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Battersea pair travel 426 miles to their new home
Andrea
Andrea with Chihuahuas Annie and Clyde.

A pair of inseparable Chihuahuas are settling into their new home in Scotland 

Two smooth-haired Chihuahuas from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home have found themselves a new home in Falkirk - 426 miles away from the charity's centre in London.

Andrea Downie took an 852-mile round trip from Falkirk to London to rehome the inseparable pair, Annie and Clyde, after spotting them on the Battersea website. They are now settling into their new home, with Andrea's other dogs, another Chihuahua called Pixie and a Pomeranian called Poppy.

Andrea said: “I looked at Battersea’s website on a whim and fell in love with Annie and Clyde immediately. My friends said I was crazy but to hell with it – I knew I could give them a loving home. So I booked the next day off work, flew to London from Edinburgh, and spent the afternoon with the dogs.

“I’d seen the Paul O’Grady: For the Love of Dogs series on ITV but never been to Battersea before – it was quite a whirlwind trip! I knew the dogs were perfect as soon as I met them in person, so then it was just a matter of a hire car and the seven hour drive back to Falkirk."

Andrea reports that the dogs have settled in well. Clyde is very popular with his female companions and is often seen snuggled up with them.

Dee McIntosh, director of communications at Battersea, said: “It’s fantastic that people from all over the UK and particularly Scotland, think of Battersea when they want to rehome a rescue dog. It tells us there’s something special about a Battersea dog and we really appreciate that so many people want to make the trip to our famous London centre…
 
"We take a lot of care to match our dogs with their future owners and we were confident Andrea could offer Annie and Clyde their perfect home.”

 

Image courtesy of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.

 

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Equine Disease Surveillance report released for Q4 2025

News Story 1
 The latest Equine Disease Surveillance report has been released, with details on equine disease from Q4 of 2025.

The report, produced by Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance, includes advice on rule changes for equine influenza vaccination.

Statistics and maps detail recent outbreaks of equine herpes virus, equine influenza, equine strangles and equine grass sickness. A series of laboratory reports provides data on virology, bacteriology, parasitology and toxicosis.

This issue also features a case study of orthoflavivus-associated neurological disease in a horse in the UK. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NSA webinar explores sheep tailing and castration

The National Sheep Association (NSA) is to host a free webinar on the castration and tail docking of lambs.

The webinar, 'Understanding the tailing and castration consultation: A guide for sheep farmers', will be hosted online on Monday, 2 March 2026 at 7.30pm.

It comes during a government consultation into the methods used for these procedures. Farmers are encouraged to engage before the consultation period closes on Monday, 9 March 2026.

The webinar offers clear and actionable guidance to support farmers to contribute meaningfully to the consultation and prepare for potential changes.

On the panel will be former SVS president Kate Hovers, farmer and vet Ann Van Eetvelt and SRUC professor in Animal Health and Veterinary Sciences Cathy Dwyer. Each panel member will utilise their own specialism and expertise to evaluate risks and outcomes to sheep farming.

Find out more about the webinar on the NSA website.