Good News Roundup - Friday 5th February

As we look to brighter times ahead, it’s the time of the week where we share our round-up of positive things happening at Battersea, as well as heartwarming dog and cat stories from the UK and beyond.

We know that animals can be a great source of comfort so we hope it adds a bit of cheer to your day.

THE SMELL OF SUCCESS!

In fantastic news, a veterinary clinic in Germany has this week revealed they’ve trained sniffer dogs to detect coronavirus in human saliva samples with 94% accuracy.

Filou, a three-year-old Belgian Shepherd, and Joe Cocker, a one-year-old Cocker Spaniel, are two of the dogs being trained to pick up the "corona odour" that comes from cells in infected people, at Hanover's University of Veterinary Medicine. The hope is that dogs can be used to detect cases in people at large crowd events in order to allow certain industries to begin to open up.

To find out more, and watch a video of the dogs in action, check out the article on the Sky News website.

PORRIDGE RETURNS FOR A SWEET SURPRISE

A Dorset family was delighted this week when their dog Porridge turned up on the doorstep nearly a week after disappearing down a hole on a family walk. Despite multiple searches and the best efforts of the local community, the RSPCA, a drainage company and the fire brigade, three-year-old Porridge had seemingly vanished without a trace, and the Ross family had begun to give up hope. They even tried placing food down the hole to tempt him out, including a fresh Cornish pasty from the local bakery and a hot roast chicken from a nearby supermarket, but with no luck.

Then, on Monday night the whole family was woken up in the early hours by the sound of loud barking. They ventured outside to find it was their beloved Porridge, who proceeded to saunter back inside like nothing had happened. We’re delighted Porridge turned up safe and sound and hope he can now enjoy some roast chicken in the comfort of his own home.

A NEW BILL, A NEW HOPE FOR TOUGHER SENTENCES

Battersea is delighted that the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill to increase maximum sentences for animal cruelty in England and Wales has taken one step closer to becoming law this week after completing its Committee stage.

The Bill was introduced at the start of 2020 and has had Government backing and support from across political parties. This week’s Committee stage is a welcome indication that the Bill could still complete its passage in this parliamentary term.

This stage of the process involves a select group of MPs looking over the Bill in more detail and considering potential amendments to the text. The Bill will now head for its final stages in the Commons before it moves to the House of Lords.

Find out more about Battersea’s Not Funny campaign to increase sentences for animal cruelty and see what you can do to help us push the bill through.