Latest news with #cockapoo
BBC News
29-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Owner whose dog died from attack wants compulsory pet insurance
A woman whose cockapoo died following an attack by a larger dog has launched a national campaign calling for mandatory pet Newbury from Bedfordshire said pursuing the dog's owner for £3,500 of vet fees had been "absolutely horrific" after Murphy died in had been walking him along a country lane when an off-lead dog "went for him", leaving Murphy with fatal injuries."I wouldn't want anyone to go through the trauma of this, but also the financial implications – it could ruin someone," she said. Her own pet insurance covered more than half of the £10,000 vet fees, but she was still left with a bill of £3,500."No one should go through the financial pressure of the other person not having the correct insurance," she said. Ms Newbury had raised Murphy from a pup and said the 10-year-old was "a loving little boy".The self-employed bookkeeper said: "I work from home, so he was with me all the time. He was quite anxious and just wanted to feel safe and loved."She said it was "a normal day" when they took a walk down a country lane, before spotting two large dogs off their leads in a neighbouring field."I thought I'd avoid the field, as Murphy was anxious," she said."But one of them came charging at him and just went for him. He didn't stand a chance."I was screaming and begging the dog's owner to put it back on a lead." Warning: this report contains some distressing details Ms Newbury could see Murphy was bleeding, but the extent of his injuries was not clear until she took him to the animal discovered four broken ribs, internal bleeding and extensive crush back was punctured and the muscle severely emergency surgery, Murphy's heart stopped two days later and he passed away."They hoped he would pull through, but it was too much for him," Ms Newbury said."He went through hell." She has now launched a petition calling on the government to introduce "Murphy's Law" - requiring all dog owners to have third-party pet the other dog's owner admitting fault, Ms Newbury said they had refused to cover the cost of Murphy's treatment."Financially, I think I shouldn't be in this situation when I was responsible and had insurance," she said. "They owned up, went to the police, did what they had to do, but it's all on me to chase everything. It's exhausting, especially while grieving." Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Dog owner 'shocked' by 7st mountain breed
After her previous dog died during Covid, Laura McFarlane wanted to get another rescue dog, finding one online with a "really sad story".Bobby had had a tough start to life following a hernia operation, part of his ear was missing and his tail was also looked to be a cockapoo, a typically small dog, which can grow to 11kg (1.7 stone). But when Laura arrived at the rescue centre, she was surprised to see how big the puppy was."We were like, 'that's not our puppy. It's too big'," said Laura, 43, from Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf. A DNA test later revealed that Bobby was not a cockapoo, but instead part Bernese Mountain has since grown to weigh seven stone (45kg). It means Bobby now weighs four times more than she previously expected – and as much as a teenage said that, after collecting Bobby, everywhere they went, he was by far the biggest puppy."We've taken him to a cockapoo café and people have said, 'are you sure he's a cockapoo?'"Others joked that the owners "needed a saddle" for said, because they wanted to be prepared for potential health issues, they did a test to find out what breed he was."It turned out he was a Bernedoodle, a mix between a Bernese Mountain Dog and a poodle – we had a bit of a shock when we found that out," she Mountain Dogs are a Swiss breed, and their large size means they were developed for farm work, including pulling carts and as guard dogs. Bobby weighs about seven stone (45kg), which is roughly the weight of a 13-year-old boy – in contrast, a cockapoo, the breed Laura thought she was originally getting, typically weighs less than a quarter of that."He thinks he's a small dog, so he likes to sit on my lap," she said of some of the challenges of having such a big dog."He's also too heavy to pick up - but we love him to bits. We don't regret it at all," Laura added. She added that Bobby had also had some viral success on social media in recent days."I'm usually posting pictures of him on Facebook, and I think my family was getting pretty bored, so I posted him on TikTok and he went viral – people loved him," Laura said.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Teen puts Crufts dreams on hold after beloved pooch Benji diagnosed with cancer
A Bishop Auckland teen has put her Crufts dreams on hold after her beloved pooch Benji was diagnosed with cancer. Aimee Carville was left devastated when a lump she found on her beloved four-year-old cockapoo on Christmas Day turned out to be a mast cell cancerous tumor. The 17-year-old's family now face £11,500 vet bills for Benji's treatment, which could be even more if the cancer has spread to other parts of his body. While some of the costs will be covered by insurance, not all of it will; so Aimee and her family are hoping to give Benji 'many more years' by launching a fundraising drive. Aimee Carville and Benji (Image: CONTRIBUTOR) The teen, who is currently studying for A levels at St John's School and Sixth Form College in Bishop Auckland, said: 'At Christmas we noticed a lump and swelling on his arm. 'That was actually on Christmas Day. As soon as we could we took him to the vets. 'They said it looks like it is probably a muscle injury, as he does agility. We got some medication and it was all ok. It went down and we didn't think anything of it. Benji is an award winner (Image: CONTRIBUTOR) 'He was fine for about a month, but then it came back and my mam was concerned.' Junior agility handler Aimee said she initially thought 'happy and playful' Benji, who is a younger brother to golden cockapoo Teddy, seven, had injured himself when he first started agility training last year. Benji and Teddy (Image: CONTRIBUTOR) But sadly, the family got the news two weeks ago that Benji was suffering a cancerous tumor which had spread to his lymph nodes. 'It was awful', she said. 'We think it is a lower grade but he has had it since Christmas. 'He has had an ultrasound on his leg but he hasn't had a CT scan, so we are unsure whether he has cancer anywhere else in his body.' The family are already facing costs of up to £11,500 - but treatment could cost even more and Benji will also need to undergo chemotherapy after, which could last about 12 weeks. Aimee, who is currently in Year 12 studying Biology, Geography, and English Literature and Language, said she and Benji had made 'so much progress' in dog agility in the last year. The award-winning pooch was doing so well they were hoping to qualify for Crufts in 2026 or 2027, something that is now up in the air. Aimee Carville and Benji (Image: CONTRIBUTOR) 'He is like my best friend, he is not just a pet', she said. 'He's a happy little playful boy and he is still his happy little self. 'He did his last competition over the weekend and got first place, fifth place, and seventh place!' Aimee Carville and Benji (Image: CONTRIBUTOR) Read more: Fly-tips cost Darlington Council more than £800k to clean up in last five years 'Amazing' Durham café announces sudden closure over 'burden' rising costs Popular toy retailer poised to open first Darlington store in former Next building But despite the awful news, Aimee, who also works at Marks and Spencer, still managed an A in her Biology mock exam. She explained: 'On the night I was trying to revise and nothing was going in because I was just sitting and crying.' You can donate to Aimee's fundraiser here:
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Students fundraising for their own therapy dog
Students are raising funds to put their teacher's new puppy through therapy dog training. Nellie the cockapoo is working towards a qualification which will allow her to provide support for children and staff at Ovingham Middle School in Northumberland. Assistant headteacher Sarah McHugh said she had seen pupils needing more support over the last few years due to a variety of factors, but that they were more in touch with their emotions and able to articulate those. "I have always wanted a dog myself and what better to give the dog a really nice home with me but also be part of the community?" she said. Students had been pondering what Nellie's working day might look like, Miss McHugh said. Some had suggested they could take her on walks in the village during lunch or visit her to get settled during the day. Miss McHugh said in recent years everyone's emotional literacy had evolved and she had observed her students were "more confident" in asking for extra support. "I think they're just more aware now and telling us that they need some extra help to regulate their emotions," she said. She said Nellie's presence would make school "a bit more inviting and engaging, but also a safer space for them". Both Miss McHugh and Nellie have to undergo months of training for the accreditation, which will cost £4,500 in total. An assessment will look for Nellie's ability to respond to commands, but also see if she has empathy and can recognise body language cues in people. The children have got behind her journey by holding cake sales and non-uniform day fundraisers. They also held a competition to design Nellie's neckerchief for when she comes to the school full-time from December. Miss McHugh said: "Staff say they are really keen to work with Nellie and have her in some of the classrooms. "Maybe for the star-of-the-lesson to come and spend some time with her, but also just to have her there as a bit of a comfort." With a limited school budget, staff decided the best option was to fundraise as the training would solely be used for school-based interventions for the 350 pupils there. Miss McHugh bought Nellie herself and also pays for her vet bills, health insurance and day-to-day costs, like food. There is no government funding earmarked solely for therapy dogs. If a staff member or pupil was allergic to dogs they did not have to be in close proximity to Nellie, Miss McHugh said, and risk assessments had been carried out. When Nellie is in school full time, she will also follow timetable and there will be signs to mark she is present in a room. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Hero the therapy dog helps children at school Meet therapy dog Bella, who has helped 3,000 teens Dogs having a 'phenomenal' effect on patients
BBC News
26-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Ovingham students fundraise for their own therapy dog Nellie
Students are raising funds to put their teacher's new puppy through therapy dog the cockapoo is working towards a qualification which will allow her to provide support for children and staff at Ovingham Middle School in headteacher Sarah McHugh said she had seen pupils needing more support over the last few years due to a variety of factors, but that they were more in touch with their emotions and able to articulate those."I have always wanted a dog myself and what better to give the dog a really nice home with me but also be part of the community?" she said. Students had been pondering what Nellie's working day might look like, Miss McHugh had suggested they could take her on walks in the village during lunch or visit her to get settled during the McHugh said in recent years everyone's emotional literacy had evolved and she had observed her students were "more confident" in asking for extra support."I think they're just more aware now and telling us that they need some extra help to regulate their emotions," she said Nellie's presence would make school "a bit more inviting and engaging, but also a safer space for them". Both Miss McHugh and Nellie have to undergo months of training for the accreditation, which will cost £4,500 in assessment will look for Nellie's ability to respond to commands, but also see if she has empathy and can recognise body language cues in children have got behind her journey by holding cake sales and non-uniform day also held a competition to design Nellie's neckerchief for when she comes to the school full-time from McHugh said: "Staff say they are really keen to work with Nellie and have her in some of the classrooms."Maybe for the star-of-the-lesson to come and spend some time with her, but also just to have her there as a bit of a comfort." With a limited school budget, staff decided the best option was to fundraise as the training would solely be used for school-based interventions for the 350 pupils McHugh bought Nellie herself and also pays for her vet bills, health insurance and day-to-day costs, like is no government funding earmarked solely for therapy a staff member or pupil was allergic to dogs they did not have to be in close proximity to Nellie, Miss McHugh said, and risk assessments had been carried Nellie is in school full time, she will also follow timetable and there will be signs to mark she is present in a room. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
