Vet Pets Magazine

October, 2015

K-9 ANGEL VICTORIA EISERMANN

THE BEST PET TECH!

SKETCHING PET SUBJECTS

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This month, we catch up with model, radio presenter and celebrity charity founder Victoria Eisermann. Victoria is CEO and co-founder of dog rescue charity K-9 Angels, which was set up in 2011 and has since rehomed over 700 dogs, spayed 2,500 dogs as well as raised hundreds of thousands of pounds to build a shelter which the charity regularly sends food and medical aid to. Victoria has a a 13 year old Lhaso Apso called Loui.

What breed is Loui and why did you choose him?

Loui is a Lhasa Apso whose face I fell in love with the moment I saw him. I just thought he was the cutest dog I had ever seen and I still think that everyday.

How long have you had Loui?

I've had Loui for over 13 years now since he was

just eight weeks old.

Does Loui come with you to work?

I mainly work from home on my dog rescue charity K-9 Angels and Loui spends most of his time by my side while I'm on my computer. He sleeps with me too.

What difference does Loui make to your life?

Loui is the love of my life. He is my child and I simply adore him.

Do you take take doggie-friendly holidays with Loui?

Loui is a very well travelled little boy. He’s been to Boston USA, New York, Florida, Aspen Colorado and all over Europe.

My Pet

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I don't take him abroad now as he’s old and it wouldn't be fair for him to travel so far.

Loui will be joining me for a week in St Ives in November though and I cannot wait.

What are the best holidays you’ve taken with Loui?

We have taken some incredible holidays together but I think the best would be Florida as he loved running along the beach.

Do you take Loui with you to restaurants and pubs?

Loui and I have been to some restaurants in France as they are so dog friendly there.

What are Loui’s favourite things in the world?

Loui, like most dogs, loves his food, lots of cuddles and he’s a real mummy’s boy, always wanting my attention.

Does Loui have any tricks or special character traits?

Loui is 13 and a half now and he’s ill with Cushings disease, so no tricks. He’s also partly blind and deaf. However he did win ' Golden Oldie' at Pup Aid in September this year and made me a very proud mummy indeed!

Explain what you feel strongly about regarding pet welfare?

There are many things that I feel strongly about regarding pet welfare. I’m strongly against back

street breeders, people who breed just for money without caring for the dogs welfare. That's why My charity K-9 Angels fully supports Pup Aid who campaign against puppy farming.

When buying a dog you must see the pup interact with its mum. Of course, I would always say rescue rather than buy a dog and save a life. Also I feel some people just don't realise that dogs are a responsibility; they need walking, training, attention etc and can cost a great deal of money too.

It makes me very upset when I've seen senior dogs handed in to a shelter just because they are old. Actually that makes me furious. A dog is for life not just for the duration of its cuteness.

Victoria with Loui (right)

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Innovations in technology are giving us the kind of capabilities that used to be a thing of our imaginations not too long ago. The industry continues to be exciting with the introduction of pet tech: it’s now our pets’ turn to benefit from the latest technology.

Here, we look at some of the most exciting developments in wearable technology for our pets including GPS collars, trackers and cameras.

We never want to lose our dog so if this is something you’re worried about there are a wide range of smart collars and trackers emerging on the wearable market to keep you connected to yours. Some

trackers also have smart features to help keep your pet healthy too.

Motorola Scout 5000 Connected GPS Dog Collar, Currently priced at £199.99 and available from November from

Amazon.co.uk.

Alongside GPS tracking and geo fencing, the Motorola Scout 5000 has two-way audio

communication so you can talk to your pet at all times. With video recording you can even tune in and see what your dog is seeing. The device can stream a 720p live video to your phone, so you see what your pet is up to when you’re not around.

Even better, you can speak back to your pup via the collar, issuing commands or offering a soothing voice for anxious pets. This is great for pets that suffer from all too common separation anxiety and are home alone.

If your dog has a tendency to bark, there is a bark detection feature that alerts you to their bad behaviour. You could shout ‘bad dog’ into your smartphone app to quieten your pet!

MARIE CARTER gets the lowdown on the latest technology for pets and their people.

The GoPro Fetch action camera

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Pod Pet TrackerAvailable from Pod Trackers

Pod, which is the size of a cork and weighs just 29 grams, is cylindrical and can be strapped onto a pet to track its movements. Its genesis started over a year ago, when Sebastian Langton lost his best friend in the world, Rango, ‘possibly the coolest cat on the planet’ and his companion through many adventures. After going through the pain of losing Rango, Seb was determined to find a way to prevent other pet owners from going through the same pain.

He learned that one in three pets go missing in their lifetime, which is more than ten million pets a year - and that it's preventable. The idea for Pod was born - a vision to develop the best pet tracker in the world. He and his team built a prototype, kicked off a crowdfunding campaign that raised more than $150,000 and generated massive global awareness. Now Seb and his team have come to the UK to continue to raise awareness for their mission to save pets with Pod technology.

The Pod GPS pet tracker is believed to be the smallest, lightest and fully waterproof gadget of its kind in the world.

Currently available in the U.S, but set to launch here soon, the StickNFind is a stick on device that can be used on anything you don’t want to go missing, including your pets!

The StickNFind is about the size of a 10p piece and comes with a Virtual Leash function that alerts you if your pet moves away from a set boundary. You can also use the free Radar app to track down any missing pets.

StickNFind comes in packs of two and works with iPhones, iPads and Android phones. For more

information visit sticknfind.com.

If you want to keep an eye on your dog’s actions, GoPro has launched a wearable strap called GoPro Fetch for its action camera that can be worn around your dog’s chest or on its back.

The harness is designed to fit dogs between 7kg and 54kg and supports GoPro Hero cameras, which sold separately. By attaching the camera you can see your dog bone chewing and digging and see overhead shots of your pooch running and jumping.

Sleep soundly with the StickNFind

The innovative Pod pet tracker

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The GoPro Fetch is machine washable and rugged so you don’t have to worry about your dog getting carried away in the puddles. It costs just £59.99 from gopro.com.

Kitty Laptop£19.95 from Prezzybox

Kitty Laptop makes your cat as tech savvy as you! If not, it could provide hours of engaging fun for the feline in your life.

The flatpack cardboard laptop and funny fluffy mouse play toy is easy

to assemble and needs no glue, so it’s safe for your cat to chew or claw. You can even customise the desktop wallpaper by printing a picture and sliding it in, or get

creative with the funky sticker selection.

Voyce is a waterproof smart collar that tracks your dog’s activity and monitors it’s

respiratory and heart rate, as well as calories burnt and rest patterns. You can also set specific

goals including extra activity, which is useful if the vet has

advised that your dog is overweight. Designed to keep you connected to your dog, Voyce is available in different sizes up to a 32-inch neck. The cost of Voyce is around £130 and you can find out

more at mydogsvoyce.com.

If you want your dog to be able to speak to you then No More Woof could be the product for you.

This device combines ‘EEG-sensoring, special BCI software

reader and Micro Computing’ to work out what your dog is thinking using the onboard Raspberry PI computer.

No More Woof connects to your smartphone so you can be updated on how your dog is feeling with the goal for this product being that eventually the collar will speak the information to you via a selection of voices that you can choose.

With thanks to Wearable.com for product background on Voyce and GoPro.

Voyce dog collar

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Sketching Pet Subjects

This month, Pets Magazine meets REBECCA VOSE, a talented artist who specialises in animal and pet

drawings.

‘White Persian’ ©Rebecca Vose

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This month, Pets Magazine meets REBECCA VOSE, a talented Northumberland-based artist who specialises in animal and pet drawings in graphite pencil. Rebecca has been drawing from a very early age, but only started to focus professionally over the last few years. She creates artwork of animals and wildlife in the UK and draws portraits of pets from photographs. Rebecca excels at capturing the spirit and character of an animal. She explains that it’s particularly important when she is creating the eyes as they can say so much about their character. This is why

she likes to use a few different photos of the same pet so that all details can be included and pieced together to create the perfect portrait.

Rebecca has created portraits for most breeds over the years, and recently completed her first Pug portrait, which received much support from social media. She was overwhelmed by the response: “At the end of the day,

it’s just me with a set of pencils and my trusty Bristol Board doing something I love.”

We were delighted to speak to Rebecca about her work.

Where do you take your inspiration from?

I grew up in the countryside surrounded by farmland and animals. I have been drawing since an early age and I take a lot of my inspiration from the animals that were around me at that time.

I have always been fascinated by animals. I have drawn subjects other than animals in the past and do the odd commission that isn’t an animal but I am always naturally drawn back to them as it’s what I love to draw and feel most comfortable doing.

‘Labrador’ ©Rebecca Vose

‘Springer Spaniel’ ©Rebecca Vose

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Do you have any pets yourself?

I don’t currently have any pets as we simply don’t have the time to devote to one but in the past we have owned pretty much any animal you can think of including, cats, dogs, chickens, rabbits.

Is pet portraiture a mainstay of your work?

I have been doing pet portraits for years using graphite pencils but recently decided to try using coloured pencils with great response.

I grew up in the countryside where, at the time, I felt I had little else to do but draw and practice my skills. Back then I would draw anything but, always loved drawing animals. As I grew

older I didn't get to draw as much as I used to and I missed it a lot. I would paint now and again but never had the time to really get into it.

The majority of my work is pet portraits but I also like to create original works of art which are now featured in a few galleries and gift shops. I also sell greetings cards featuring my artwork as well as prints. I sell these online and in gift shops.

How long have you been an artist?

I loved drawing as a child and now that I have grown up I still wonder what I will do when I 'grow up'. I feel that drawing and doing what I love so much not only keeps me busy but it keeps me happy. I tried to go to college, then university. I've also had 9-5 jobs and tried to follow the conventional paths that were expected of me but unfortunately I never felt comfortable doing it.

‘Bengal close up’ ©Rebecca Vose

‘Greyhound’ ©Rebecca Vose

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I never took life seriously enough.

In my early 20's I decided to teach myself to draw again. I taught myself to draw, as by the time I dabbled in several different career choices and gone to college I couldn't afford art lessons. Over the next few years my hobby turned into a business as more and more commissions were requested. This also gave me the opportunity to work from home and spend my time with my family.

I have always loved to draw and create from an early age. I have been doing pet portraits for about 12 years but only recently started to create original artworks. I started off doing them for friends

and family and word spread so I started to do it as a business.

Why do you specialise in animals?

I just love all animals. It has taken me a long time to perfect my drawing techniques and I find that

animals suit my style of drawing. Although I have a keen eye for detail there is margin for artistic licence. There are so many different species of animals to draw so I never get bored either.

Now I have started using colour this is even more so because there are so many vibrant animals in

the world. Sometimes I find it hard to know what to draw next as there are so many things that I would love to draw. I have a large folder of images that people have sent to me for inspiration which I work my way through. I am always on the look out for more photographs that I can work from.

Is the demand for pet portraiture increasing?

I think the whole pet industry is growing every year as more people like to showcase their pets more. People often like to

commission a portrait of their pets when they have sadly passed away to remember them by.

Finally, any brief tips for the amateur pet artist?

If drawing is something you enjoy doing then make time for it. It’s important to do something you love and enjoy. Start off small and draw as much as you can to practice your skills and techniques. It’s important not to rush a drawing but also equally important to know when to stop and put the drawing down and say it’s finished.

Rebecca is represented by Commission an Artist, which provides art commissions for all occasions, including pet portraits in a number of styles and prices. Examples of Rebecca’s work can be found at: http://commissionanartist.co.uk/artists/pet-portraits/rebecca-v/

‘Pug’ ©Rebecca Vose

‘Terrier’ ©Rebecca Vose

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Sophie’s Choices

Here’s a fantastic collar and matching lead, from the Royal British legion, in advance of Remembrance Sunday. Available in two sizes and featuring a modern poppy design, the dog collar and lead can be purchased exclusively

from The Poppy Shop. The collar costs £7.99 for the large and £6.99 for the smaller version. The lead is available in two widths (19mm or 25mm) and both cost £7.99.

All proceeds from sales of products on the Poppy Shop go directly to The Royal British Legion.

DAVID CLIFF REVIEWS: For the Love of a Cat: A Publisher's Story By David St John Thomas ISBN-10: 192149736X by Exisle publishing. David St John Thomas’s a publisher and writer but also most importantly a cat owner. For The Love of a Cat is a light read but a substantial one nonetheless. Most cat books I have looked at recently for review gone over 150 pages. This one weighs in at 240 plus. This book is impressive in a number of levels. The sheer enthusiasm that David St John Thomas exudes when talking about the subject. Story after story, insight after insight, his energy reflects his passion for the wonderful animals and their relationship they have in our lives.

Whilst talking about many cats in his life, the key focus of the book is his relationship with the Siamese Sara. We hear of Sara's progress from being a kitten, right through her time with David and the cherished experiences he gained as he again and again adapted as we all must do us cat owners, to these wonderful, mysterious, enigmatic yet cute playful and affectionate creatures. The killer and the companion all in one. All of these things are encapsulated in this insightful book which makes for a good read on a winter's night or an excellent light holiday read. The book is particularly helpful in that it examines many of the debates cat owners face.

A whole range of issues are examined in the book with David's thoughts and useful facts to help owners consider many of the complexities they have to face. His book is a joy and an enlightenment to anyone who truly appreciates or seeks to ‘get’ our feline friends and cement the relationship between the human and the feline in a much more insightful and beneficial way for all.

Top product picks by our canine reviewer Sophie, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

Poppies For Pets

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WWW.ARTYLOBSTER.COM

3D Pet Sculptures