Dogs go global

Under the spotlight
Meet the Staff

1) What’s your favourite breed of dog?
2) What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
3) What was the last book you read?
4) What is the best TV show of all time?
5) If you could go anywhere in the world on holiday, where would you go?
6) What’s the greatest thing about working at Our Dogs, the leading canine weekly?

	Vince Hogan Managing Director 1) Has to be a Boxer as I have one at my feet right now (get down Shep!) (also got crossbreed, Compo...see above) 2) Slumdog Millionaire... not because it had the word ‘dog’ in it! 3) Bernard Cornwell’s Azincourt, a historical novel, which makes a change from breed notes. 4) Not Pedigree Dogs Exposed! 5) Holiday?! Now let me check that word in the dictionary… 6) Being responsible for a unique publication, known all over the world and published across three centuries... Not a lot of people can say that!
	David Cavill Publisher 1) This is so hard. I know I should choose Finnish Spitz but I have always loved Samoyed and Siberian Huskies. On the other hand, since I was captivated by a fabulous Ringlands red and white Papillion many years ago I always feel it is a breed I would want to retire with. But then I love Whippets too, and Dalmatians, and Border Collies! Sorry - I cannot decide. 2) I watch most films at home so this is a long time ago. It was 8 Women - a curious French film, which a friend of mine invited me to see. Angela came to and I think we fell asleep. The film before that was Richard the Third with Ian McKellan. There is no way you could sleep through it - it was fabulous. Were I to be marooned on a desert island, the films I’d choose would be Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The MGM Musicals and Casablanca, or True Lies. 3) I am currently re-reading Thackeray's Vanity Fair but this is no guide to my taste in fiction. My favourite authors are Henry miller, Jane Austen and Larence Durrel. For my Desert Island book I am always torn between Austen's Emma and Durrell's Alexandria Quartet. 4) Comedy: the Morecambe and Wise show with The Stripper sequence. Documentary; the Monitor programme which featured Picasso. Drama: New Tricks/Waking the Dead 5) Thailand - but not for the food - France for food 6) Our Dogs is dedicated fun. Everyone works very hard but loves what they do and this permeates the whole organisation. There is unrivalled loyalty, enjoyment and commitment. What a team
	Ali Smith Editor 1) I'm going to be greedy here: the Stafford because that is the breed I own, and I also love Bullmastiffs, Bulldogs, Border Collies, Bull Terriers, Dalmatians and Dandies. There! 2) Probably Borat, which never, ever fails to make me laugh like a drain! 3) American Gods by Neil Gaiman - I would urge everyone to read it! 4) Shameless... and Coronation Street! 5) Nepal... for the serenity, which I constantly strive for but never find. 6)Blimey! Every week is different and there's always a real buzz on press days, especially when we get a really good story. The staff here are second to none and a pleasure to work with and we always manage to have a giggle, no matter what. Also, working with such dedicated and knowledgeable writers, without whom, etc etc…
	Pam McArdle Office Manager 1) Clumber Spaniels, they have the most trusting expression and really make you want to look after them. 2) Toy Story, seen without any children in tow but, as this shows, I rarely go to the cinema. 3) Cause of Death by Patricia Cornwell. I enjoy crime/detective novels and never skip to the last page to find out who did it. 4) The BBC version of Pride and Prejudice - Colin Firth as Mr Darcy was every woman's dream man. 5) Not sure on this one but we do keep going back to Ibiza so perhaps that's my favourite location. 6) You can get involved in so many things that it has never become 'just a job'.
	Chris McArdle Dispatch 1) I have two favourite breeds Chows and Border Collies. Chows because years ago we had a Chow/Labrador cross as a family pet, she was more Chow than Labrador and was a lovely companion. I also like Border Collies because they are so active and intelligent. 2) The Way We Were about 30 years ago and only because my wife made me take her. 3) Alex Ferguson's autobiography because it included stories about the best team in the world - Manchester United. 4) Any Morecombe and Wise Christmas Special - say no more. 5) I love the Spanish people and the only place on earth I want to be is the island of Ibiza. 6) The friendliness of the people I work with and the people I meet at shows all make working at OUR DOGS a great job.
	Rachel Winterbottom PA to MD 1) As much as I love my Westie, I’ve always liked the Siberian Husky – it’s as close to having a wolf on your sofa as you’re ever likely to get. 2) I’m addicted to the cinema and the last film I saw was He’s Just Not That into You. I like to believe that I’m not into Chick Flicks, but I enjoyed that one so there you go. The next film I’m going to see is Watchmen – I have a weakness for superheroes. Know any? By the time this is printed, I will probably have seen ten more films. 3) Currently I’m reading The Nightside series by Simon R. Green. A trashy fantasy book set in an alternative London. It’s like popcorn for the mind. 4) This constantly changes, at the moment it’s between, Being Human, Heroes and Flight of the Conchords. Although I realise that this doesn’t quite answer the ‘of all time’ part of the question. 5) I’ve always wanted to road trip across small town America, west coast to east, in a pink Cadillac. 6) The sense of humour.
	Darren Moore Chief Artworker 1) Is there an edentulous breed? I’ll go for that one. If not, Weimaraner (Kate Bush is pictured with two of them on the cover of Hounds of Love, which is, as the Readers Wifes might say, one of my favourite albums of all time). 2) The Naked Civil Servant. “On the day war was declared, I went out and bought several pounds of henna.” 3) Sure of You by Armistead Maupin. I’ve just re-read the entire Tales of the City series, and am about to move on to Michael Tolliver Lives. 4) Queer as Folk, Coronation Street (its imperial phase: 1960s through to early 1990s) and Shameless. "Make poverty history…” 5) San Francisco: the Castro and Barbary Lane. 6) The camaraderie and easy-going atmosphere. Each staff member has a great sense of humour.
	Chris Hogan Web Team 1) Boxer/Akita. 2) Cloverfield. 3) Jeremy Clarkson – Don’t Stop Me Now. 4) Simpsons! 5) Japan. 6) The humorous atmosphere.
	Lindsay Shepherd Production Co-ordinator 1) English Bull Terriers all the way, even though I do really want a Basset Hound too! 2) Yes Man with Jim Carrey in it - it was OK. 3) JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (I got the box set at Christmas from my lovely husband Ken and I've just finished them!). 4) Columbo - I love Peter Falk! 5) A train journey through the Canadian Rockies - very expensive but I'm working on it. 6) The many varied food treats that we get from Vince to keep us quiet! (Especially when we are making the Annual.)
	Leanne Ridgley News Editor 1) Siberian Husky, but I wouldn't be without my lovely Corgi-cross and Collie-cross. 2) Slumdog Millionaire, which I highly recommend, especially for the 'autograph' scene! 3) America Unchained by Dave Gorman, kindly leant to me by Rachel as she shares my desire to travel across the USA one day. 4) Ooh that's a toughie, can I name a few? Father Ted, Shameless, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Corrie, Blackadder, The IT Crowd... 5) Ideally I'd buy a world ticket and go everywhere, but if I could only choose one place, it would be Fiji. 6) Listening to Darren's scathing one-liners!
	Adam Williams Web Team 1) My favourite breed of dog is the Border Collie. They are full of intelligence and vitality. You will never have a dull moment with a Border Collie. 2) The last film I went to see was Frost/Nixon. An excellent film with two fantastic central performances. 3) The last book I read was A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini. A moving account of two young women growing up in Afghanistan and how they endure the social and political changes suffered in that country over the last thirty years. 4) My favourite TV programme is The Wire. No show has ever been so consistently good. Full of sharp, committed and dramatic stories. 5) I am actually going to New Zealand next month. To be honest if I could go anywhere I would go to Egypt but New Zealand has always been high on my list. 6) The friendly atmosphere.
	John Holden Advertising Manager 1) The Bedlington Terrier – having bred them since the mid-sixties. 2) Chicken Run – highbrow or what! 3) Hitler – My Part in his Downfall, by Spike Milligan. 4) The Royal Family: “My arse!” 5) South Africa. 6) Everything – I’m a masochist! But mostly, the mystery of how it all comes together every week…
	Scott Zverblis Advertising Team 1) Labradoodle. 2) I don’t go to the cinema that often, but the last film I saw on DVD was Tropic Thunder. 3) The Life of Graham - The Biography of Graham Chapman by Bob McCabe. 4) It's a toss up between 24, Columbo or The X-Files. 5) Thailand. 6) The lovely people.
	Kerry Rushby Advertising Team 1) The Leonberger, I have owned them since 1999, but have been involved in the breed for much longer - since 1992. I also love Akitas, Tibetan Terriers, and Rottweilers. 2) That would be Mamma Mia - and I went to see that twice - and I have been to the location where it was filmed! 3) I am a big lover of autobiographies, and the last one I recall reading must have been Katie Price's. 4) I love Friends, Sex and the City, and all the soaps - so I cannot really narrow this down to one! 5) I would love to visit Australia, and also sightsee around America. 6) Everyone is very friendly and approachable in the office - which is part of the job. I can bring my gentle giant 'Leonbergers' into the office each day and there is never an issue about that! We all get on well with each other and enjoy working for Our Dogs. Also, for me, I enjoy my job because I love showing my dogs, and working for Our Dogs gives me the best of both worlds.
	Diane Webster OD2 Co-ordinator 1) Can’t decide between Welsh Springer Spaniel and Saluki 2) Slumdog Millionnaire - loved the ending 3) The Take - easy read, very predictable 4) Shameless - love it, but can’t always stay awake long enough, so have to catch it a few days later on catch up channel 5) Brazil - fancied from as far back as I can remember 6) The relaxed atmosphere and working alongside –witty and interesting people
	Becky Archer Editorial Team 1) A Border Collie or Shetland Sheepdog. I grew up with a Border Collie called Murphy and now own a 2-year-old Blue Shetland Sheepdog called Indy who’s a beauty! I would love to own lots of land and have at least one of each! I also really like wolves and would like to visit a wolf sanctuary. 2) The last film I saw was Revolutionary Road! On a lighter note, the film I saw before that was the 1960 comedy The Apartment, which I loved. 3) Atonement but the best book I have read recently was The Kite Runner. 4) Life on Mars. 5) Rimini Soul Weekender: sun, sea and rare soul!! 6) The laughs we have in the office! And the sausage woman who comes round every morning!
	Kath Whelan Domestic 1) Labrador. 2) Full Monty. 3) Mommy Dearest. 4) It’s a Knockout. 5) Australia. 6) All the smiley faces!
	John Shepherd Production 1) Springer Spaniel. 2) Casino Royale 3) Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes. 4) Faulty Towers. 5) Australia. 6) I love everything.