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Largest former Dogs Trust dog wins award
Galahad weighs the same as a heavyweight boxer, or a baby elephant!

Giant Galahad crowned Dog of the Year 2021. 

Galahad, the largest dog ever to be rehomed by Dogs Trust, was crowned the Dog of the Year at The People's Pet Awards on Friday 10 December.

Weighing an incredible 100kg, Galahad the mastiff made global headlines in May 2021 when an appeal to find him his forever home went viral on the internet.

Galahad's new owners the Dimmock family adopted him in June, and are thrilled that he is being celebrated in this way: “It feels quite surreal that he’s won this award, but he’s a really special dog and we’re thrilled. We’re so grateful to Dogs Trust for bringing him into our lives,” said Colin Dimmock.

“Galahad is the fourth really big dog we’ve had and is the biggest of them all. Every one of them has been so loveable and loyal.

“He’s absolutely brilliant with Matthew, who is autistic. They have such a great relationship. He loves everything about Galahad, apart from the slobber and his snoring that’s so loud we can hear him from our bedroom!”

Galahad was crowned Dog of the Year at a ceremony at the Grosvenor Hotel in London on Friday 10 December, and Dogs Trust chief executive Owen Sharp, who was among the judges who chose Galahad as the winner, said: “I’ve heard so much about Galahad and it was brilliant to finally have the chance to meet the lovable giant.

“The entire judging panel were touched by the gentle giant’s journey to finding his forever home.

“The stories behind the award winners are all so heart-warming and inspirational - from campaigners who are working to change the law to help animals, to animals who have changed the lives of the people they share theirs with, just like Galahad.”

Images (C) Dogs Trust

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Free event for the global unowned cat community

News Story 1
 International Cat Care (ICatCare) has announced a free, virtual event dedicated to caring for unowned cats to explore new ideas and ways of working.

iCatConnect 2025 takes place on Wednesday, 12 November, and is open to everyone working and volunteering with unowned cats. It will include a line-up of 12 international cat welfare experts, who will consider the bigger picture of unowned cats and explore practical, effective, and inclusive solutions.

Following the session, attendees can put their questions to the experts and share their views. They will also hear frontline challenges and real-world case studies shared by contributors working in shelters, TNR, community cat programmes, and veterinary teams from around the world. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Bluetongue reaches Wales for first time in 2025

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has revealed that bluetongue has been confirmed in Wales for the first time in 2025.

In their latest statistics, APHA records a total of 109 cases of BTV-3 or BTV-8 in Great Britain in the 2025-2026 vector season.

The total number of BTV-3 cases in Great Britain this season is 107. This includes 103 cases within the England restricted zone and four cases in Wales.

There has also been two cases of BTV-8, which were both in Cornwall.

As a result of the cases in Wales, a Temporary Control Zone (TCZ) is enforced in Monmouthshire. Animals can move freely under general license within the England Restricted Zone, however animals with suspected bluetongue must stay on their holding.

All premises testing positive for blue tongue can be viewed on this map.