and St Valentine's Day (February 14).

I did briefly wonder about taking part in the RSPB birdwatch this weekend.

Stuck my head out into the garden but there weren't any there. Not one. there could be a reason for that. Two reasons, in fact.

Talking of disappearing dogs, check out these lovely Glen of Imaals born in Berkshire. They’re rarer than giant pandas.

Well done to Oscar for winning the Slimmer of the year competition. Oscar, incidentally, is a dog.

He breakfast on specially-prepared sardines on toast, works out with a personal trainer, relaxes by his swimming pool, then has a massage and manicure.

You find cats in the funniest places.

First it was the one on the man's shoulder at a farm sale and now this one, also snapped by reader Tessa, catching a few Zzzzs in a church on The Isle of Wight.

Huskies have already been put to use on a mush trail in North Yorks - now someone in the Dales has decided to use hair from them for clothing.

A couple of dates for your diary.

First, don't forget tonight's the final of MasterChef. My money's on James (even if that nice Mr Torode wouldn't give me any insider info).