Bloodhounds on the trail to extinction

For generations the bloodhound has been a faithful friend. Now, however, it is being pushed to the brink of extinction, by a celebrity-led trend for new crossbreeds.

It is one of a number of traditional breeds fighting for survival as owners opt for toy dogs such as labradoodles and puggles.

New figures for the number of pedigree pups born have alarmed breeders as they show 24 breeds below the benchmark deemed viable for a healthy long-term population.

The Skye and Glen of Imaal terriers, the field spaniel and the smooth collie are among them.

"It all seems to be about fashion," said Julien Barney, of the British and Irish Dog Breeds Preservation Trust. "But the breeds that need help are the rare ones that are just as unusual."

Breeders reckon that a birthrate of 300 puppies a year is needed to guarantee a large gene pool and a long term, healthy population, but 10 breeds had less than 100 puppies in the last year.

The lowest birth rate was among Glen of Imaal terriers, which had 41 puppies, while 51 otterhounds were born.

Introduction to Bats

This website, batdetective.com, has been designed to educate all age groups on the life styles of bats.

These creatures are probably the most misunderstood creatures in the world. They come out while we sleep and are back in their roosts long before we are up and about in the morning. Most people only get to see a fleeting glimpse of a shadow that shoots by in the twilight. In Africa tribes believe that bats bring bad omens while in China bats bring good luck and can be seen embroidered on the gowns of emperors. The Chinese word ‘FU’ can mean bat or good luck depending on its pronunciation.

Dogs and Chocolate

If your dog begs for chocolate, don't give in! Chocolate contains theobromine, a naturally occurring stimulant found in cocoa beans that can cause vomiting, heart problems, seizures, and even death for dogs.

How much chocolate is too much? It depends on the type of chocolate and the weight of the dog.

Find out how much of each kind of chocolate can harm your pet by consulting the National Geographic Magazine Chocolate Chart.

Scroll on the page to change the weight of the dog and the type of chocolate.