Peckerwood Manor

  The UK election was fun, if only to watch the Tories lose in such huge numbers and slink out of office with tails tucked between their impotent legs. A highlight for me was the coverage of election dogs at the polls, which had plenty of them. One general thing about the British is that they love their pups to distraction, which is a beautiful quality, and for someone with dogs, it is endearing, too.  Coco is out early at Knowle Methodist church, Bristol Colin, a dachshund in east Hampshire Maeby outside a polling booth in Great Yarmouth on her seventh birthday Johnny Morrissey’s pug Nibbler in Gloucester Tanji, a 14-month-old King Charles cavalier spaniel, in Old Bexley, south-east London This dog was the Scottish people. SNP got clobbered. Steve Turner’s dogs keeping watch in East Worthing and Shoreham. The whippet is named Fig and the cocker spaniel is Mr Bojangles          Mini dachshund Uli in Walthamstow Benjamin Thorne’s dog Cwrw (Welsh for beer) in Bristol Central

Imagine a parade of dogs with faces that some might consider unattractive confidently walking down a runway. This isn't a fashion mistake; it's the World's "Ugliest" Dog Contest, a truly heartwarming event that has delighted audiences for almost fifty years!  The Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, California, each year, showcases the most delightfully unconventional dogs you can imagine. It's akin to a beauty pageant with more slobber and fewer bolt-on boobs. These dogs flaunt their unique looks, which some may find so "ugly" that they become endearing. They might not be beautiful, but their hearts and will are something that transcends their shortcomings. In 2024, the coveted title went to Wild Thang, an 8-year-old Pekingese with a remarkable spirit and a tongue that never seems to stay inside his mouth. This resilient pup overcame canine distemper as a young dog, resulting in distinctive features that would give even Pablo Picasso artist's block.