Paws here! Doggy dating apps and the purrrfect valentine!

Here’s Rocco Rinder!

With TV’s favourite legal eagle Robert Rinder as his owner, French Bulldog Rocco is ready to unleash

Forgive me, but I’m keeping it short and… well, not so sweet in this column. While I appreciate that national Take Your Dog to Work day isn’t until 24 June, while pawing the web I spotted an entry on 17 January, #bluemonday, from a man called Gaby Laifer.

Mr Laifer was beaming on what is traditionally the most miserable Monday of the year because he had taken his dog to work.

“I just had the best day ever taking Belle to work with me today,” wrote Gaby. “All dogs from my company were invited to the office.”

From what I gather, Mr Laifer is in marketing, which is a lot less rigid than chambers. But on 17 January, as I recall, a brisk walk and a pat on the head from the Judge was the sum of my day, which left me feeling #blue.

Of course I barked nothing, because I’m not confrontational. I just hope he remembers to sort me out a shidduch on 14 February, when love is in the polluted air. Someone cute, fluffy and Jewish. Like Belle.

Until next time

N’oubliez pas votre chien!

Love   Rocco

Pet care 

Word has it that Two By Two Veterinary Centre in the heart of Finchley is where your dog, cat or hamster might fall in love. In the past few months, several Siamese have locked eyes through the grids of their cat carriers and the rabbits… well, you know what they’re like.

Living up to its name as a vet practice, Two By Two – is all about curing, so they’re more likely to recommend Malaseb shampoo for paw infections than Love Potion No 9.

But animals fall in love without any help from humans, as you’ll discover watching the documentary Animals in Love, better known by its racier French title, Les Animaux Amoureux. Directed by Laurent Charbonnier, this is an amazing visual exploration of the way animals of all kinds experience love and intimacy in their natural environments. Available on YouTube, the music is by Philip Glass, who is regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century – and he’s Jewish.

For care, vaccines and health checks, visit www.twobytwovets.co.uk or call
020 3865 8905

Take a Bow Wow

Series 3 of Ricky Gervais’ After Life on Netflix counts dog lovers among its fans because of the compelling performance by female German Shepherd Anti, who plays Brandy, Tony (Ricky)’s dog. Though this is the last of After Life, Anti never wanted to be pigeonholed as a police dog, despite the acclaim for her work on Midsomer Murders, and she will soon be seen in the upcoming Dungeons and Dragons and Sherwood.

Yap Ap

You don’t want to be meeting someone new who doesn’t like your old dog. Therefore it makes sense to look for a person who doesn’t mind Bailey or Gucci sleeping on the bed. So start your search for a mate who loves a mutt on apps and websites with four-legged focus. And do it soon, so your ma can see you under the chuppah.

Tindog

America is a long way to go for a dog walk, but the echoes of Tinder are hard to resist. Created because of the huge uptake in dog ownership among single Millennials in the US, the app needs a bit of info about you and the rest about your dog.

DogLoversDating.co.uk is a site for connecting dog lovers all over the UK. Sign up for free, create a profile and upload a photo, then start your search for that perfect Pug owner.

Woofr is a new doggy dating app where you can show off your Bichon Frises and arrange dates for them. They need excitement, too, but as most people in the community have a Cava something, be sure to take the right dog home.

Purrrfect Valentine

Remember pets don’t eat chocolate, so think outside the litter tray and get them something kitsch you can kvell over for Valentines from the likes of Etsy.co.uk and similar. And, if the cat doesn’t like the kerchief, it’s a jazzy mask substitute. Cat Valentine box, from £13.99