Fido will no longer cut it. If you hope to ascend to the upper echelons of glamour, it's not enough to name your children Tabitha and Casper, your pets must also have unique monikers. At least that's on the evidence provided by the top ten most popular dog names of 2012.

Whether you want a short hike or more of a marathon, stretch your legs and enjoy some of Britain's best sea views

Experts think Winston may be feeling vibrations from the music

What we love, we're not sure about, we're buying and can't wait for...

Never mind the controversy feel the fiction

One is a fierce merciless killing machine - known as the 'king of the jungle', the other is a cute hybrid of two of the softer breeds of domestic dog. Difficult to confuse you might think.

A 15-year-old girl found fatally bitten by dogs outside a Mexico City park in mid-December may have been the first victim of a feral pack suspected of killing at least four other people over the last month, say prosecutors.

Pillows by Tom Ford, trinkets by Hermès and YSL, Lanvin props...

A cat carrying a saw and a mobile phone was “detained” as it entered a prison gate in northeast Brazil, Brazilian media reported today.

A cat which suffered chemical burns to 60 per cent of its body causing its black-and-white fur to fall out is recovering and its coat is growing back.

Will £7-an-hour cuddles and soft drinks catch on as life makes it less practical to keep pets?

Two cats are confirmed dead and at least 18 unaccounted for after a blaze ripped through a cattery, firefighters said today.

A bid to crowd-fund an eaterie where people can enjoy tea and cuddles with cats is gathering momentum

The budget laws that threatened the US with billions in tax hikes weren’t the only ones that were due to come into force in the new year, with some 400 state and local measures ranging from the sensible to (at first glance) the sublimely ridiculous also taking effect on 1 January.