Dogs and their owners lined the streets for the funeral procession of Paul O’Grady – TV star, LGBTQ campaigner and animal lover.
A private funeral for O’Grady, who died on 28 March, will follow the procession through the village of Aldington in Kent.
Dogs from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home will form a guard of honour for the service, recognising his extensive work as an ambassador for the charity.
Some dogs could be seen wearing jackets identifying them as being from the home, with the phrase “rescue is best”, as mourners gathered on Thursday.
O’Grady rehomed five dogs from Battersea while he filmed Paul O’Grady: For The Love Of Dogs and more than £270,000 has been raised for the charity since his death.
Crowds gathered in the village, where O’Grady lived for more than 20 years, from mid-morning on Thursday.
Many brought their dogs. One pup in a pram had a photo of O’Grady with a dog with the message “Thank you”.
Others wore T-shirts featuring pictures of dogs.
Pupils from Aldington Primary School displayed a collage of dog drawings they had done inside a large heart.
A bake sale was being organised outside the Walnut Tree pub with proceeds going to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.
O’Grady, who rose to fame as his drag alter ego Lily Savage before going on to host a string of television programmes, died “unexpectedly but peacefully” at his home on 28 March at the age of 67.
A woman mauled to death at a Surrey beauty spot was attacked by “multiple dogs” and screamed at passers-by to “turn back”, a witness has said.
Paramedics were unable to save the 28-year-old victim after she was attacked at Gravelly Hill, Caterham, on Thursday.
A second woman who received treatment for dog bites has since left hospital.
An eyewitness told Sky News she was riding on horseback with her friend when they saw the woman who was killed on the floor “being attacked by multiple dogs”.
Sue Dove said: “She screamed at us to turn back and with that, two of the loose dogs ran towards us and the horses… my horse spun round and bolted and I eventually fell.”
The witness said she had been left feeling “lots of different emotions”.
She added: “(I feel) sadness that a woman has lost her life, but frustrated people are able to walk so many dogs.
“This lady was clearly out of control for whatever reason, had fallen to the ground, being attacked.
“Because of those consequences and two of the dogs running towards us, my horse bolted and I fell from my horse, landing on my right side, on my ribs and hip.
“Fortunately, my horse eventually stopped and my friend was able to get to him. Otherwise, as flight animals, this could have been another horrific accident if he kept going.”
Area popular with dog walkers
Surrey Police detained a total of eight dogs and detectives are keeping their owners up to date with the investigation.
No arrests have been made.
Richard Bream, who runs the nearby Mardens Kennels, said he had never heard of a dog attack in the area before.
He said: “That particular area, View Point, is an area where professional dog walkers will turn up in their van and take the dogs out and walk them.
“I’ve always felt you see some of these dog walkers have five or six, and they shouldn’t be able to do that.”
A man at an address near the scene, who asked not to be named, said: “The dogs dispersed into different areas of the woods and the police helicopter was out looking for them.”
‘Tragic incident’
A woman walking a border collie in the area, who asked not to be named, said she was shocked by the incident.
“It’s a nice circular woodland walk and we’ve never had any issues before. It is so shocking, normal dogs surely wouldn’t do that,” she said.
A post-mortem examination will be conducted by the Surrey coroner.
In an update on Friday, Inspector Lyndsey Whatley, borough commander for Tandridge, said: “This is a tragic incident where a young woman has sadly lost her life and our thoughts are with her family and friends.
“I know that yesterday’s events will be of real concern to the local community and I would like to reassure residents that we are confident all the dogs involved are in the custody of police whilst we investigate the circumstances of what has happened.
“Officers will remain in the area of Gravelly Hill today whilst enquiries continue and if you have any information but have not yet spoken to police then please contact us.”
For too long cats have been overlooked when it comes to stress-busting programmes in American universities, say researchers, who believe they could make a big difference.
Dogs are most often used as assistance animals but new research suggests that cats could also help to reduce stress in very emotional people.
More than 85% of “Pet Your Stress Away” events at American universities feature only dogs, but a paper published in the journal Anthrozoös suggestsmore people would benefit if they also had cats.
The study found a strong correlation between the personality trait of emotionality and a preference towards cats.
Patricia Pendry, co-author of the study, said: “Emotionality is a pretty stable trait; it doesn’t fluctuate and is a quite consistent feature of our personalities. We found that people on the higher end of that scale were significantly more interested in interacting with cats on campus.
“Given that prior research has shown that such individuals may be more open to forming strong attachments to animals, it makes sense they would want cats to be included in these programs.
“Anecdotally, we’ve always been told that cat people are different from dog people, and that most students are not interested in interacting with cats. Our results revealed that students are interested in interacting with cats and that this interest may be driven by personality traits.”
The study involved more than 1,400 students and staff from more than 20 universities.
“There’s a perception that dogs exist to please people,” said Pendry, who categorises herself as both a dog and a cat person. “While I may describe cats as discerning, they are often perceived as unpredictable, aloof, or finicky-traits that can be difficult for some to be around.”
“Some people came in and made an immediate beeline for cats and others for dogs. I was pleasantly surprised by how many people were interested in interacting with cats, which made me interested in learning more about why they made those choices.”
“Our study shows that we may be able to reach a larger audience by offering interventions that include dogs and cats. People who are on the higher end of the emotionality trait may be more likely to participate and benefit from these interactions. We’re looking for ways to help more people reduce their stress levels. Adding cats may be another way to reach a broader audience.”
Pet-owners are increasingly unable to afford their animals as the cost of living crisis bites, according to welfare charities.
The Dogs Trust has received 15,000 calls this year from owners asking about the process of giving up their dogs to be rehomed.
The figure is up 54% from this year, and the highest ever since the charity’s contact centre opened in 2014.
In the first five months of 2022, the RSPCA took in 49% more rabbits, 14% more cats and 3% more dogs than the same period in 2021. Its research suggests cat-owners are the most impacted and concerned about cost of living pressures.
Dogs Trust CEO Owen Sharp said they were speaking to families “forced to make impossible choices because of their financial situations”.
They had even received a call from a lady who was “distraught because she felt she had no choice but to give up the family dog; she was facing a decision between feeding him or her children,” he said.
Costs of things like pet food have increased following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which fuelled inflation in the UK that could rise to 13%.
Veterinary charity The PDSA estimates the cost of keeping a dog at between £50 – £80 a month. But this adds up to £25-30,000 over the course of the dog’s lifetime, including upfront costs like a bed and lead, extra items including toys and poo bags, as well as pet insurance.
The RSPCA warned the country is on the “brink of an animal welfare crisis” due to the rise in pet ownership during the pandemic and the subsequent cost of living crisis, especially for low-income households.
“We’re starting to see the knock-on effects of this as we, and other charities, predicted,” Emma Slawinski, the RSPCA’s director of advocacy and policy, said in a statement earlier this summer.
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Maxim Skripnik has stayed in Ukraine ever since intense Russian bombing started, to look after 600 dogs at his shelter.
“Tragically, we’re starting to see an increase in the abandonment of pets and growing numbers of cats and rabbits being rescued and coming into our care,” she added.
A YouGov survey of 4,000 people, commissioned by the RSPCA, suggested 78% of pet owners think the cost of living will impact their animals, almost seven out of 10 (68%) were concerned about rising cost of care, and a fifth (19%) worried whether they could afford to feed their pets.
The Dogs Trust urged pet owners to get in touch before reaching crisis point. Various forms of help from donors, volunteers, foster carers and adopters is available, said the charity, which houses dogs until it can find them new homes.